New research from ADARA, a specialist in leveraging global travel data to drive future business performance, reveals that there is still time for marketers to influence holiday travelers who are in the planning and pre-purchase modes. The Holiday 2015 Travel Prediction report shows that in 2014, only half of all holiday flights were booked by November 17, and half of all holiday hotel stays were booked after December 14.
Based on its relationships with more than 90 global travel brands, ADARA’s transactional travel data, combined with real-time analysis of travel searches, reveals unique patterns from past seasons that help marketers determine the impact on future travel. The report indicates that marketers can expect a large number of last-minute holiday travel bookings in 2015, and ultimately, plenty of opportunities to engage key audiences.
“Marketers still have time to reach and engage potential holiday travelers with creative, relevant, and targeted advertising campaigns, but they have to act now,” said Elizabeth Harz, president of media, ADARA. “According to the data, the sweet spot for suppliers to target holiday travelers is during the flight search window, which is fast approaching, between November 17 and December 14. By getting their message and offers in front of potential travelers today, marketers can help drive consideration and bookings during this critical time period for holiday travel.”
While the data indicates that consumers search for the best deal, sometimes pushing up against the eleventh hour, not everyone waits until last minute. Family travelers are the segment most likely to purchase in advance, prioritizing air travel over accommodations, likely to avoid paying for hefty air fares. For flights, the search to booking window is similar across traveler types, but the advanced purchase window varies widely; from nearly 70 days in advance for families, to just 34 days for solo travelers.
When it comes to booking hotel stays, surprisingly, half of 2014 family bookings were made only a week in advance. This shows that family travelers are likely searching for last-minute deals at their destination, and there is a significant opportunity for hotel marketers to reach and convert these bookers through targeted and relevant offers.
Travelers invest a significant amount of time to ensure that their trip is within budget, while satisfying their expectations of the destination. With more than 60 percent of international flights lasting two to three weeks, travelers spend time planning their trip, and researching flight and hotel deals, especially in exotic locations. During Q1-Q3 2015, there was a higher ratio of bookings to searches for locations like Honolulu and Kahului (60 searches), compared to Buffalo and Milwaukee (30 searches).
