Check out MNI 2017 Travel Factbook! It features data from every segment of the travel industry and is a valuable resource to improve the effectiveness of your travel ad campaigns

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11. 11
FAMILY MATTERS FOR
MILLENNIAL TRAVELERS
• 92% of married Millennials have traveled for
vacation in the past 12 months versus, 69% of
single Millennials.[1]
• Nearly 90% of parents vacationed in the past
year, compared to 70% of non-parents.
Similarly, parents with children under 18 are
more likely to go on multiple vacations
throughout the year.[1]
- Visiting friends and family is the most
common type of vacation travel (47%).[1]
MILLENNIAL SPENDING PICKS UP AS THEY EMBARK ON FAMILY VACATIONS.
Base: 2,000 internet users aged 18+
Source: Lightspeed GMI/Mintel Seasonal Vacation Trends – U.S., June 2014.
VACATION IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, AND TWO OR MORE VACATIONS,
BY PARENT STATUS

12. TRAVEL PLANNING PROCESS

13. 13
GREAT TRIPS START WITH
GREAT RESEARCH
• 37% of U.S. travelers think about vacation planning
once a month; 17% think about it at least once
a week.[10]
• For many travelers, planning begins with a
blank page.
- 28% haven’t decided their destination when they
start planning a trip.[11]
- 83% say it’s important to choose a destination
where they can have a new experience.
55% OF LEISURE TRAVELERS ONLY TAKE ONE OR TWO VACATIONS A YEAR,
BUT THEY PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO PLANNING THESE TRIPS.[4]

14. 14
TOP CRITERIA INCLUDE COST, REVIEWS, PICTURES, AVAILABILITY, FLIGHT LENGTH,
TRAVEL SCHEDULES, AND ACTIVITIES AT THE DESTINATION.[13]
TRAVEL RESEARCH IS A
COMPLEX PROCESS
• Not surprisingly, price is the most common reason
for choosing one airline over another. Flight
schedule (57%) and free bag check (48%) are
distant second- and third-place considerations.[8]
• When presented with a deal, 30% would take a
trip when they weren’t planning to, 25% would go
to a destination they weren’t familiar with, 25%
would consider booking a last-minute flight, and
32% would book a hotel they’re unfamiliar with.[4]
• For Millennials, 70% consider quality over price as
the key criterion for choosing flights, hotels, and
even destinations.[1]
Source: comScore survey, CritContent – What Information Was Most Critical In Helping You Decide On
Your Destination?, among Total U.S. Online Travel Bookers (n=805).

15. 15
RESEARCH IS A CROSS-CHANNEL ACTIVITY—FROM MAGAZINES AND TV PROGRAMS TO
SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE REVIEWS.
TRAVEL INSPIRATION COMES
FROM EVERYWHERE
• 40% of travelers draw travel inspiration from peers,
42% from online travel providers, and 59% from
online videos.[14]
• Reviews rule - over 95% of leisure travelers read
approximately seven reviews before booking,
spending an average of thirty minutes on sites
like TripAdvisor.[15]
• Tech-savvy Millennials are more likely to use travel
agents and print media, as well as online sources.[1]
- TV and movies also inspire would-be travelers, and
have a greater influence on Millennial vacationers
(36%) than on total vacationers (27%).[1]
Online Print Travel Agent
Base: 910 internet users aged 22-39 who have traveled for leisure in the last 12 months
Source: Lightspeed GMI/Mintel.

16. 16
DIGITAL REMAINS KEY TO
TRAVEL RESEARCH
• An average trip-buying journey includes fifty-six visits to
travel-related digital touchpoints before booking.[14]
• Reading articles and watching travel-related videos ranked
among the top activities.[16]
• While desktop and laptop computers are most likely used
(51%) for online research, mobile devices are
catching up. [1]
• Technology-based recommendations, like Booking.com’s
search feature based on interests or passions, resonate
with nearly 40% Millennial vacationers.[1]
• 84% of travel booking is done through online channels.[11]
• Almost one-third of leisure travelers said they used at least
one mobile app in planning travel. [17]
DIGITAL MEDIA DRIVES AWARENESS AND EDUCATION, PUSHES TRANSACTIONS,
AND AFFECTS POST-PURCHASE TOUCH-POINTS.

17. 17

18. TRAVEL’S MULTIMEDIA
PURCHASE FUNNEL
18
Magazines, Search
Display, Video,
Retargeting,
Personalization, Social,
Influencers, Email
Desktop, Mobile
Mobile Search, Apps
UPPER FUNNEL
Awareness
MID-FUNNEL
Consideration, preference
LOWER FUNNEL
Purchase
ENGAGEMENT/ADVOCACY
Post-purchase behaviors
REFERRAL
Modelled after IAB’s purchase funnel advocacy

19. 19
• U.S. travel intenders are heavy consumers of
magazines, using more of this media than
any other.[20]
• U.S. travel influentials are 60% more likely than the
general population to read travel magazines, while
affluents are 33% more likely to do so.[20]
- Travel influentials are three times more likely to
seek information on costs, travel arrangements,
sightseeing, and travel activities from magazines,
while affluents are 74% more likely to do so.[20]
UPPER FUNNEL
TRAVELERS TRUST MAGAZINES
Affluents – HHI of $100,000+
Travel Influentials – Business or vacation travel category influentials
Travel intenders –Likely to take a domestic or foreign vacation in the next 12 months
Heavy consumers of media (Magazines, Newspaper, Radio, TV, Internet) – refer to top quintile consumers
TRAVEL INTENDERS AND AFFLUENTS SEEK THE OPINIONS OF TRUSTED PRINT
MEDIA ABOUT TRAVEL.

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• 48% of U.S. travelers said they used search engines
when beginning to research a trip, compared to 20%
using a property’s website and 14% using an online
travel agency. [17]
• The travel industry spent approximately $3.12 billion on
paid search in 2016, up 18.6% from 2015.[19]
• Search accounted for 58% of the U.S. travel industry’s
digital ad spending in 2016, while display accounted
for 34%.[19]
• The focus on driving transactions leads paid search to
dominate travel ad budgets.
UPPER FUNNEL
CONSUMERS AND ADVERTISERS
SWEAR BY SEARCH
FOLLOWING CONSUMER TRENDS, TRAVEL ADVERTISERS ALLOCATED MORE THAN HALF
OF THEIR BUDGETS TOWARD PAID SEARCH EFFORTS IN 2016.[19]

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UPPER FUNNEL
MOBILE SEARCH HAS ARRIVED
• 70% of travelers with smartphones use them to
research travel options.[22]
• 40% of the visits to U.S. travel sites and 60%
of destination information searches now come
from mobile.[22]
• U.S. mobile travel sites are securing more frequent
and shorter sessions, resulting in a 10% rise in
conversion rates.[23]
• The increasing time spent, and growing sales via
mobile devices, is pushing travel’s mobile ad spending
ever higher, to over 63% in 2016.[19]
THE AVAILABILITY OF SMARTPHONES MAKES MOBILE INCREASINGLY
IMPORTANT FOR TRAVEL.

22. 22
UPPER FUNNEL
MOBILE SEARCH AND MILLENNIALS
• More than one-third of travelers have discovered
a new travel company through mobile search.
This figure is even higher (50%) for
Millennial travelers.[13]
• Searching for coupons or deals is the most
common mobile travel-related activity for
U.S. Millennials.[16]
FOUR-OUT-OF-TEN MILLENNIALS CONDUCT TRAVEL RESEARCH ON SMARTPHONES
AND TABLETS.

