We travel often. So when Sojern, the world’s leading data-driven traveler engagement platform, released the top U.S. consumer travel trends from the first quarter of the year, including most visited destinations, most desired/searched for destinations we took notice. These trends are based on the analysis of more than 400 million traveler intent data points, obtained through Sojern’s exclusive partnerships with the world’s most renowned travel brands.
Where Are People Going?
NYC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando were the top five desired, or most searched destinations. Interestingly, these were not the same top five destinations that consumers actually traveled to.
NYC, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington D.C. were the most popular travel destinations overall.
NYC topped the list of most desired and traveled to destinations. In fact, twice as many travelers visited NYC in Q1 2013 than second most visited city, Phoenix.
Though only one Florida city, Orlando, cracked top five on the most searched list in Q1 2013, Florida cities have consistently ranked among the top five most searched and visited cities over the last year.
Florida was the most popular family travel destination in Q1 2013, with Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale both among the top ten travel destinations for groups of two or more.
Who is Traveling and Why?
More males are traveling than females. 41.54% percent of travelers were females in Q1 2013, while 58.46% were males.
Business travel is on the steady rise. 43.2% of travel in Q1 2013 was for fun (leisure), while a whopping 56.8% took place for business purposes (up 4% from the same time period last year).
Atlanta topped the list of most popular business travel destinations, followed closely by Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle and NYC.
How Are They Traveling?
Almost 95% of travelers flew coach in Q1 2013, while just under 5% flew first class. The most popular travel destinations for first class travelers were Seattle, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Most consumers traveled alone or booked airline tickets separately (79.21%).
When Are They Booking?
Most travelers book airline tickets more than 30 days in advance (23%). Of those traveling ‘last minute’, most booked 3-7 days in advance (22%). Only 3% of travelers booked airline tickets the same day they flew.
How Long Are They Staying?
The first quarter of the year saw more short-length travel than usual. Only 35.52% of travel in Q1 2013 was greater than five days, almost a 10% drop from any quarter in 2012. This could be due to the overall increase in business-related travel.
Most travelers stayed at their destination for 3-5 days (38.81%), while 25.67% stayed only a day or two.
About Sojern
Headquartered in San Francisco with key offices in New York, Omaha and London, Sojern is the world’s leading data-driven traveler engagement platform that delivers the most efficient marketing, distribution, monetization and insight solutions at scale. Since 2007, the company has helped top travel brands like American Airlines, American Express, Avis|Budget Group, Choice, Delta, Enterprise, Hertz, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Las Vegas Tourism, Marriott, Microsoft, Samsonite, Starwood, United, and US Airways more efficiently and meaningfully engage with travelers to drive conversions, loyalty and monetization.
So, what are YOUR thoughts? Are YOU Part of the latest Travel Trends?