YAKIMA, Wash. -- International travel is down. So is corporate travel. Same goes for personal leisure travel.

The recession has led to an overall global travel slump, particularly in overseas trips. While the decline is beginning to slow, the forecast shows it will likely be another sparse year, especially for international travel.

"People are doing shorter vacations closer to home," says Nadine Warren, owner and president of ACCENT! Tours in Yakima. "National parks are a big destination. They're doing the Olympic Peninsula. They're doing Yellowstone. They're doing Glacier National Park, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year."

In these tough economic times, people are postponing big trips -- particularly to Europe -- staying stateside, traveling regionally, even taking "staycations" in their own towns.

And those measures hit the travel industry hard in 2009.

International tourist arrivals fell by 7 percent during the first eight months of last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, an agency of the United Nations that serves as a worldwide forum for tourism policy issues.

The outlook is expected to improve in 2010, but not by much. The organization is now projecting modest growth -- 1 percent to 3 percent -- for international travel in the coming year, with travel in Asia making the biggest gains.

People from the Yakima Valley, particularly seniors and baby boomers, are still going places, says Warren, who specializes in group departures and full-package vacations. She has several international tours scheduled this year, including trips to Holland, France and Germany.

But most of her clients are sticking to the Americas: Mexico, the Caribbean, California, Florida, New England.

"Tons of people go to Alaska," she says. With ships leaving from Seattle, "They don't have to fly to get there, so it's less expensive.

"People are still traveling. But they want everything they can get included."

The predicted upswing in international travel -- no matter how modest -- was enough for Concierge.com to recently declare 2010 as "Travel's Comeback Year." The site features highlights from Condé Nast Traveler magazine as well as other travel information and guides.

International travel makes up less than 20 percent of Warren's overall business, which she says has remained steady despite the grim economy: "For my business, there's been no slowdown."

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Warren and Rosemary Saunders, office manager of the Yakima Travel Leaders branch, don't expect to see too many Valley residents heading to international "hot spots," except for perhaps Italy. Generally speaking, local travelers tend to stick to more traditional destinations.

"Folks from here are still largely going to the same places," says Saunders, whose travel agency handles "about 50 percent corporate and 50 percent leisure" travel.

"If you're looking at vacations, it's beaches, especially Hawaii," she says. "Families always like Disney -- Disneyland, Disney World. Couples like Las Vegas for a shorter vacation. Those standards are still the most popular."

And many local travelers -- particularly those who work in agriculture -- tend to schedule their vacations around the seasons.

"Farmers take vacations in January and February before they have to get back to the crops, to the trees," Warren says. "They're going to the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii" -- places with sun, sand and sea when the Valley is frozen over.

August, she says, is typically her slowest month. When the weather's warm here, residents stay home and enjoy it.

Virginia Weedin, one of Warren's frequent customers, plans her trips around her grandchildren's birthdays.

"I love cruising," says the 70-year-old Yakima grandmother, who plans to cruise to Alaska and through the Panama Canal this year. "I would like to take more cruises."

And she plans to keep traveling, particularly around the U.S., despite the downturn in the economy: "You have one life to live, and you live it to the fullest."

Other places she wants to go include Nashville, New York City, Arizona and Texas.

"It's nice to see how other people live in other parts of the country," she says.

Overseas destinations aren't on her list. And the numbers show she's not alone.

"It's a luxury, and it's a matter of perceived value," Saunders says of vacation travel, especially overseas trips.

"Some people, I think, are postponing international trips because they are more expensive. With everybody's savings dwindling, uncertainty is what's caused it to be reduced," says Saunders, adding, "We saw a good size decline last year."

But, "We are definitely busier now than we were in December," she says. "I think people are becoming a little more confident. They're seeing their investments start to rise again."

Still, it might be awhile before European travel recovers.

"Italy is popular," Saunders says. But, "The American dollar versus the Euro has really taken a dive."

Saunders is bucking the 2010 travel trend and heading abroad: "We are going to Peru," she says.

Warren has several trips planned, too. Next month, she'll set sail for the Panama Canal. It'll be her 25th cruise.

* Adriana Janovich can be reached at 509-577-7653 or ajanovich@yakimaherald.com.

Drive-to destinations

Unless the economy turns around soon, many would-be tourists will only be dreaming of Bora Bora and the Bahamas, the Amalfi Coast and the Azores.

But that doesn't mean travel buffs have to stay home in 2010. There are plenty of places to go without long layovers, jet lag and the high price of plane tickets.

Here are a few drive-to destinations -- other than Seattle, Spokane and Portland -- around the Pacific Northwest:

Washington

* Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Camp, hike and check out the crater from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Located 5 1/2 miles from the crater, the observatory reopens for the summer season May 16, just two days shy of the 30th anniversary of the May 18, 1980, eruption.

