Obviously the green industry was partially sustained this year by the staycation phenomena. In spite of Much Ado having been made in the trade press over this term, I actually talked with someone at an industry conference tonight who had not heard of it so I thought I might provide further commentary. Wikipedia provides this definition:
A staycation (also spelled stay-cation, stacation, or staykation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2009 in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high. Staycations also became a popular phenomenon in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound made overseas holidays significantly more expensive.
Interestingly, the term was added to the 2009 version of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Proof of the staycation phenomenon can also be illustrated graphically: