From some positive numbers for air travel in May to the GBTA's look at business travel hotspots, the travel industry showed every sign of heating up this week.
Air Passengers Up 6.2 Percent in May
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its latest assessment of premium and economy travel, for May 2015. The report showed some encouraging signs for air travel, including a 6.2 percent rise in passenger travel in international markets for May 2015 as compared to one year ago.
The 6.2 percent increase in May marked an acceleration on the 3.8 percent rise in traffic in April. Economy class travel grew at a stronger rate than premium international air travel, and although the growth was spread across most key markets, it was largely driven by the within Europe market.
Economy class travel rose 6.4 percent in May year-on-year, a pick-up on April growth of 4.2 percent. The strong growth in economy class leisure travel – the more price sensitive travel market – is being supported by lower fares. Premium travel also rose in May, but at a slower (4.1%) rate. This reflects continued weakness in business travel demand drivers, with global business confidence being dragged down by emerging markets.
India Tops GBTA's Business Travel Hotspots
In the world of business travel, new research from the GBTA Foundation and Carlson Wagonlit Travel has identified six hotspots where increased demand is driving significant air price increases in spite of global air travel prices indicating that they will be essentially flat in 2016.
“Business travel is a leading indicator of global economic activity,” Joseph Bates, GBTA Foundation vice president of research, said in a statement. “The top-line pricing outlook for air, hotel and ground in 2016 is surprisingly stable. But when you dig deeper, the data reveal global hot spots where demand is driving air travel price increases. For 2016, India, China, Colombia, Mexico, Singapore and Australia are projected to top the list.”
67 Percent Say Social Sharing Influences Travel
With more travelers hitting the road, this week also saw another reminder of the power of social media to influence their purchasing decisions. In a recent survey by programmatic ad buying platform RadiumOne, 67 percent reported that digital media and social sharing influence where they travel.
Other key findings include:
- 35 percent have apps on their phones for travel/rewards programs
- 53 percent share travel information such as where they are going, what airline they are taking and photos of the trip on social media
- 73 percent of travelers get ideas from social media, including destination ideas (42%), hotel ideas (39%) and travel offers (21%)
- Though consumers are sharing material on social channels, there is still substantial content being distributed via “dark social” avenues (text, email, etc.) that brands need to consider when collecting data and information
The survey included more than 1,300 people (median age 26) from across the United States and was conducted in October 2014.
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