US cities are slightly down in European travelers’ top destinations, but Honolulu rises for Asian travelers
SAN FRANCISCO – Sojern released its Q2 Global Travel Insights report, based on travel intent data from 350 million traveler profiles and billions of travel intent signals, including search and bookings from online and mobile channels. Sojern's latest report examines search patterns for the beginning of summer, revealing a trend for travelers in North America and Europe to look for shorter, more local trips this spring, possibly in response to the current political climate of Brexit and US travel bans.
For Europeans, Marrakech and Bali Replace Miami for Long Haul Travel
Compared to searches for April in our forward look last quarter, this June, European travelers are setting their sights on Middle Eastern and North African destinations (Marrakech and Denpasar) and Miami and Phuket drop off the top five long-haul destinations list. Regional destinations dominate early searches in Europe, especially when it comes to beach travel and European destinations like London, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Lisbon are emerging as favorites for June getaways.
American travel marketers need a solid strategy to engage European travelers and drive the searches and bookings they enjoyed previously. Sojern recommends employing top of the funnel engagement strategies to keep your brand visible during the exploration phase, such as using Facebook ads with striking imagery and video of your destination or travel experience to build brand awareness as well as likes and shares to spread your message.
Unlike Europeans, Asian travelers set their sights on more far-flung destinations this June: Honolulu makes an appearance in the top five most searched beach destinations, replacing Singapore, and Rome makes its way into the top five for sightseeing/recreation, which last quarter was entirely populated by destinations in Asia Pacific.
North America Spring Travel: Staying Local, Planning Early
With most schools letting out in early June for the holidays, the month signals the beginning of summer in North America. The most popular dates for departure follow the trend, with the first days in June making the list. Travelers are already planning their celebrations for June 30, the Friday before the Independence Day weekend.
This spring, Seattle is making an appearance among the top sightseeing destinations. In the long-haul destinations list, Guadalajara in Mexico is making an entry in the top five, replacing Bangkok from last quarter. Sojern recommends that travel marketers in North America use Facebook Dynamic Ads for Travel to retarget high-intent travelers – nurturing them toward a decision that ends with selecting your destination, brand or activity
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
