Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Family vacations remain a priority in spite of tough economy
- Two thirds of households with kids took a family vacation in last 12 months
- Vacation planning is a family affair
- Past experience tops a widening array of travel planning “resources”
- Research and planning don’t stop when the trip starts
- Shorter family getaways becoming the norm
- Family vacationers value together time but also want individual activities
- Black and Hispanic vacationers more likely to travel with kids
Insights and Opportunities
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- Fun for all ages
- Many happy returns
- All about the experience…
- …before and after as well as during
- Games families play
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: Rise of the Screenager
- Trend: Who are the Joneses?
- Is there an average American family?
- Beyond categorization
Market Drivers
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- Overview—adjusting to a new economic landscape
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- Figure 1: U.S. national park visits and visitor hours, 2006-11
- Figure 2: Number of domestic person-trips for leisure, 2007-14
- Spending smarter
- Household income slips
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- Figure 3: Median household income in inflation-adjusted dollars, 2000-10
- Consumer confidence wavers
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- Figure 4: University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment, January 2006-November 2011
- Travel prices rise
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- Figure 5: U.S. average domestic air fares, 1st quarter 1995 to 1st quarter 2011
- Number of households with children declining
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- Figure 6: Households, by presence of children, 2000-10
- Feelings of financial security drive vacation incidence and frequency
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- Figure 7: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by perception of current financial situation, August-September 2011
- Shifts in financial stress impacts vacationing
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- Figure 8: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by change in perception of financial stress, August-September 2011
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Time, money, and desire all factor in to home or away
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- Figure 9: Behavioral changes compared to last year, 2008-11
Innovation and Innovators
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- Disney’s newest family attractions
- Aulani resort recreates Hawaii…in Hawaii
- Disney Dream takes family cruising to another level
- Wizarding World of Harry Potter gives new meaning to authenticity
- Back to basics, down home on the farm
Marketing Strategies
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- Carnival’s category-building ads touch on key family vacation themes
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- Figure 10: Carnival Cruises TV ad, 2011
- Carnival online
- Disney theme parks, cruises, and adventure trips
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- Figure 11: Disney Aulani TV ad, 2011
- Disney online
Incidence and Frequency of Family Travel
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- Key points
- A little more than one in four adults report vacationing with kids
- Two thirds of households with kids took a family vacation in last 12 months
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- Figure 12: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by presence of children in household, August-September 2011
- Women vacation more overall and more likely to travel with kids
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- Figure 13: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by gender, August-September 2011
- Parent-age adults most likely to take vacations with kids
- Multigeneration trips on the rise
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- Figure 14: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by age, August-September 2011
- Income has moderate impact on incidence of family vacationing
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- Figure 15: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children, by household income, August-September 2011
Duration and Cost of Family Vacations
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- Key points
- Shorter family getaways becoming the norm
- Shorter family vacations take a wider variety of forms
- Younger vacationers take shorter trips
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- Figure 16: Length of most recent trip, by age, August-September 2011
- Higher-income families tend to take longer vacations
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- Figure 17: Length of most recent trip, by household income, August-September 2011
- Higher-income families spend far more on vacations
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- Figure 18: Cost of most recent trip, by household income, August-September 2011
Who’s in Charge of Vacation Planning?
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- Key points
- Vacation planning is a family affair
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- Figure 19: Role in vacation planning by gender, August-September 2011
- Vacationers of all ages involved in destination selection
- Day-to-day activity planning more likely to fall to young adults and parents
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- Figure 20: Role in vacation planning, by age, August-September 2011
Teens’ and Kids’ Influence on Planning and Activities
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- Key points
- Kids have significant influence in vacation decisions
- Kids value family time and opportunities to do their own thing
- Opportunity to get kids more actively involved in day-to-day activity planning
- Kids and teens claim moderate influence on destination section
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- Figure 21: Teenagers’ influence on destination selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
- Figure 22: Kids’ influence on destination selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
- Kids and teens often help choose where to eat
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- Figure 23: Teenagers’ influence on restaurant selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
- Figure 24: Kids’ influence on restaurant selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
- Kids and teens have greatest influence in choosing activities
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- Figure 25: Teenagers’ influence on activity selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
- Figure 26: Kids’ influence on activity selection, by gender and age, October 2009-December 2010
Resources Used for Family Vacation Planning
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- Key points
- Family travel planners consult increasingly wide variety of resources
- Previous experience the most commonly used planning “resource”
- Coupons and promotions also popular, revealing desire for deals
- Abundance of travel information creates need for single-source services
- Research and planning don’t stop when the trip starts
- Offline resources still consulted, but rarely ranked among top three
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- Figure 27: Resources used for family vacation planning, August-September 2011
Attitudes Toward Family Travel
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- Key points
- Family vacations offer together time
- Fun for all ages
- Older adults place greater importance on togetherness
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- Figure 28: Most important features of vacation destination, by age, August-September 2011
- The bigger the family the more important family together time
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- Figure 29: Most important features of vacation destination, by number of children in household, August-September 2011
Most Important Features of the Vacation Destination
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- Key points
- Variety of activities and cost most important destination features
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- Figure 30: Most important features of vacation destination, August-September 2011
- Older travelers want activities that bring family members together
- Younger travelers more focused on price and new experiences
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- Figure 31: Most important features of future vacation destination, by age, August-September 2011
- Higher income family travelers place value on variety of activities
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- Figure 32: Most important features of future vacation destination, by household income, August-September 2011
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Black and Hispanic vacationers more likely to travel with kids
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- Figure 33: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children by race/Hispanic origin, August-September 2011
- Black and Hispanic families tend to take shorter vacations
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- Figure 34: Length of trip, cost, and number of travelers, by race/Hispanic origin, August-September 2011
- Travel planning resources
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- Figure 35: Resources used for family vacation planning, by race/Hispanic origin, August-September 2011
- Black and Hispanic family vacationers more value/deal focused
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- Figure 36: Most important features of future vacation destination, by race/Hispanic origin, August-September 2011
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Education level
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- Figure 37: Number of vacations taken in past 12 months/how many with children by education, August-September 2011
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- Figure 38: Most important features of future vacation destination, by education, August-September 2011
- Employment status
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- Figure 39: Role in vacation planning, by employment, August-September 2011
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- Figure 40: Resources used for family vacation planning, by employment, August-September 2011
Appendix—Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Figure 41: Resources used for family vacation planning, by age, August-September 2011
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- Figure 42: Most important features of vacation destination, by race/Hispanic origin, August-September 2011
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Appendix—Trade Associations
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