Publication Summary

With the steady, albeit modest recovery mounted by the U.S. economy since its 2009 tumble, consumer confidence has undoubtedly improved. In 2011, leisure travel bookings edged ahead of 2008 levels. But this improved confidence is by no means uniform, and many U.S. consumers still approach the leisure travel planning and purchasing process with extreme caution. In this still-uncertain scenario, there remains great variation in traveler behavior, travel spend, planning and booking methods, motivation and attitudes.

PhoCusWright's U.S. Consumer Travel Report Fourth Edition provides a comprehensive view of U.S. leisure travel trends, along with insight into consumers' travel intentions for the coming year. This report reviews the dynamics that drove consumer travel behavior in 2011 and highlights fundamental indicators for understanding trends in 2012. Based on an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers who play an active role in planning their leisure trips, the report tracks and analyzes a range of travel-related behavior, as well as the key factors that influence this behavior.

Key topics include:

• General traveler behavior, including incidence of travel, trip frequency and duration, travel party composition and travel spend
• Travel component purchase incidence, with detailed analysis of air and lodging spend, and types of accommodations used
• Websites used in various stages of online travel planning – destination selection, shopping, purchasing and sharing
• Trip motivation and information sources used in destination research
• Traveler shopping behavior, including types of websites used, online and offline sources of information, and influence of various types of online content
• Most popular travel purchasing channels, online versus offline purchasing, and typical purchase methods by age and travel segment

With a combination of advanced metrics and discerning analysis, PhoCusWright's U.S. Consumer Travel Report Fourth Edition helps travel companies understand and leverage the key trends that are driving the behavior of today's travelers.

Purchase today for fresh insight into the behavior, attitudes and preferences of U.S. travelers.

Not sure this is the report for you? Contact our experts to find the research that fits your needs. +1 860 350-4084 x501

Table of Contents

48 Pages

Section One: Overview, Methodology and Research Highlights

Section Two: General Travel Behavior
- Overall Travel Incidence
- Trip Frequency
- Trip Duration
- Annual Household Travel Spend
- Wallet Share
- Other General Travel Behaviors
- Travel Party Composition
- International Travel

Section Three: Travel Components
- Lodging and Air Travel Incidence
- Types of Lodging and Other Travel Products

Section Four: The Online Travel Planning Process

Section Five: The Destination Selection Phase

Section Six: The Shopping Phase

Section Seven: The Travel Purchase Phase
- Online vs. Offline Purchasing
- Component Channel Purchase Behavior
- Purchase Channel by Age and Component

Section Eight: Demographics


LIST OF TABLES
U.S. Traveler Population

Incidence of Travel

Frequency of Leisure and Business Trips

Travel Frequency Intentions by Number of Leisure Trips Taken in Prior Year

Duration of Leisure Trips

Trip Duration Intentions by Longest Trip Taken in Prior Year

Annual Household Travel Spend

Trip Budget Intentions by Annual Household Travel Spend in Prior Year

Trip Budget Intentions by Age

Annual Household Travel Spend and Travel Incidence by Age

Travel Spend as a Percentage of Income

2011 Travel Spend as a Percentage of Income, by Age

Travel Party Composition

International Travel Incidence, by Age

Lodging and Air Traveler Incidence

Annual Household Travel Spend and Trip Frequency by Lodging and Air Traveler Incidence

Intentions for Travel Product Consumption

Usage of Lodging Types

Usage of Lodging Types, by Annual Household Travel Spend

Travel Component Purchase Incidence

Number of Websites Used, by Phase

Number of Websites Used During Shopping Phase, by Agreement with Travel Planning Statement

Destination Selection Categories

Motivation for Last Trip to an Independently Selected Destination

Information Sources for Destination Selection

Websites Used for Destination Selection

Sources of Information Used in Shopping Phase

Websites Used for Shopping

Website Choice Motivation

Online Features Used During Travel Shopping

Websites Used to View Traveler-Submitted Ratings/Reviews

General Travel Booking Channel

Typical Purchase Methods

Typical Purchase Methods, By Age

Demographics: Employment Status & Gender

Demographics: Household Composition

Demographics: Education and Age

Demographics: Income

Methodology

PhoCusWright fielded an online consumer survey January 13-23, 2011, through Global Market Insite, Inc., targeting the general U.S. adult population that has Internet access and travels for leisure.

To qualify for participation in the study, respondents had to indicate they had taken at least one leisure trip at least 75 miles from home in the past 12 months that included paid lodging and/or air travel. An additional screener required consumers to have played an active role in planning their leisure trips. Respondents who qualified are referred to as "U.S. travelers." The term "lodging" is used in this report to refer to the broad range of paid accommodations, including hotels and other nightly priced lodging products, as well as timeshares and vacation rentals.

PhoCusWright received 2,036 qualified responses, and the weighted respondent pool can be projected with confidence to the U.S. adult population with Internet access. A total of 4,915 respondents were surveyed to obtain baseline metrics about travelers and nontravelers within the general online population. The error interval for analysis of the U.S. traveler population is +/-2.19% at a 95% confidence level. Significant differences noted in this report were identified at a 95% confidence level.

Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Pew Research Center, PhoCusWright projects the number of U.S. adults with Internet access who have taken at least one leisure trip (as previously defined) to be 115 million people in 2011 (see Figure 1). These travelers represent 48% of the total U.S. population. The additional requirement for respondents to have played an active role in travel planning further narrows the focus of the study, as 18% of travelers were consequently disqualified.