Travel Show Takeaways: Useful Trends & Data for Marketers

By Traci, Destination Marketing Manager | January 29, 2019

Yes, I’m one of those annoying people who take pictures of the screen during PowerPoint presentations, so I can refer back to useful information afterwards. And there was plenty of that in the sessions presented at last week’s New York Times Travel Show trade day. This is where the latest and most innovative trends in the tourism and travel industry are discussed.

If you’re a marketer like me trying to reach travelers, some of these takeaways should interest you.

Families should be your target

MMGY Global produces an annual research report, “Portrait of American Travelers.” We were treated to a re-cap of major findings. Families spend the most on travel ($39.2 billion annually), and 31% of all trips include children. A lot of these families have Millennial parents; lest you still think of Millennials as being young. More than ever, kids affect their parents’ decisions on where to travel, and 53% of families choose their destination based on what children’s activities are available.

Social media plays an important role

The MMGY research proves what we all intuitively know – social media influence travel decisions, and 19% of people pick a destination based on what they’ve seen there. A whopping 92% of travelers are active on Facebook; 46% on Instagram, 44% on Twitter, 34% on Pinterest, and only 25% on Snapchat. Of these, Instagram is growing the fastest, and this is where the Millennials and Gen Z are (they’re not on Facebook!).

What do travelers expect to see on social media? Special offers, beautiful pictures, insider information, and personal stories. People use hashtags, so it’s important to use them when posting travel content.

Emerging travel habits skew toward connection

During the State of the Travel Industry panel, executives from several companies shared their observations of current and emerging traveler behaviors. Multigenerational travel continues its upward trajectory. Seeking authenticity, travelers are increasingly interested in getting to know the people living in the destinations they visit.

Travelers crave personalized content. They’re responding to brand-specific apps, small tour groups with high guide-to-guest ratios, and direct mail with dynamic, personalized content based on their specific interests. Speaking of dynamic direct mail content, have you heard about our Marketing Automation service?