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• Travel industry spending on display will amount to
$1.95 billion this year.[19]
• Digital display and rich media remained a significant
portion (34%) of the category’s total digital spending
in 2016.[19]
• Most of this spending is moving away from standard
banner units and heading toward rich media and
display ads purchased programmatically.
• $1.50 billion—77%—of the $1.95 billion in digital
display ads purchased by travel advertisers in 2016
was purchased programmatically.[19]
AFTER PAID SEARCH, DISPLAY DOMINATES.
Display includes banners, rich media, sponsorships, video and ads such as
Facebook's News Feed Ads and Twitter's Promoted Tweets that appear on desktops,
laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and other internet-connected devices .[1]
MID-FUNNEL
DISPLAY ADS CAPTURE ATTENTION

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TRAVEL ADVERTISERS SPENT 11% OF DIGITAL AD SPENDING ON DIGITAL VIDEO
IN 2016[19], AS 64% OF TRAVEL INTENDERS WATCH TRAVEL-RELATED VIDEOS.[12]
• Digital video spending by travel advertisers amounted to
$610 million in 2016.[19]
• Three-out-of-five travelers who watch online video use it to
narrow down their brand, destination, or activity choices.[12]
• In any given month, over 100 million of YouTube's unique
visitors are travelers.[12], and video-watch time on Instagram
is up 40%.[24]
• YouTube searches for ‘travel hack’ videos grew 115% year-
over-year, with over half coming from mobile devices.[25]
• Watch time on mobile devices has grown by over 65%
year-over-year.[12]
MID-FUNNEL
VIDEO AIDS IN
PURCHASE CONSIDERATION

25. 25
RETARGETED AND PERSONALIZED INTERACTIONS BOOST BRAND CONSIDERATION,
AND EVEN CONVERSION.
• 61% of travelers thought that retargeting ads were
helpful for completing purchases in general.[19]
• 85% of travelers said that customized itineraries are far
more appealing than one-size-fits-all solutions.[26]
• 83% of Millennials said they would allow travel brands
to track their habits in exchange for a better, more
personalized experience.[26]
• Travel brands are taking note - 43% of travel
companies named ‘targeting and personalization’ as
the top priorities in their digital strategy. 25% of
companies are focused on mobile optimization of their
online properties.[26]
MID-FUNNEL
RETARGETING AND
PERSONALIZATION GO A LONG WAY
74% of travelers were
more likely to click on a
travel ad if it was for a
vacation or destination
they had previously
searched for.[19]

26. MID-FUNNEL
TRAVEL INTEDERS FLOCK TO
SOCIAL MEDIA
26
• 52% of travelers said that social media influenced a
change in their travel plans, while 80% are more likely
to book a trip from a company “liked” by a friend than a
conventional Facebook ad.[15]
• While 43% of all vacationers look at photos and videos
of destinations on social media, this trend is more
popular among tech-savvy Millennials (49%).[1]
• Programmatic growth across the travel category is due
to the rapid adoption of social media advertising on
Facebook and Twitter, via programmatic
direct buying.[19]
• 46% of U.S. travel and hospitality brands invested in
social media advertising in 2016, up from 41% in 2015.
SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDES EVERYTHING FROM TRAVEL TIPS AND
BLOG TRIP EXPERIENCES, TO INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS.

27. 27
TRAVEL CONTENT FROM BLOGGERS AND INFLUENCERS IS A CREDIBLE SOURCE OF
INFORMATION FOR TRAVEL INTENDERS, BECAUSE THEY MARRY PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES AND AUTHENTIC IMAGERY.
• Influencers generate snackable travel-related content
—pieces that are shorter and easier to read—
interspersed with photos and videos.
- This content creates top-of-the-funnel awareness
on Instagram and Pinterest, is featured in ads to
accelerate the journey, and on-site to help drive
bookings.
• Blogs covering both food and travel are among the
most popular content types, as food tourism
gains popularity.
MID-FUNNEL
USER-GENERATED CONTENT IS KING
Earned media value for every $1 spent on paid media from influencer marketing campaigns.
Source: eMarketer | RhythmOne, “Influencer Marketing Benchmarks Report Full Year 2015”, March 30, 2016.

28. 28
91% OF U.S. TRAVEL BRANDS INVESTED IN EMAIL MARKETING IN 2016, FOCUSING ON
TARGETED OFFERS AND INCENTIVES.
• Targeted emails offering an incentive, such
as priority booking passes, have
proven successful.[7]
• The most read emails from air carriers often
mention loyalty membership status and
program details.[25]
• Top promotional emails also focus on savings
and limited-time offers.[8]
MID-FUNNEL
EMAIL MARKETING PROPELS THE
PURCHASE PROCESS
Base: 1,764 internet users aged 18+ who have booked any travel in the last 12 months
Source: Lightspeed GMI/Mintel.

