Summer Travel Trends – How Are Consumers Using Search To Plan Their Vacations?

Search activity offers hotels a real insight into the latest travel trends and this gives much needed guidance when it comes to planning meta search marketing and digital activity for the months ahead. As summer hits, Think With Google has delved into its search engine data to share what this year’s travel trends look like and how consumers are searching for and booking their vacation destinations. Read on to see what’s trending now and find out which consumer behaviour and search patterns you can capitalise on right now to inform your marketing for bigger and better conversions and busier hotels.

Google’s data shows that six in ten travellers planning to take a trip this summer started to research destinations as early as February this year. Around 46% did not have a specific destination in mind.

Google says that more people are searching on a mobile device than a desktop for certain types of travel, namely family breaks, luxury vacations, honeymoons and trips for couples.

•  16% of people say they will also use their mobile device while they are away to plan activities.

•  44% say they will use a mix of devices to plan their getaway.

If you haven’t already made mobile a focal point for digital, you need to at now. With all trending data indicate a bigger shift to mobile in the travel sector, there is still time to capture the interest of those who plan to take a trip this summer. You can approach this in any number of ways:

•  Use AMP markup to promote your best content

•  Create a mobile version of your site if you don’t already have a highly functional responsive site with a mobile booking engine in place

•  Use a mobile-friendly email template

•  Streamline page loading times for better mobile optimisation

Google’s search data charts a marked increase in family travel. It says family vacation related searches have shown the most growth year-on-year. Family travel, luxury travel, honeymoon and couples trips searches all grew 3 x quicker than ecotravel and adventure travel searches.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage by tailoring content marketing, social posts, landing pages, email and PPC ad text towards family travel.

Google’s search data shows that inexpensive travel options are popular this summer, suggesting that those who are planning a city break or summer vacation are cost conscious and looking for value for money.

Google’s breakout search trends in the family travel category are:

•  Best vacations for kids under 10

•  Inexpensive family vacations

•  Baby-friendly vacations

•  Family trip ideas

•  Family vacation ideas with toddlers

In the honeymoon category, search users are most often using these search terms:

•  Honeymoon cruises for couples

•  Affordable honeymoon destinations in US

•  Places to go for anniversary weekend

You should be integrating these trending keywords and searches into your search marketing efforts to resonate with those searching for a summer trip. This will ensure your hotel stands out and can put your meta search marketing efforts in a much stronger position when it comes to influencing and engaging with consumers looking to book a hotel as part of their summer travel plans. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the latest travel trends here on DigitalHoteliers.com to stay up-to-date.