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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.Analysts: Mark Blutstein, Douglas QuinbyTopics: Mobile, Technology InnovationRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
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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.Analysts: Brandie Wright, Mark BlutsteinTopic: Social & SearchRegion: EuropeResearch Type: Article
While social media has long had an impact on travel sharing and decision-making, the landscape has changed dramatically. Travelers (especially younger ones) now show a strong preference for sharing their travel experiences visually – through photos and video. This spotlight explores the impact of social networks on travel, including which sites are most used by travelers, how travelers share their experiences, and the impact of social media on travel decisions.Analysts: Brandie Wright, Mark Blutstein, David JumanTopics: Technology Innovation, Social & SearchRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Article
From perfectly filtered social media posts to heartfelt recollections of friends, visually stunning scenes from movies, and glossy magazine covers, travelers are exposed to an array of inspiration sources that seed ideas of spectacular places they hope to one day see. But with a world of options, travelers must carefully whittle down their options to the one that most speaks to their wishes. Most travelers take just a handful of leisure trips each year. After accounting for the trips to visit family and friends or to attend social obligations – weddings, graduations, reunions – the pool of trips left where travelers actually get to choose their destination independently shrinks. Within various markets across the globe, including the U.S., Brazil, Australia, China, Mexico, Germany and the U.K, less than half of leisure travelers traveled to a destination they could choose at their whim over the past year.Analysts: Alice Jong, Mark BlutsteinTopics: Destination & Activities Marketing, Consumer TrendsSegments: Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Tours & PackagesRegions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
Virtually everyone on the planet who has used the internet recognizes the three leading search engines, Google, Yahoo and Bing. Along with the big 3, there are several others, such as the Chinese search engine Baidu and DuckDuckGo, which does not track and record users’ actions. Despite these advances, we have just begun to unlock the potential of search.Analyst: Bob OffuttTopics: Social & Search, Technology InnovationResearch Type: Article
Several years have passed since the initial burst of excitement over chatbots. Hailed as a cost-effective, personalized solution for marketing, customer service and sales, chatbots were suddenly on the to-do list for travel companies across segments. Platforms like Facebook Messenger and Slack made it easy for travel companies to launch simple chatbots, and many did. But once travelers had a chance to kick the tires, it became clear that there were many things chatbots and AI couldn’t do (yet). Not even giants like Facebook were immune to the fading enthusiasm.Analyst: Cathy WalshTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Article
Technology has driven massive shifts in consumer travel behavior. Travelers now dream of, research, shop and book their travel across devices, and are led into the funnel through various advertising channels. The travel industry has bounced back after a few difficult years, and advertising budgets are likewise rising. Based on a combination of executive interviews, surveys and market sizing work, this report represents a deep dive into the travel ad spend landscape in the U.S. and Europe, exploring the essential trends that define digital travel advertising.Analysts: Alice Jong, Bob Sacco, George Skarpelos, Marina Lähteenmäki, Douglas QuinbyTopics: Market Overview & Sizing, Destination & Activities MarketingSegments: Air, Car Rental & Ground Transportation, Cruise, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Rail, Tours & PackagesRegions: Europe, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
Young people have long been early adopters of new technologies, and nowhere are the tastes and preferences of youth felt more strongly than in the realm of social media. With older millennials now in their mid-thirties, it is no surprise that social media habits differ even between older and younger millennials. The social media usage of today’s youngest adults is often more savvy and nuanced than that of their predecessors. This article examines the social habits of teens and young millennials (i.e., the Snapchat generation), and what they mean for the future of social media in travel.Analyst: Cathy WalshTopic: Social & SearchResearch Type: Article
Traditional machine interfaces such as keyboards, tablets and joysticks have long been the weak point in fully integrating computers into our everyday lives. Speech recognition and speech response systems were too limited, had high error rates and were offensive to listen to because they sounded like mechanical speech. Now that is all changing. Major technology breakthroughs on both the input (speech recognition) and output (speech synthesis) sides have made interactive speech suitable for everyday use.Analyst: Bob OffuttTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Article
Keeping up with the latest and greatest bright shiny object in digital marketing oftentimes feels like a race with no finish line. Making determinations on how much attention, time, resources, and actual budget to allocate to new advancements in digital marketing challenges any professional, even the savviest. With the pace of change and the pressures of competition, brands must weigh their decisions based on both where they think their consumers will be next and how much they want to be leaders versus followers in that space.Analyst: Hollis ThomasesTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Article
Each year, Phocuswright publishes its pick of the top business and technology trends that will shape the future of travel distribution. This Spotlight presents still-developing trends are most likely to have widespread, near-term impact across the travel industry, including artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and more.Analyst: Bob OffuttTopic: Technology InnovationSegments: Air, Hotels & LodgingResearch Type: Article
In the last several years, conversational bots – computer programs that enable text conversations – have been among the hottest technology topics. Startups and traditional travel players have launched a variety of chatbots focusing on customer services, trip planning and booking. This analysis reviews the current state of chatbots and how they are being implemented by travel companies, and discusses the future impact of this technology on the travel search-shop-buy experience.Analyst: Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Article
Long described as “alternative” lodging, the private accommodation segment is now mainstream. Services such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO have transformed the marketplace; in 2015 nearly one in three U.S. travelers used private accommodation, and in 2016 private accommodation was projected to climb 11%, nearly twice as fast as the U.S. travel market. Based on surveys and interviews conducted with rental travelers, hosts and homeowners, property managers and executives in the vacation rental and private accommodation space, this report presents a detailed look at how this dynamic segment has evolved and where it is headed in the years to come.Analysts: Douglas Quinby, Mark Blutstein, Alice Jong, Bing Liu, Cathy Walsh, Deepak Jain, Maggie RauchTopics: Consumer Trends, Market Overview & SizingSegment: Hotels & LodgingRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
As the post-recession U.S. economy becomes steadier, travel has enjoyed the ride. While demand is high for all types of travel – domestic, inbound and outbound – the impact on the bottom line varies by segment. U.S. Online Travel Overview Fifteenth Edition provides comprehensive market sizing of the U.S. travel industry, with a focus on the purchase, distribution and marketing of travel booked by the leisure or unmanaged business traveler. The report highlights the trends that have driven the growth of the online channel, and features a comprehensive view of the U.S. travel landscape from 2013-2017.Analysts: Maggie Rauch, Robert Cole, Michael Coletta, Lorraine SileoTopic: Market Overview & SizingSegments: Air, Car Rental & Ground Transportation, Cruise, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Rail, Tours & PackagesRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report