* Mount Rainier National Park. America's fifth-oldest national park encompasses 368 square miles and features more than 260 miles of maintained trails.

* Great Wolf Lodge. This new resort just outside Centralia features an indoor water park, restaurants, spa and game rooms.

* Lake Chelan. This glacier-fed lake stretches 1 1/2 miles at its widest and offers an array of boating, water sports and other recreational activities.

* The San Juan Islands. Bring your bike. "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010" lists the islands among the "World's Top 10 Cycling Routes."

* Port Townsend. Home of the Wooden Boat Festival and Great Port Townsend Bay Kinetic Sculpture Race, this Victorian seaport served as the setting for the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman." Stay in a Victorian-mansion-turned-bed-and-breakfast, Officers' Row at Fort Worden State Park, or The Tides Inn, where love scenes in the movie were filmed.

* U.S. Highway 101. Make a loop around the Olympic Peninsula -- from Discovery Bay and the Sequim rainshadow to Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Hot Springs. If you're a "Twilight" fan, head for Forks -- with a 14-mile detour to La Push and the Pacific Ocean -- to see the setting of the popular teenage vampire series. Other mileposts: Kalaloch Lodge and Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Park and the Hoh Rain Forest.

Oregon

* Crater Lake National Park. The deepest lake in the United States -- and the seventh deepest in the world -- Crater Lake lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, on the crest of the Cascade Range.

* Ashland. The 2010 playbill for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival features "Hamlet" and "The Merchant of Venice," among others. Before a show at the Elizabethan Theatre, sample the drinking water -- known for its mineral taste -- at Lithia Park.

* The North Coast. Walk "The Prom" in Seaside. Visit Haystack Rock in Canon Beach. Stop at the Rogue Ales Public House on Pier 39 in Astoria. See the sea life at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. Enjoy the buttery New-England-style clam chowder at Mo's -- in Newport, Lincoln City, Canon Beach, Florence and Devil's Punchbowl at Otter Rock. Watch the whales at Depoe Bay. Each cheese and ice cream in Tillamook. And don't forget the saltwater taffy.

Idaho

* Sandpoint. Located on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, this walkable town is a starting point for enjoying the mountains of northern Idaho. View the lake -- with a surface area of 148 square miles -- from the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, State Highway 200, along the north shore.

* Silverwood Theme Park. Just north of Coeur d'Alene, the park features more than 65 rides and attractions from roller coasters to water slides.

British Columbia

* Vancouver. Host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, this metropolis offers plenty to see and do -- from the Vancouver Art Gallery, Capilano Suspension Bridge and 1,000-acre Stanley Park to the public market on Granville Island, shopping on Robson Street and a place to take it all in, the Vancouver Lookout, towering 430 feet above the cityscape.

* Victoria. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the capital of British Columbia is home to Craigdarroch Castle, a Victorian mansion built between 1887-1890 for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir; the 55-acre Butchart Gardens; and afternoon tea at The Fairmont Empress, overlooking the Inner Harbour, among many other attractions.

Cost-saving tips

Planning to get away? Here are a few cost-saving ideas for vacationing:

* Set a budget. And start saving now.

* Sign up for e-mail alerts. A host of Web sites let you know when flights and hotel rooms go on sale.

* Book online through Web sites like Priceline.com and Travelocity.com. Booking early often saves you money. So does taking advantage of last-minute deals, if your schedule allows.

* Are you a member of AAA? The organization offers member discounts on dining, entertainment and travel, especially cruise and tour programs.

* Get a credit card that rewards you with air miles.

* Go for an overnight, even a weekend or long weekend. But skip the weeklong or two-week trip -- and the hotel and food costs that go with it.

* Pack or fix your own food. Opt for a room with a kitchenette. Instead of dining out for two or three meals a day when you're away from home, head to a grocery store. Make most of your own meals in your room.

* Travel with friends or relatives and share costs.

* Visit -- and stay with -- relatives, and cut the cost of staying at a hotel.

* Skip weekends. Many hotels and airlines offer cheaper rates during the week.

* Be flexible on travel dates and destinations to take advantage of good deals and special offers.

* Ask for specials. And use coupons. But, says Nadine Warren, owner of ACCENT! Tours in Yakima, "Don't always take the cheapest. You know the old adage. If it sounds to good to be true ... "

* Stay where children eat for free.

* Camp out in one of the country's national parks.

* Pack lightly. Whether you fly or drive, hauling around a lot of stuff costs you more.

* Find a free or cheap ride to and from the airport. Shuttles typically cost less than cabs. Asking a friend or relative for a ride costs even less.