Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definitions
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Factors driving the market
- Growth in travel sentiment may lead to an increase in consumer bookings
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- Figure 1: U.S. Traveler Sentiment Index, March 2007-October 2012
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- Figure 2: Global Business Travel Association Business Travel Index Q1 2007-Q4 2013
- Americans’ tendency to live online likely driving them book online
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- Figure 3: U.S. Online sales of leisure and unmanaged business travel, 2009-15
- Figure 4: Number of smartphone travel bookers and smartphone bookers as a percent of online travel bookers, 2010-16
- Overview of travel research and booking methods
- Expedia leads among third party travel consolidators
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- Figure 5: U.S. consumer visits to select third party travel consolidators’ websites, Aug. 31-Sept. 29, 2012
- Travel agents facing an uphill battle
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- Figure 6: Travel agent usage in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin and age, April 2011-June 2012
- Travelers prefer booking directly with providers
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- Figure 7: Enrollment in frequent flyer and hotel frequent guest programs, by household income, April 2011-June 2012
- Core marketing methods
- Third party travel consolidators advertising expertise and potential for cost savings
- Providers may encourage direct booking by highlighting customer service
- Environmental consciousness may lead to a higher incidence of train travel
- The consumer
- Domestic travel booking the most popular
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- Figure 8: Travel bookings in the last 12 months and incidence type of most recent travel, August 2012
- Most variance in leisure travel bookings exists between the youngest and oldest
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- Figure 9: Booking holiday/leisure travel overall and long and short vacations in the last 12 months, by youngest and oldest age groups, August 2012
- Travelers going online to book all types of travel
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- Figure 10: Travel bookers’ transportation, accommodations, tours, and activities booking methods in the last three years, August 2012
- More affluent Americans booking personal travel, choosing separate transactions
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- Figure 11: Preferences for booking travel in separate vs. single transactions, by household income, August 2012
- Separate transaction bookers want choice, single transactions prioritize convenience
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- Figure 12: Reasons for booking travel in separate vs. single transactions, August 2012
- Consumers want to book travel in the cheapest, most convenient way
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- Figure 13: Travel booking considerations about expense and convenience, August 2012
- Cost comparisons an essential pre-booking step for personal travel
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- Figure 14: Cost- and time-related opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, August 2012
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- Can travel providers and consolidators keep up with online innovations?
- How can the industry cater to travelers who aren’t booking?
- Is enough being done to address travelers’ cost concerns?
- Are travel agents being phased out?
Insights and Opportunities
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- Key points
- More incentives for mobile travel bookings
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- Figure 15: RatesToGo.com mobile booking ad, December 2012
- Discounts for in-person travel bookings
- Travel booking “lifelines”
Trend Application
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- Inspire Trend: Why Buy
- Inspire Trend: Life—An Informal Affair
- Inspire 2015 trends
- Access Anything, Anywhere
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Traveler confidence may result in more bookings
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- Figure 16: U.S. Traveler Sentiment Index, March 2007-October 2012
- Figure 17: Global Business Travel Association Business Travel Index Q1 2007-Q4 2013
- Online activity growth driving internet travel bookings
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- Figure 18: U.S. Online sales of leisure and unmanaged business travel, 2009-15
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- Figure 19: Number of smartphone travel bookers and smartphone bookers as a share of online travel bookers, 2010-16
Methods of Booking and Researching Travel
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- Overview
- Third party travel consolidators
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- Figure 20: U.S. consumers monthly visits to select third party travel consolidators’ websites, Aug. 31-Sept. 29, 2012
- Expedia
- Priceline
- Travelocity
- Orbitz
- KAYAK
- Viator
- Other third party travel consolidators
- Travel agents
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- Figure 21: Travel agent usage in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin and age, April 2011-June 2012
- Direct bookings with travel providers
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- Figure 22: Enrollment in frequent flyer and hotel frequent guest programs, by household income, April 2011-June 2012
Innovations and Innovators
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- Key points
- Travel providers introduce layaway vacations
- Delta Airlines “reinvents” website for easier digital travel booking
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- Figure 23: Delta Airlines “Plan your Escape” trip map, December 2012
Marketing Strategies
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- Key points
- Print ads position third party travel consolidators as booking experts
- Viator
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- Figure 24: Viator print ad, October 2012
- Figure 25: Viator print ad, November 2012
- Orbitz
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- Figure 26: Orbitz print ad, October 2012
- Third party travel consolidators also focusing on discounts, savings
- Priceline
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- Figure 27: Priceline “Last Wishes” TV ad, January 2012
- Travelocity
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- Figure 28: Travelocity “Pay Less” TV ad, January 2012
- Airlines encourage bookings by highlighting customer service, comfort
- Delta Airlines
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- Figure 29: Delta Airlines “Expectations” TV ad, September 2012
- Turkish Airlines
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- Figure 30: Turkish Airlines print ad, November 2012
- Car rental companies also showing that they can exceed expectations
- Enterprise
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- Figure 31: Enterprise “The Extra Mile” TV ad, December 2011
- Hertz
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- Figure 32: Hertz “Speed of Hertz” TV ad, February 2012
- Direct train bookings environmentally-friendly, relaxing
