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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
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Europeans love to travel, and nearly half of European travelers begin planning their trips at least three months in advance. But what do they look for in a destination, and where do they go? This report, part of the Europe Consumer Travel 2018 series and based on a comprehensive survey of French, German and U.K. travelers, examines where European consumers go on their trips (and why), and reveals the key information sources they rely on for destination research.Analysts: Mark Blutstein, Brandie WrightTopics: Consumer Trends, Destination & Activities MarketingRegion: EuropeResearch Type: Report
While more Americans traveled for leisure in 2017 compared to the previous year, understanding what motivated those trips and how they took shape can be tricky. In addition to deciding where to go, travelers are faced with figuring out how much to spend, whom to travel with and how to get there. This report focuses on what inspires consumers to travel, how they decide on their destination, and the tools and information sources they rely on for inspiration and while planning their trips.Analysts: Cathy Walsh, Mark BlutsteinTopic: Consumer TrendsRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
U.S. leisure travelers have lots of options to choose from when planning their trips: multiple devices, numerous websites and many sources of advice on which travel products to buy. Here’s what leisure travel shopping and buying looked like in 2016, including the influence of mobile, use of OTAs vs. supplier websites, the growth of private accommodation and in-destination activities, and more.Analysts: Mark Blutstein, Cathy WalshTopic: Consumer TrendsSegments: Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
This research presents Phocuswright analysis of SimilarWeb data for the metasearch domain in seven markets - Australia, France, Germany, India and Japan, U.K., U.S. for the period July 2015 to June 2016. The spotlight throws light on various parameters like engagement stats for desktop and mobile websites, seasonality, and traffic sources, that showcase the performance of websites in a country.Analyst: Coney DongreTopics: Social & Search, Market Overview & SizingSegments: Air, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesRegions: Asia Pacific, Europe, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
Businesses spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising with the goal of driving sales, revenues, and profits. For a very long time, that meant focusing on ways to drive consumer attention to the product or services the business chose to promote. In the parlance of travel, this focus has been on the destination, not on the trip itself. Digital has, however, precipitated the altering of this thinking. With the de-centralization of how and where people buy, marketers have had to become more customer-centric, paying attention to customer segments, behaviors, expectations, and experiences. The assemblage of these new focal points is called the customer journey, and this report will more deeply explore — through the combination of travel-specific and generalized sources — the customer journey, its value to a business, and how customer journeys can also foster innovative thinking and execution for travel marketers.Analyst: Hollis ThomasesTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
More than seven in 10 American and European adults took a leisure holiday in 2015. Yet despite their shared affinity for leisure travel, unique economic conditions, cultural and geographical factors in these markets influence consumers’ decisions about where to go, as well as their travel behavior and attitudes. This report explores how U.S. and European travelers manage the destination selection process and other key aspects of their trips. Analysis includes trip frequency and spend, preferences for domestic vs. international travel, primary motivators for travel, online vs. offline sources of information, and travel intentions for the coming year.Analysts: Brandie Wright, Mark BlutsteinTopics: Destination & Activities Marketing, Consumer TrendsSegments: Air, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesRegions: Europe, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
Asia Pacific is a growth engine of the global travel industry, and while much attention has been focused on the more populous China and India, Southeast Asia is emerging as a key area of focus for suppliers, OTAs, investors and startups. With a growing economy and a burgeoning middle class, the region is home to a growing population of young, tech-savvy consumers, eager to travel. Based on a comprehensive consumer research study, this report highlights traveler behaviors, attitudes and preferences in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The publication identifies key trends across demographics, trip types and destinations, travel incidence and spend, online information sources, booking behaviors, and the usage of mobile devices and social networking in relation to travel.Analysts: Cathy Walsh, Bing Liu, Chetan Kapoor, Douglas Quinby, Maggie RauchTopic: Consumer TrendsSegments: Air, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesResearch Type: Report
The rise of the internet, mobile platforms and a plethora of consumer-facing booking options have created an array of challenges for traditional travel agencies. Yet despite predictions to the contrary, travel agents have survived and are even being courted by suppliers and others trying to promote their products. The agency community remains the biggest consumer of travel products, and to a large extent they are thriving alongside OTAs and supplier-direct channels. This report presents a comprehensive view of the U.S. travel agency distribution landscape, including market sizing, agent profiles and segmentation, use of technology and more.Analysts: Claudia Unger, Mary Pat SullivanTopic: Market Overview & SizingSegment: Traditional Agencies & TMCsRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
One of the hottest topics in the travel industry today is using artificial intelligence (AI) to create unique offers personalized to a traveler’s needs. The goal is to increase the conversion rate of the offer by bundling specific products and services that the user would find helpful to their specific travel needs. Whether it is the IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative or third-party tools that analyze big data, most believe we are entering a new era of AI-driven pricing, packaging and bundling. This article discusses the current trends in AI-driven predictive pricing and bundling, illustrating how predictive offers can be created to increase traveler acceptance.Analyst: Norm RoseResearch Type: Report