Earlier this year, we saw a surge in people mastering the art of travel planning, from designing personalized itineraries to leveraging AI-driven platforms. This winter, new trends signal an even greater shift in consumer behavior, as travelers become more tech-savvy and the industry readies itself for heightened demand.
In Criteo’s report, Travel Insights: Your Guide to Global Winter Trends, we looked at survey findings from over 14,000 travelers worldwide and analyzed global data from hundreds of online travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and more travel specialists to uncover people’s travel plans and booking influences.
These are the trends that will help advertisers prepare for the upcoming holiday travel season.
1. New year, new destinations
People stay focused on retail through Christmas, then quickly shift their attention to planning adventures for the new year. Last year in Q1, the EMEA region showed the strongest growth in air travel bookings, with the Americas and APAC following closely behind.
Global – Weekly Indexed Air Travel Bookings
Given that bookings typically take about a week to finalize, the spike in early January bookings indicates that travel players must vie for travelers’ attention in December.
Path to air travel booking duration in the first two weeks of January
2. Tech-tuned and tailored
More people are embracing AI for travel planning than earlier this year. In the UK, the share of respondents who found AI helpful for travel planning rose 7 points. Following closely behind, the share rose 5 points in Germany and South Korea.
In Q3 this year, the most popular ways travelers used AI were for destination ideas (41%), activity suggestions (37%), accommodation options (36%), and dining recommendations (34%).
A full 30% even turned to AI for end-to-end trip planning, highlighting a strong shift toward AI-driven travel solutions across every part of the journey.
3. Inspiration is just a click away
Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family remain the top source of travel inspiration, favored by 56% of travelers globally.
However, travel booking sites are also influential, with nearly half of travelers using them to discover new destinations. About a third of travelers (33%) also find inspiration from TV shows, commercials, travel websites, and blogs.
With the popularity of booking apps, it’s easier for travelers to book on the go, allowing for more spontaneous adventures. Many travelers appreciate this flexibility, with nearly 1 in 5 reserving part of their bookings for mid-trip decisions.
Rise in app bookings year over year
4. One platform, endless reasons to return
Travelers who browse a platform without booking during the holidays are highly likely to return and book in the new year. Globally, those who visited travel platforms in December were 6 times more likely to complete a booking in Q1 than in December itself.
Many travelers also prefer to book everything on a single platform. While 45% of travelers say they compared multiple (3+) providers, over half (58%) reported booking all travel services—such as flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities—through a single platform, website, app, or provider during their most recent trip.
Takeaways to chart a new course for your advertising
- Align campaign flight dates to capture peak sales. The first and second quarters are pivotal periods for travel companies, as high-season bookings dominate Q1, and the last-minute booking season commences in Q2. Travel companies should plan to have their advertising efforts in full swing by November and December to capture these bookers in the long-run.
- Transform clicks into complete trip packages. With 58% of travelers opting to book all their travel needs from one platform, leverage the Criteo Travel Cross Selling Solution. This solution effectively converts users who initially browsed for only hotels or flights into package bookers, optimizing return on ad spend.
- Stand out from the crowd. Because travelers compare 3+ platforms before completing a booking, retarget those who have shown interest in your company with ads that highlight your key differentiators. Criteo Retargeting keeps users engaged with your brand and services, shielding them from the competition.
For more trends, read Travel Insights: Your Guide to Global Winter Trend or talk to an expert to start optimizing your campaigns.
