A major data-driven digital marketing company, TravelBoom, has published its 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study report after extensive research and surveying more than 2,000 passengers. As a result, the company has created a thorough picture of how the sector is changing, comparing their replies with those of the combined 90,000 participants in past research.
This year’s research sheds light on how leisure travelers’ planning and booking behaviour has changed from pre-pandemic times since the agency’s last significant leisure travel survey performed in 2019.
The rising expense of travel, the general state of the economy, the ongoing COVID-19 worries, and technology advancements are currently some of the most significant variables causing dramatic shifts in consumer mindsets, tastes, and behaviour.
“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. “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.”
Key Findings:
High costs are impacting vacation plans.
More than one-third of respondents said they might have to change their travel plans due to financial constraints. Fifty-six per cent of respondents claimed that increasing gas costs have a moderate or significant impact on their travel plans. However, budget issues (53 per cent), transportation costs (48 per cent), and accommodation costs were the primary issues that kept respondents from arranging vacations in the first place (45 per cent).
More travelers than ever are doing research online.
More travellers are conducting in-depth web research and thoroughly weighing their options. The typical tourist uses 5.5 websites during the planning and booking of their trip, including search engines, meta-search engines, online travel agencies (OTAs), review websites, and the hotel’s website.
The variables influencing travel choices are evolving.
Compared to 2019, the 2022 survey showed that 46.3 per cent of respondents (up from 37.9 per cent) said pricing was their top factor when deciding where to go on vacation. The cost of stays, transportation expenses, amenities, and loyalty programmes are a few more elements that can affect tourists’ decisions.
COVID-19 is still having an impact on travel.
According to the report, 55 per cent of respondents still consider COVID-19 risks before making travel plans. In addition, only 13.5 per cent of leisure travelers in the US indicated the epidemic still had a significant impact on travel. However, 45 per cent of tourists from Canada gave the same response, showing that COVID-19 continues to influence international travel.
In the decision-making process for travelers, reviews are crucial.
According to the report, 82 per cent of travelers won’t reserve a room at a hotel without first reading customer evaluations. The survey states, “Reviews and social proof are the make-or-break points for a vacation booking.” Reviews are a constant in the purchasing process, with almost 40 per cent of travelers consulting them at every stage of travel preparation.
The 2022 Leisure Travel Trends Study from TravelBoom is available here.
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