HSMAI Customer Insights: Search Trends As Travel Demand Returns | Google

The travel industry is beginning to recover post pandemic, and we are noticing some emerging trends. While consumers remain cautious, the industry is in a better place than it was a year ago, and hotel marketers have much to look forward to as vaccination rates climb and travelers emerge from lockdown. According to new research, 36% of the people around the globe are now participating in some sort of travel activity. And they feel safer doing it, with the perceived risk of taking a vacation down by 17% since January 2021.[1] Here are the notable areas as demand returns:

Convenience and comfort

As of August 17, US Google Mobility Data for parks, beaches and other public areas saw a 31% increase compared to the five-week period preceding mid-February 2020, weeks before the pandemic was officially declared.[2] Demand for in person experiences also continues to grow, as searches for best all inclusive resorts and date night ideas are up over last year.[3]

  • YoY Searches for “best all inclusive resorts” have grown globally by over 200% (best all inclusive resorts, best all inclusive resorts in mexico, best all inclusive resorts caribbean).
  • YoY Searches for “date night ideas” have grown globally by over 50% (date night ideas, date night ideas near me, at home date night ideas, fun date night ideas).

Live Events & Large Gatherings
While people are more optimistic about opening up than the same time last year, they remain cautious about the potential risks of the Delta variant, as they plan for the second half of the year. That said, we see consumers are becoming more comfortable gathering in crowds, with searches for concerts in, live music near me, stadium seating, and car shows near me on the rise.

  • [4]YoY Searches for “concerts in” have grown globally by over 500% (concerts in chicago 2021, concerts in atlanta 2021, concerts in dallas, concerts in las vegas, concerts in nashville 2021). YoY Searches for “concert tickets” have grown globally by over 200% (abba voyage concert tickets, cheap concert tickets, sell concert tickets).
  • YoY Searches for “live music near me” have grown globally by over 400% (live music near me, live music near me tonight, restaurants with live music near me, live music near me this weekend, bars with live music near me). YoY Searches for “festivals near me” have grown globally by over 500% YoY (fall festivals near me, festivals near me this weekend, festivals near me today).
  • YoY Searches for “stadium seating” have grown globally by over 600% (dodger stadium seating chart, busch stadium seating chart, wembley stadium seating plan, yankee stadium seating chart, allegiant stadium seating chart).
  • YoY Searches for “car shows near me this” have grown globally by over 300% (car shows near me this weekend 2021, car shows near me this weekend, classic car shows near me this weekend).
  • YoY Searches for “in theaters now” have grown globally by over 500% (movies in theaters now, in theaters now, movies in theaters now 2021, top movies in theaters now 2021, new movies in theaters now).
  • YoY Searches for “events near me this weekend” have grown globally by over 200% (motorcycle events near me this weekend, free events near me this weekend, family events near me this weekend).

Sustainability

We are also seeing an emerging focus on sustainability, as 72% of travelers think that travel companies should offer sustainable travel choices. Overall, the majority of people across the G20 are concerned about the state of nature, both today (58% say they are worried) and in relation to protecting it for future generations (61%)[5].

  • Searches for “sustainability” have grown globally by over 30% YoY
  • Google Image Searches for “environment” have grown globally by over 70% YoY

At the same time, 42% of U.S. travel marketers say their companies are not set up to offer sustainable or eco-friendly solutions in 2021, making it the leading area of business for which they are unprepared.

Key Takeaways

Insights continue to be a powerful vehicle in recovery, and marketers understand this better than anyone. In a recent study, we saw that travel marketers feel insights delivered from partners would help drive success in their role more than an increased marketing budget (47% vs 42%)[6] As trends continue to evolve, whether geared toward convenience & comfort, live events and large gatherings, or sustainability, continue to take note of relevant insights and uncover ways to infuse them with your marketing strategies and plans.

 

[1] Ipsos | Essentials Report, August 26th – 29th; survey conducted on the

Global Advisor online platform among 14,500 adults aged 18-74 in Canada and the United States and 16-74 in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom. N=11523.

[2] CNBC, US, “The economy could be getting help from positive news on the delta variant”, 24 August 2021Article Link

[3] Year over Year – Google Data, Global English, Jun 22, 2021 – Aug 20, 2021 vs Jun 22, 2020 – Aug 20, 2020

[4] Year over Year – Google Data, Global English, Jun 01, 2021 – July 30, 2021 vs Jun 01, 2020 – July 30, 2020

[5] Ipsos, G20 countries, “Global Commons Survey: Attitudes to Transformation and Planetary Stewardship”, 17 August 2021

[6] Google/Savanta, “The Future of Travel: the Travel Marketer Perspective 2021”, March 2021 – April 2021, Online survey, n=502 Male / n=477 Female Travel/Tourism manager+ marketing decision makers/influencers fully employed by mid to large market companies.


Categories: Marketing, Digital, Internet & Social Media, Mobile
Insight Type: Articles