Survey Says: How Will Americans and Canadians Travel in 2022 – By Margarita Perez
How will Americans and Canadians travel in 2022
This article originally appeared on Amadeus.
During the last few months of 2021, Amadeus commissioned research among leisure travelers in key domestic and outbound travel markets to better understand traveler expectations and better advise agencies on how to grow and recover in 2022. The survey was carried out to approximately 1,000 participants in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain. Overall, our research found that travelers are ready to explore in 2022. Due to pent-up travel demand and increasing vaccination rates, travelers are snapping out of their wanderlust and returning to the friendly skies.
Although the travel sector is slowly recovering, the pandemic changed the playing field around traveler behavior and habits. And it’s likely we’ll see a continuation of new expectations and shifting priorities as we enter a new era of travel.
Notably in the US and Canada, our research uncovered key trends of leisure travelers that are unique to those markets. As we all work toward rebuilding the travel industry, tour operators and agencies will need to better understand these current preferences and identify opportunities to recover and grow.
Digitalization is key
Over the last couple of years, travelers have become even more digital, and this is reflected across the searching, planning and booking stages. Seventy-nine percent of US travelers (74% for Canadians) surveyed state a high preference for digital planning and 75% would opt for booking on a computer or mobile – with Canadian travelers not too far behind at 64%. This reflects a shift in behavior to increased automation and paperless technologies during the pandemic as well as the preferences of digital-native younger travelers.
In fact, the Amadeus 2022 travel trends reported that the influence of streaming services has inspired companies to leverage smart speakers, AI and even Amadeus Media Solutions to bring those platforms to the travel booking space.
How we use digital services in our day-to-day can be mirrored in the travel search and planning process. For example, Amadeus partner Quo Vadis Travel is using Amazon Alexa to develop voice-activated technology for customers to search and book travel with just a few commands, making the whole process easier. With AI and other smart technology such as smart-connected devices, travel agencies can provide a similar digital experience to automate searching and booking.
Strong appetite for add-on content and services
As travelers search and shop for travel, we find consumers are “savoring the now” and splurging on add-ons for their trip. For example, 40% of US travelers cited car rental as the most rated add-on – followed by transfers and dining experiences. Meanwhile, 41% of Canadian leisure travelers have a stronger appetite for dining experiences. Here there’s an opportunity for travel sellers to cross-sell and upsell with more than half of Canadians and Americans preferring to book add-on content during the initial trip booking. Amadeus Selling Platform Connect offers travel advisors more than just air travel but also accommodations, experiences and transfers. Caught up in the urge to live in the moment, travelers are eager to add the bells and whistles for their next trip. With our web-based booking platform, travel advisors can sell high-value packaged offers – such as a ski weekend including hotel, flight and special baggage fee for skis or sports equipment transportation.
Beyond the traditional package destination
In a reshuffling of consumer priorities, our research showed that all-inclusive resort packages still shine. Forty-six percent of Canadian travelers would opt for the more traditional beach or resort packages, with 30% opting for a city break. Equally Americans prefer dipping their toes in resort packages while 25% would book multi-day tours in the city.
As “experience” providers, learning how to create a package based on a customer’s travel preferences is key to recovery. Travelers may want to spend most of their time basking under the sun on a white sandy beach, but travel consultants can recommend a day jaunt to a museum or city walking or biking tour. With an emphasis on adding personalized value, tour packages can lead to unlocking extra revenue.
Despite the ebb and flow of travel volumes, we know that people are itching for travel. And after being grounded with multiple setbacks for almost two years, they have strong ideas about how they want their next trips to play out. Tour operators and travel agencies will need to use every source of insight and data and ultimately reintroduce their expertise to customers and optimize a travel experience unique to their needs.
For more findings on changing preferences of US and Canadian leisure travelers, click here.
Margarita Perez is the Director of Sales, Tour and Cruise for Amadeus
Categories: Features