29. 29
• Desktop and laptop bookings exceed bookings via
mobile device (76% versus 24%, respectively).[8]
• Smartphone and tablet bookings (13% and 11%)
indicate that functionality may be as much of a
barrier as screen size.[8]
• After shopping on a smartphone, nearly two-out-of
-three double-check flight prices on a computer,
and half double-check hotel prices.[4]
75% OF TRAVELERS WHO SHOP FOR HOTELS OR FLIGHTS ON THEIR
SMARTPHONE TYPICALLY END UP PURCHASING ON A PC.[4]
LOWER FUNNEL
LARGE SCREENS ENJOY THE
TOP SPOT FOR BOOKINGS

30. 30
• Of travelers who researched their last trip on mobile,
38% also booked it on mobile.[14]
• Travelers who booked their last trip on mobile did so
due to convenience (52%), and time-savings (44%).[14]
• Mobile airline bookings were split almost evenly
between smartphones (53%) and tablets (47%). For
hotels, smartphones dominated with 81% of the
reservations, while tablets won out at 60%
for packages.[27]
• Compared to non-mobile bookers, mobile travel-
bookers are 1.9x more likely to be frequent travelers,
1.3x more likely to prefer personalized advertising,
and 1.5x more likely to consider booking on a
mobile app.[11]
31% OF LEISURE TRAVELERS AND 53% OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS BOOK
VIA SMARTPHONE.[22]
LOWER FUNNEL
MOBILE BOOKING IS RISING

31. 31
• Bookings from mobile devices are anticipated to make
up almost half of total digital travel sales by 2020.[27]
• In the past year, conversion rates have grown 88% on
mobile travel sites, and mobile's share of travel visits
has grown by 48%.[10]
• Mobile ad spending among U.S. travel brands reached
$3.61 billion in 2016, making up more than 63% of total
digital ad spend. This is a significant increase over
2015’s figures, when the mobile ad spend made up
49% of the total.[19]
OVERALL MOBILE TRAVEL SALES WERE EXPECTED TO HIT $65 BILLION—NEARLY 36%
OF TOTAL U.S. DIGITAL TRAVEL SALES—IN 2016.[27]
LOWER FUNNEL
MOBILE TRAVEL SALES TO BOOM

32. ENGAGEMENT ADVOCACY
MOBILE IS THE GO-TO TOOL
WHILE ON VACATION.
32
• Travelers are using mobile to be spontaneous—half of
international travelers use smartphones to look for
things to do once they’ve arrived at a destination.[25]
• More than half of travelers said they would check in
using a mobile app if they could, and use it to purchase
additional services during their stay. Almost two-thirds
(61.4%) said they would use a mobile app to purchase
a late checkout.[17]
• Since smartphones are location-aware, travelers often
search for "things to do near me." Search interest in
queries related to "places to eat near me" has more
than doubled since 2015, offering opportunity for
hospitality advertisers.[6]
85% OF LEISURE TRAVELERS DECIDE ON ACTIVITIES ONLY AFTER HAVING
ARRIVED AT THE DESTINATION[25], AND EMPLOY THEIR MOBILES FOR
ASSISTANCE.

33. 33
ENGAGEMENT ADVOCACY
SOCIAL HELPS SPREAD THE WORD
• When Millennials travel, many reach for their
smartphones to tweet and Instagram pictures in real-
time, and post comments about the restaurants
they’ve tried and experiences they’ve had.
• Half of U.S. internet users shared their vacations
with family and friends through Facebook, and
another 14% posted on Instagram.[19]
• Advertiser interest in paid social complements
consumers’ increasing use of social sites to share
personal travel content.
NEARLY ONE-IN-FIVE USE SOCIAL MEDIA WHILE TRAVELING, SHARING SNIPPETS
OF THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH PEERS.