Mark Blutstein

Despite recent economic and political uncertainty, Brazil’s online travel market has been resilient and continues to grow, thanks in part to tech-savvy consumers who place a high priority on leisure travel. As the market rebounds, travel companies need to understand the consumer behaviors and preferences that influence purchase decisions. Commissioned by Google and based on a comprehensive survey of Brazilian travelers, this research provides a detailed profile of the Brazilian leisure traveler.

Quickly advancing technology, along with rapid adoption of and reliance on smartphones, has significantly impacted many aspects of U.S. consumers’ day-to-day lives. Travel is no exception, and in fact represents one area that has been dramatically transformed by the Internet, mobile devices and a range of online tools and services. Based on a comprehensive survey of U.S travelers’ device ownership, attitudes and behavior, this report series examines the ways in which consumers integrate technology throughout the travel life cycle – from trip planning, shopping and booking, to the actual travel experience.

Along with the rise of social and smartphones, messaging apps have become a favorite way for travelers to communicate. Tech advancements in messaging and voice are harnessing artificial intelligence to make travel planning easier and more personalized. This report examines how U.S. online travelers use social media, chat apps and voice-powered tools and services to facilitate their travel planning, shopping, booking and sharing.

Mobile websites and apps accounted for more than one in five U.S. online travel bookings in 2017, and mobile bookings are growing more rapidly than any other channel. This analysis provides an overview of the U.S. mobile shopping and booking landscape.

When Apple introduced their first smartphone in 2007, the main function was to make phone calls. Ten years later, adoption of smartphones, with their many capabilities, has skyrocketed. Among U.S. travelers, smartphone adoption happened even faster than with the general population. As early users, travelers embraced the opportunity to shift travel tasks from their desktop to their smartphones.

With mobile ownership still on the rise in Europe, European travelers continue to evolve in terms of how they use mobile devices – particularly smartphones – before, during and after their trips. And as technology advances in terms of the travel-related functionality available to consumers at home and on-the-go, European travelers are embracing a range of websites, apps and services to facilitate their trip planning, purchasing and sharing. This special collection of reports explores how technology is impacting European travelers’ attitudes and behavior.

A decade after the debut of the first smartphone, people’s fascination with mobile devices shows no sign of abating. Travelers, and particularly business travelers, are no exception. This Spotlight focuses on the European business traveler – the devices they own and use, and how comfortable they are with up-and-coming technology.

Mobile messaging has grown rapidly over the past few years, and voice-activated assistants
like Amazon’s Alexa are going mainstream. European consumers are definitely using these technologies, but what does it mean for travel? This Spotlight explores the extent to which European travelers are willing to shift to messaging and voice to facilitate their travel planning, shopping and experiences.

Social media provides a 360-degree platform for the entire trip life cycle – from providing trip inspiration and deals during the dreaming phase to sharing travel experiences post-trip. But as technology progresses and travelers expect more visual allure on their social feeds, travel marketers must up the ante to break through the social clutter. This Spotlight highlights the social networks that are most popular with French, German and British travelers, and examines the impact of social on travel planning, shopping and sharing.

Smartphone travel planning continues to grow among European travelers. As mobile capabilities improve and travel apps go even more mainstream, travelers are embracing smartphones as an easy and reliable choice for travel planning. This Spotlight explores how French, German and U.K. travelers shop and book on smartphones, where they ultimately book travel plans, and how smartphone activity varies by age.