Soundbites on Travel Trends
Excerpts from The PR Net,
In the mindset of American travelers—many just want to get away to the beach or visit their friends and family. We predict that domestic travel will top international as travelers get acclimated and COVID comes under control.
Max Buccini, Vice President at H&S
How can we maximize local travel while Covid is still an issue?
Domestic travel and more 'close to home' destinations will be the first areas to bounce back as U.S restrictions start to lift. Our client Booking.com found that more than half of Americans feel comfortable enough to plan domestic travel in the next 6 months. Most travelers are looking to rest, relax, and unwind, so short, quick trips to hike in nature, or visit a beach are going to be the most popular options.
Are there any elements within the travel industry that will thrive post-Covid – for example, the ultra-luxury market?
As a travel and lifestyle agency, our experiences ranges from brands like Booking.com all the way up to the luxurious such as Ian Schrager and Tropic Ocean Airways. Understanding where the industry stands right now, we are seeing some hesitations from consumers for mass transit. This is will lead to a slight rise in rental car demand or charter flights, as Americans in particular are just looking to get outdoors and reunite. In the mindset of American travelers—many of whom have been quarantined and socially distancing—many just want to get away to the beach or visit their friends and family. We predict that the trend for domestic travel will still top international for a little while as travelers get acclimated and COVID becomes further under control.
Two key trends we’re seeing both in travel, and also in a much wider context, are sustainable travel and equitable travel – that is, travel aligning with social justice. How you are responding to these trends?
Prior to COVID-19, there had been a rise in more mindful travel – especially in regard to sustainable lodging, and decreasing the negative effects of over-tourism, and this is likely to continue under the current climate. In fact, Booking.com even presciently predicting last year that 'second city' travel in 2020 would be a major trend and introduced new filters to help search for accommodations with sustainable practices.
What are some destinations that will be hot once travel reopens?
We have a unique advantage working as both the Agency of Record for Booking.com North America and Mama Shelter. While our focus for Booking.com remains keyed in on domestic travel, we are also getting a court-side view of how travel is unfolding internationally as Mama Shelter begins to reopen some of their properties. In both areas, travelers are looking to stay closer to home, so there will be a much larger demand for domestic destinations. Recently, Booking.com found the top domestics destinations for U.S travelers are: Orlando, FL, Myrtle Beach, SC, Miami Beach, FL, New York, NY, Las Vegas, NV. Mama Shelter’s reopening were also met with fantastic reception from their local markets, proving that there is an appetite for people to travel.
How are marketing & PR campaigns pivoting successfully during Covid?
As an agency with clients in the travel and hospitality industry, we have certainly had to be mindful and adjust some of our plans and approach. PR professionals must monitor daily to assess the current climate and be in touch with their contacts regularly to check and see if they are open to receiving pitches. Its always better to start a conversation, rather than send a pitch and come off as tone deaf, and so before we could launch a campaign, we had to ensure we had ears who were receptive. An example of a great campaign was Booking.com’s aspirational Wish List. The new data released by Booking.com offered some optimistic trendlines from consumers on the future state of travel here in America and across the globe. The number of “wish lists” created by users on Booking.com still shows a strong belief in the power of travel—even to hard-hit COVID areas like New York City. Demonstrating a true spirit of resilience across demographics, this hopeful outlook appears to bridge the divide of global borders.
