Mobile Travel Activities Bookings: Are Travelers Ready?

Leisure travelers are using their mobile devices during trips to explore, navigate and book travel – and they are hungry to do even more, according to Phocuswright's new study of the travel activities marketplace, When They Get There (and Why They Go): Activities, Attractions, Events and Tours. While many travelers are already completing a range of travel-related tasks via mobile, future intent predicts a major shift in the way travelers make decisions while in destination.

Four out of five active travelers (i.e., travelers who have purchased or participated in an activity, attraction, event or tour while traveling in the past year) report traveling with mobile phones. Among those who do, the most common functions used are capturing photos/videos, checking email, viewing maps, and finding attractions/activities on maps. Over 40% of active travelers used their mobile devices to research activities during their last trip, and nearly 40% reported reserving/purchasing activities.

These already significant adoption rates are dwarfed by future intent. Nearly two thirds of active travelers with mobile phones indicate that they are likely to use them to research and purchase activities in the future. One third are likely to check in to a location-enabled social network.

This dramatic change in the way travelers access information during their trips creates fresh opportunities to monetize travel activities, opening the door to providing timely, personalized activities content and last-minute bookings.

When They Get There (and Why They Go): Activities, Attractions, Events and Tours provides a detailed picture of the U.S. travel activities landscape, comprised of the in-destination activities, events, tours and attractions that are often core to the leisure travel experience. Together they form a market that is nearly twice the size of the car rental segment. While the fragmented activities market has been slow to integrate with the broader travel distribution ecosystem, a growing aggregator network and a flood of technology innovation are creating fresh opportunities to monetize activities content.

When They Get There (and Why The Go): Activities, Attractions, Events and Tours unravels the complexities of this diverse market, providing data and analysis to help travel companies understand its unique challenges and opportunities. Key topics include:

• Market sizing and forecasts for the U.S. travel activities market from 2008-2012, including breakouts by activity type
• Traveler behavior in relation to in-destination services, including research, shopping and booking trends; key drivers and inhibitors; and demographic patterns
• The role and impact of emerging technologies, including reservation and distribution technologies, social media and mobile
• Challenges and opportunities for travel suppliers, distributors and technology providers