A leisure travel trends study was recently released by a digital marketing agency after surveying more than 2,000 travelers in 2022. The results reveal startling changes in the travel planning and booking behavior as impacted by rising costs, the overall economy, continuing COVID-19 risks, and technology.
The study examines travelers’ mindsets and behavior from the inception of the idea to travel all the way through to how they interact with their chosen destinations before, during, and after their stay. It also shows vital metrics and specifies year-over-year guest booking preferences and behavior changes.
This 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study provides key insights such as:
● Rising costs are impacting travel plans. 36% of travelers say they may cancel planned vacations due to budget concerns.
● Travelers are doing more online research than ever before. The average traveler looks at 5.5 websites during their booking process doing more research than ever before.
● Factors impacting travel plans are shifting. Transportation costs, amenities, and loyalty programs are just a few factors that can affect a traveler’s decision.
● COVID-19 continues to influence travel. 55% of the population still considers the pandemic before booking travel. Only 13.5% of American leisure travelers say COVID-19 is a major influence on travel, compared to 45% of Canadian travelers. Showing that COVID-19 is continuing to make a significant impact on international travel.
● Reviews have never been more important to travelers choosing where to stay. 82% of travelers will not book a property without having first read reviews.
● Vacation rental sites are taking a bite out of the online travel agencies (OTA). VRBO and Airbnb are growing significantly in usage, at the expense of the OTAs such as Expedia.
“Leisure travel continues to be one of the most impacted industries in the post-pandemic period and consumers are very conscious of inflation, lingering COVID-19 concerns, along with high expectations for destinations and accommodations,” said Pete DiMaio, COO of TravelBoom, which conducted the survey. “Our annual Leisure Travel Trends study allows us to better understand the consumer mindset and purchase journey so that we can adapt our marketing strategies to a greater impact.”
To download a copy of the 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study, please Bus maanei.
