The results of a recent Travel Leaders Group consumer travel trends survey suggest 2019 is going to be another boom year for the travel industry.
More than 3,500 consumers participated in the survey and a whopping 96 percent indicated they intend to travel for vacation in the coming year with nearly 90 percent stating they will take the same or more trips in 2019. The overwhelming majority (76 percent) are planning at least two or more leisure trips next year with 36 percent indicating their travels, at least in part, involve solo trips.
“The desire to travel among North Americans is stronger than ever with an increasing focus on authentic, memorable experiences,” said Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. “Across our network of more than 52,000 travel advisors, we are seeing increasing interest in specialty travel such as culinary-focused, heritage journeys and bucket list destinations. Further, many people are not willing to forgo vacations because they have no one to travel with or, in many cases, simply prefer to travel on their own. We are seeing a rise in solo travel and our advisors and travel supplier partners are stepping up and catering to that demand with tailored trips for the solo traveler,” Chacko added.
Topping the list of U.S. destinations consumers are most interested in traveling to in 2019 is Hawaii, followed by Alaska and California. The full top 10 in order is:
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- California
- Florida
- Louisiana
- Colorado
- New York
- Arizona
- Montana
- Washington D.C.
“Several of the states in this year’s top 10 are best known for outdoor recreational activities, national parks and adventure travel, all of which are becoming increasingly popular as vacation tentpoles,” noted Chacko.
Among solo travelers, the top five U.S. destinations they are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:
- Florida
- California
- Hawaii
- New York
- Alaska
The top international destinations by region consumers are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:
- The Caribbean
- Western Europe
- Mexico
- Canada
- Eastern Europe
For solo travelers, the top international regions they are most interested in traveling to in 2019 are:
- Western Europe
- Caribbean
- UK/Ireland
- Eastern Europe
- Australia
While forty-three percent of survey respondents said they plan to spend more on vacation travel in 2019 versus the previous year, at the same time, ‘money’ was the number one reason consumers indicated they don’t travel more. Work obligations and not enough time off were the second and third most common reasons people said they don’t travel more frequently.
Among solo travelers, the most popular method of traveling (cited by 40 percent of solo travelers) is to travel and explore independently while 25 percent indicated they prefer to join an organized group journey when traveling solo. Thirty-five percent of solo travelers like to participate in one or more guided tour experiences while traveling.
“There are clearly varying preferences among solo travelers,” said John Lovell, CTC, President of Travel Leaders Network and Leisure Group. “There are those who are highly independent and strongly prefer to explore on their own with a less structured itinerary. Others prefer the comfort and camaraderie of a group journey such as a SinglesCruise.com voyage or an escorted tour. Many of our travel advisors specialize in solo travel and can help consumers traveling solo identify the best vacation option based on their preferred travel style.”
The Travel Leaders Group consumer travel trends survey was conducted between September and October 2018 among more than 3,500 consumers.