- TV
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- Figure 33: Amtrak “Save the Environment” TV ad, February 2012
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- Figure 34: Amtrak Vacations 2011-2012 print ad
Travel Bookings in the Last 12 Months
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- Key points
- Most are booking travel for domestic trips
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- Figure 35: Travel bookings in the last 12 months and incidence of most recent travel, foreign vs. domestic, August 2012
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- Figure 36: Cheapoair domestic flight promotion, November 2012
- Travel booking not limited by age, but young adults the most inclined
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- Figure 37: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, foreign vs. domestic, by age, August 2012
- More parents are also traveling
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- Figure 38: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, foreign vs. domestic, by parental status and presence of children in household, August 2012
- Figure 39: Expedia Arizona family vacation promotion, November 2012
Reasons for Booking Travel in the Last 12 Months
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- Key points
- Long leisure vacations the most common reason for booking travel
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- Figure 40: Reasons for booking travel in the last 12 months, August 2012
- Young more inclined to book short stays, preferences differ by gender
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- Figure 41: Types of holiday/leisure travel booked in the last 12 months, by age, August 2012
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- Figure 42: Types of holiday/leisure travel booked in the last 12 months, by gender and age, August 2012
Booking Methods
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- Key points
- Travel options and primary booking methods
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- Figure 43: Incidence of booking transportation, accommodations, and tours/activities in the last three years, August 2012
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- Figure 44: Typical ways of booking transportation, accommodation, and tours/activities, August 2012
- Transportation booking
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- Figure 45: Typical ways of booking transportation, by type of transportation, August 2012
- Accommodations booking
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- Figure 46: Typical ways of booking accommodation, by type of accommodation, August 2012
- Tours and activities booking
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- Figure 47: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by type of tour/activity, August 2012
- Traveler demographics play role in determining booking tendencies
- Young going online the most, but opportunities exist for other travel booking methods
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- Figure 48: Incidence of booking transport, accommodation and tours/activities online, by generation, August 2012
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- Figure 49: Typical method of booking accommodation, by age, August 2012
- Older women more inclined to book airfare online directly with providers
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- Figure 50: Typical method of booking airline transportation, by gender and age, August 2012
- Other demographic impacts on travel booking habits
Preferences for Booking Personal Travel
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- Key points
- Consumers split in tendencies to book in separate or single transactions
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- Figure 51: Preferences for booking personal travel in separate vs. single transactions, August 2012
- Those with higher incomes more likely to book separately
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- Figure 52: Preferences for booking personal travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by household income, August 2012
Reasons for Booking in Separate Transactions
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- Key points
- Separate bookings about freedom of choice
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- Figure 53: Reasons for booking travel elements separately, August 2012
- Millennials more inclined to seek feedback pre-booking
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- Figure 54: Reasons for booking travel elements separately, by generation, August 2012
Reasons for Booking in One Transaction
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- Key points
- Single transactions make travel bookings more convenient overall
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- Figure 55: Reasons for booking all travel elements in one transaction, August 2012
- Cost savings of single transaction bookings most relevant to young men
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- Figure 56: Reasons for booking all travel elements in one transaction, by gender and age, August 2012
Considerations Made for Most Recent Travel Booking
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- Key points
- Concerns about price, convenience driving booking method decisions
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- Figure 57: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, August 2012
- Cost primarily a consideration among young women
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- Figure 58: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, by gender and age, August 2012
Opinions About Booking Personal Travel
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- Key points
- Cost comparisons a key to booking personal travel
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- Figure 59: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, August 2012
- Going online a timesaver for youngest consumers
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- Figure 60: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by age, August 2012
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Asians most inclined to book travel
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- Figure 61: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
- Fewer blacks, Hispanics booking long vacations
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- Figure 62: Booking holiday/leisure travel in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
- Blacks more inclined to book train, bus travel
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- Figure 63: Transportation bookings in the last three years, type of transportation, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
- More blacks, Hispanics booking tours and activities
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- Figure 64: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
- Hispanics more likely to seek family, friend advice when booking travel
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- Figure 65: Reasons for booking travel elements separately, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
Cluster Analysis
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- Figure 66: Travel booking clusters, August 2012
- Infrequent Travel Bookers
