2010 Travel Trends

In a recent survey of travel purchasing and travel styles, these were the results

2010 Consumer Trends

The average American traveler took four leisure trips during the past year and spent more than $3,500 on leisure travel services.

A leisure trip is 75 miles or more from home, requiring overnight accommodations.

Four different 'tribes' of leisure travelers emerged
Sensationals make up 28%: Mean age of 40; professional singles and couples with a preference for action/the club life
Familias make up 23%: Mean age of 42; family vacation oriented; dual-income households with children under 18; package-travel oriented
Touristers make up 23%: Mean age of 47; happily married; entrepreneurial/driven to succeed and favor 'no-mistake' travel. They take the most trips and spend the highest amount per trip
Extraordinaires make up 26%: Mean age of 52; more than one-third are grandparents; wealthy empty nesters seeking urban cultural experiences

Describing today's consumers as 'newly resourceful'...consumers have reaffirmed their priorities... and discovered that living with less was not as burdensome as they expected....
Because of the ever-growing array of easy-to-use tools...consumers visit an average of 20 websites before making a travel purchase.
Consumers are asking for and receiving instant feedback about price, value and suitability and reading countless reviews.
Travelers were asked to identify the fear most likely to keep them from planning a vacation: It was the fear of overpaying. That's why they spend so many hours researching online...
Yet for all the talk of the new frugalness, it is not just price that is determining our choices....They don't want to give up luxury. They do want another layer of feeling good about going away. They want to be connected in a good way. Travel remains an entitlement for many, but it does need to parallel their values
One place where consumers are giving themselves "permission" to travel is anything involving family, relationships, or getting in touch with oneself.

The leisure traveler profile is:
age 64+ 11%;
45-63 45%;
32-44 30%;
18-31 14%

The profile of those using traditional travel agents is:
age 64+ 13%;
45-63 39%;
32-44 28%;
18-31 20%
People in the echo-boomers (18-31) represent 14% of the total population of leisure travelers, but they represent a significantly higher percentage (20%) of the leisure travelers who use traditional agents. Why? Their long acquaintance of the Web is old hat and they are not nearly as taken in with what they can find on the Web; they are pushing back from overload and the time it takes for research.

The study also reported agent usage based on factors other than age, including gender, ethnicity and income....Women, Asians and the affluent are overrepresented among agency clients.

Two-thirds of leisure travelers based a trip on a life event such as a wedding, birthday or anniversary celebration during the last year.

The researchers commented that: 'It's a new consumer mindset. Given all that is going on with the economy and difficult times for family and fiends, it's OK to travel if you have a reason. You can justify it when there's a life event happening'