Tripadvisor has released its latest Seasonal Travel Index, which predicts travel trends and demand around the world for the next three months. The Index includes details for the upcoming season, as well as demand data for each country and insights from Tripadvisor’s most recent traveler sentiment poll.
Seasonal Travel Takeaways
1 Most tourists are making plans for summer trips: Since summer is coming up in the northern hemisphere, the next three months are likely to be very busy for travel around the world. More than three-quarters of the people polled (78 per cent) are planning vacation trips between June and August. The vast majority of these travelers (95 per cent) plan to travel the same amount (42 per cent) or more (53 per cent) than they did last year. Singapore has the busiest travelers, with 84 per cent planning a trip between June and August, while only two-thirds of Japanese travelers will go on vacation during the same time.
2 Most will spend more than they did last year: More than half of those polled (55 per cent) will spend more on travel in the next few months compared to the same time last year, while about a third (37 per cent) expect to spend about the same amount. Even though the economy looks challenging in many places, only seven per cent of people plan to spend less. In fact, only two out of five travelers polled (41 per cent) said that macroeconomic factors will change how they travel in the next three months. Of these, two-thirds (65 per cent) said that higher living costs because of inflation were the reason. About two-fifths (41 per cent) will travel for shorter amounts of time, and a third (31 per cent) will travel less.
3 Trips to the city are still popular: Even though beach destinations are high on the list of top vacation spots, most people will still want to go to the world’s biggest cities between June and August. Based on how people use Tripadvisor’s site, Paris, London, and Rome are the top three places to visit abroad in the next three months. Even in Australia, where people usually go to South-East Asia for the sun in the winter, the data shows that London will be the most popular place to visit, followed by Paris and Rome.
4 This season, younger tourists want to see the world: Millennials, in particular, seem eager to get back out there. According to the Index, this age group is more likely to travel this coming season than any other. But younger respondents (Gen Z and Millennials) are also more likely than older groups (on average, 49 per cent vs. 31 per cent) to change their trip plans because of macroeconomic factors.
5 People planning vacations want to try new things: More than half of the respondents (56 per cent) have booked or plan to book on-trip activities before their next trip. This shows a trend toward trips with more experiential activities. About three-quarters of these people will book their activities before their trip starts. Twenty per cent of these people will book their activities four weeks or more before their trip. Gen Z and Millennial travelers are more likely to book events and experiences ahead of time (68 per cent vs. 41 per cent, on average) than older travelers.
A senior research and insights researcher at Tripadvisor, Alice Jong, said,
“With so many eager to get away this summer, early planning and booking are vital to secure preferred accommodations, flights, and experiences. With many consumers conscious of cost in the current climate, a little flexibility during the planning process can help to drive down the price of their trips. For example, when we look at the top international destinations over the next three months, Paris hotel prices are lowest during the week of June 19-25, while August 28-September 3 is the most affordable week to visit London.”
Traveler Sentiment Survey Data
1 Two-thirds (78 per cent) of the people who were asked plan to travel for fun this coming season.
- 82 per cent of people in the U.S.
- 81 per cent in the United Kingdom
- Australia: 66 per cent
- Japan: 65 per cent
- Singapore: 84 per cent
2 Over half of the people who answered the survey (53 per cent) plan to travel more this coming season than they did last year.
- In the United States, 55 per cent of people travel more, 39 per cent travel about the same, and 6 per cent travel less.
- In the United Kingdom, 42 per cent of people travel more, 48 per cent travel about the same, and 10 per cent travel less.
- Australia: 43 per cent say they travel more, 49 per cent say they travel about the same, and 8 per cent say they travel less.
- Japan: 50 per cent travel more, 48 per cent travel about the same, and 2 per cent travel less.
- Singapore: travel more (66 per cent), about the same (31 per cent), less (3 per cent)
3 More than three-quarters of them (77 per cent) plan to take between one and two trips, and more than one-fifth (22 per cent) plan to take three or more trips.
- United States: 1-2 trips (62 per cent), 3-5 trips (31 per cent), 6+ trips (7 per cent)
- United Kingdom: 79 per cent take one to two trips, 18 per cent take three to five, and 3 per cent take six or more.
- Australia: 1-2 trips (87 per cent), 3-5 trips (10 per cent), 6+ trips (2 per cent)
- Japan: 1-2 trips (84 per cent), 3-5 trips (13 per cent), 6+ trips (3 per cent)
- Singapore: 1-2 trips (80 per cent), 3-5 trips (15 per cent), 6+ trips (5 per cent)
4 Almost half of them (46 per cent) plan to travel domestically, while about a quarter plan to travel either internationally (27 per cent) or both abroad and domestically (28 per cent).
- In the United States, 70 per cent of the calls were domestic, 6 per cent were international, and 25 per cent of the calls were both.
- In the United Kingdom, 31 per cent said it was domestic, 32 per cent said it was international, and 37 per cent said it was both.
- Australia: 57 per cent domestic, 16 per cent international, and 27 per cent both.
- Japan: 80 per cent domestic, 5 per cent international, and 15 per cent both.
- Singapore: 4 per cent domestic, 68 per cent international, and 28 per cent both.
5 Over half (55 per cent) of tourists around the world plan to spend more on their trips this coming season than they did during the same time last year.
- In the United States, 60 per cent
- In the UK, 46 per cent
- Australia: 50 per cent
- Japan: 57 per cent
- Singapore: 68 per cent
6 Only four per cent of the people who answered the survey said that the economy as a whole will change how they travel in the next three months.
- In the United States, 41 per cent of people will take shorter trips, and 37 per cent will take fewer trips.
- In the United Kingdom, 48 per cent of people will take shorter trips, and 40 per cent will take fewer trips.
- In Australia, 29 per cent of people will take shorter trips, and 32 per cent will take fewer trips.
- In Japan, 47 per cent of people will take shorter trips, and 18 per cent will take fewer trips.
- In Singapore: 50 per cent (43 per cent will go on shorter trips, and 39 per cent will go on fewer trips)
7 Cost/affordability is nearly twice as important to respondents (65 per cent) when planning a vacation as things like trip time (38 per cent) and trip type (35 per cent).
- United States: Cost/affordability (62 per cent), length of trip (41 per cent), and type of trip (36 per cent).
- United Kingdom: Cost/affordability (71 per cent), time of trip (45 per cent), and type of trip (45 per cent).
- Australia: Cost/affordability (72 per cent), time of trip (45 per cent), and type of trip (32 per cent).
- Japan: Cost/affordability (71 per cent), length of trip (27 per cent), and type of trip (35 per cent).
- Singapore: Cost (63 per cent), time of trip (38 per cent), and type of trip (21 per cent).
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