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Convenience Travelers
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Young and Diverse Travelers
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Cluster characteristics
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- Figure 67: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, domestic vs. foreign, by travel booking clusters, August 2012
- Figure 68: Reasons for booking travel in the last 12 months, by travel booking clusters, August 2012
- Figure 69: Travel bookings made in the last three years, transportation, accommodation and tours/activities, by travel booking clusters, August 2012
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- Figure 70: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by travel booking clusters, August 2012
- Figure 71: Preferences for booking personal travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by travel booking clusters, August 2012
- Cluster demographics
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- Figure 72: Profile of travel booking clusters, by gender, August 2012
- Figure 73: Profile of travel booking clusters, by age, August 2012
- Figure 74: Profile of travel booking clusters, by household income, August 2012
- Figure 75: Profile of travel booking clusters, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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Appendix – Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Travel bookings in the last 12 months
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- Figure 76: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, domestic vs. foreign, by gender, August 2012
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- Figure 77: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, domestic vs. foreign, by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 78: Travel bookings in the last 12 months, domestic vs. foreign, by household income, August 2012
- Reasons for booking travel in the last 12 months
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- Figure 79: Booking family/friend, business, and other travel in the last 12 months, by age, August 2012
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- Figure 80: Booking family/friend, business, and other travel in the last 12 months (any reason), by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 81: Booking family/friend, business, and other travel in the last 12 months, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 82: Types of holiday/leisure travel booked in the last 12 months, by household income, August 2012
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- Figure 83: Types of holiday/leisure travel booked in the last 12 months, by parent and presence of children in household, August 2012
- Booking methods
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- Figure 84: Typical ways of booking transportation, by type of transportation, by household size, August 2012
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- Figure 85: Typical ways of booking transportation, by type of transportation, by parental status and presence of children in household, August 2012
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- Figure 86: Typical method of booking airline transportation, by gender, August 2012
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- Figure 87: Typical method of booking airline transportation, by age, August 2012
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- Figure 88: Typical ways of booking transportation, by type of transportation, by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 89: Typical ways of booking transportation, by type of transportation, by household income, August 2012
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- Figure 90: Typical ways of booking accommodation, by gender, August 2012
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- Figure 91: Typical ways of booking accommodation, by household income, August 2012
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- Figure 92: Typical ways of booking accommodation, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 93: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by gender, August 2012
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- Figure 94: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by age, August 2012
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- Figure 95: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 96: Typical ways of booking tours and activities, by household income, August 2012
- Preferences for booking personal travel
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- Figure 97: Preferences for booking travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by gender, August 2012
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- Figure 98: Preferences for booking travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by age, August 2012
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- Figure 99: Preferences for booking travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 100: Preferences for booking travel elements in separate vs. single transactions, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 101: Preferences for booking travel elements in single vs. multiple transactions, by parental status and presence of children in household, August 2012
- Reasons for booking in separate transactions
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- Figure 102: Reasons for booking travel elements separately, by gender and age, August 2012
- Reasons for booking in one transaction
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- Figure 103: Reasons for booking travel elements in one transaction, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 104: Reasons for booking travel elements in one transaction, by generation, August 2012
- Considerations made for most recent travel booking
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- Figure 105: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, by household income, August 2012
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- Figure 106: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 107: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, by generation, August 2012
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- Figure 108: Most important considerations when deciding how to book travel, by parent and presence of children in household, August 2012
- Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons
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- Figure 109: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by gender and age, August 2012
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- Figure 110: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by household income, August 2012
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- Figure 111: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2012
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- Figure 112: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by generation, August 2012
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- Figure 113: Opinions about booking travel for personal reasons, by parental status and presence of children in household, August 2012
Appendix – Trade Associations
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