Consumers, especially millennials, are most likely to get
their leisure travel inspiration via word of mouth, but some social media sites
are close behind, according to a consumer survey conducted by the marketing
firms AMP and Blitz.
According to the survey results, which broke down
respondents’ answers into two broad categories — millennials and
non-millennials — word of mouth remained the top way participants got inspired
to visit the destination on their last leisure trip at 16% and 20%,
respectively.
Among millennials, Facebook and Instagram were the next most
popular travel inspiration at 15% and 13%, followed by a website (12%) and
YouTube (12%).
Non-millennial respondents preferred websites (16%), but
social media still proved to be popular sources of inspiration among
respondents, especially Facebook (15%) and Instagram (9%). YouTube accounted
for 8% of non-millennial respondents’ travel inspiration.
Magazines (8% millennials, 7% non-millennials), TV shows and
movies (8% millennials, 9% non-millennials), Twitter (7% millennials, 6%
non-millennials), Snapchat (5% millennials, 3% non-millennials) and other (2%
millennials, 6% non-millennials) rounded out the categories of travel
inspiration.
Thirty percent of total respondents reported that they used
a travel agent as a resource when planning their last leisure trip. The survey
also found that 56% said they have used an agent at some point in the past.
The respondents who said they have used agents were asked about
the best aspect of using an agent. Their responses were broken up into two
categories — frequent travelers and non-frequent travelers — but both cohorts’
most popular answers were that agents saved them time, got them better prices
and had expert advice.
In the research paper presenting the survey results,
“Targeting Moments of Need in the New Travel Landscape,” a rise in demand for
travel agents in the “near future” was predicted based on four trends: “OTAs
that serve endless choices, not solutions”; “the possibility for better, more
personalized recommendations powered by big data and artificial intelligence”;
“a new generation of travelers who have come of age on mobile devices”; and
“the ongoing premium placed on authenticity.”
AMP and Blitz conducted the survey online from Aug. 12-17.
In total, 385 qualified responses were received from U.S. residents ages 18-55,
with a household income of $50,000 or more annually and who have taken at least
one leisure trip in the past year.