TripAdvisor, the current 800-lb. gorilla of travel, just released a special report called the TripBarometer.
Conducted every two years, this report looks at and analyzes the responses from over 53,000 travelers, with a little over 10% of those participants coming from the U.S. With this particular edition, they looked at the “Psychology of Travel” and three specific areas.
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When I saw first saw this mentioned last week, just the subtitle alone captivated my interest. As a college psychology major and a practicing school psychologist for 10 years, anything related to thinking and behavior gets me interested. Now as a travel marketing strategist and copywriter, it’s getting the best of both of my worlds.
In this post, I’ll take a look at each of the three issues spotlighted in this report, and relate them in the context of what it means for you, the adventure travel marketer.
So the first thing to look at here is:
What Travelers Want from Vacation | U.S. travelers | Worldwide travelers |
Provide unique and interesting experiences | 66% | 55% |
Enjoy special moments together with loved ones | 47% | 42% |
Broaden knowledge and enrich understanding of the world | 45% | 44% |
Help to enjoy life to the fullest | 45% | 45% |
Get immersed in the local culture | 41% | 36% |
The most significant result on this table is the “provide unique and interesting experiences,” which is what two-thirds of American travelers desire and a little over half of what worldwide travelers seek. This likely means that people who have done Disney World, all-inclusive resorts and mega-ship cruises multiple times are craving another holiday experience.
Each of the other four responses have lower affirmative responses but are still worth noting. They each touch upon the desire to go beyond the ordinary vacation, especially those who want to enhance their knowledge about the world, its different cultures and maximize life experiences.
So how do these results help you to market better to your adventure travel audience?
Well, the first thing you’ll want to remember is that each of these goals is perfectly aligned with adventure travel, especially if you take clients to foreign destinations. Just look at this list, item by item.
As an adventure travel company, you offer “unique and interesting” experiences with biking, hiking, kayaking, rafting, or any other thrilling activity (item 1)
You bring couples, families and friends together, depending on the packages you offer (item 2)
More travelers are ditching the luxe but isolating resorts, nightclubs and drinks by the pool or beach, and wanting to experience where the locals live. They want to gain an appreciation for a place other than their home or a similar place (items 3 and 5)
And there’s nothing better than to live life to the fullest by taking part in a thrilling, active vacation that’s sure to get your clients in peak experience mode (item 4).
You can take all of these results as a good sign that more people will continue to seek adventure travel vacations in the foreseeable future, and perhaps even beyond. Your company can follow this up-to-the-minute trend, capitalize on what travelers want…and earn a lot more profits for the coming year!
I’ll talk next about how you can capitalize on your customers’ emotions as they go through the decision and buying process of an adventure vacation.
What have you done with your marketing lately that could address these current trends? Share your thoughts below!
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