The document provides an overview of travel industry trends and consumer behaviors based on an analysis of various data sources. It summarizes that travelers are increasingly planning trips and researching accommodations online and via mobile devices. They are seeking luxury hotels at affordable prices and value loyalty programs. The document also outlines opportunities for travel companies to target consumers at different stages of the travel planning process based on insights into online search and research behaviors.

1. TRAVEL INDUSTRY
PROFILE + LANDSCAPE

2. 2
WHY DO I CARE?
Glad you asked…
In this report you will find a high-level overview of the travel landscape. It is important that we keep a pulse on the
industry and CONSUMER BEHAVIORS in order to identify OPPORTUNITIES that transform our businesses.
At Levelwing, we specialize in analyzing the paths that contribute to meaningful BUSINESS OUTCOMES. These paths
are illuminated through the analysis of data collected via website analytics, customer relationship databases,
consumer research, phone call logs and even recruitment application databases (yes, we actually enjoy working
with the HR folks in addition to the marketing teams).
Our team of analysts, statisticians and strategists are obsessed with data and more importantly are experts at
TRANSLATING THE DATA INTO A MEANINGFUL STORY that has real business applications and implications.
Please enjoy some of the insights contained within.

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TRAVEL TRENDS
CATEGORY OVERVIEW

4. 4
TRAVEL INDUSTRY TRENDS
56% of all
dollars wil U.S. corporate trav
rs would like to
64% of travele or luxury hotel
l be spent
online in 2
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y at an upscale right
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if the price is 012 , August 2
, PhoCusW in
right, May g and
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eler”, Google
“ The 2012 Trav
83% of leisure travelers a
nd
hotel queries 76% of business travelers
Almost 1 in 4
ome from a m obile device plan online
c “The 2012 Traveler”, G
st 2012
oogle, August 2012
f Trave l”, Google, Augu
“The 5 Stages o
Not only are travelers planning online and researching from their mobile devices, they are seeking luxury and
upscale hotels at a value. Offering a special or discount on upscale amenities may entice these luxury-seeking,
price-sensitive consumers to convert.

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ENROLLMENT IN LOYALTY PROGRAMS
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Air Hotel Car Online Travel Agency None
Leisure Travelers Business Travelers Affluent Travelers
Affluent Travelers are most likely to be enrolled in Air, Hotel, and Car loyalty programs, while Business Travelers
are most likely to be enrolled in a loyalty program for online travel agencies. Leisure Travelers are least likely to
be enrolled in a loyalty program for any aspect of travel. Knowing which traveler segment is most likely to enroll
in a particular loyalty program can help fuel strategies and initiatives for reaching these traveler segments.
Source: “The 2012 Traveler”, Google, August 2012

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HIGHEST Q1 2012 AIRFARE – US AIRPORTS
AVERAGE DOMESTIC
AIRPORT
ITINERARY FARES
CINCINNATI, OH $526.25
MEMPHIS, TN $519.97
HOUSTON BUSH, TX $504.58
HUNTSVILLE, AL $502.80
WASHINGTON DULLES $485.35
As average airfare prices continue to increase so too do the search queries for cheap tickets and variations
thereof. Geo-targeting metropolitan areas surrounding airports with paid search ads can provide an
opportunity for travel industry sites to capture these price-conscious travelers.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Q1 2012

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TOP DESTINATION
POLL: Which destination was
the most popular among US-
based Google searchers
between September and
December, 2011?
a) New York
b) Las Vegas
c) Hawaii
d) Mexico
e) Oak Ridge, TN
“The 2012 Traveler”, Google, August 2012
Market level search insights can help fuel strategies in which there is high demand (and we want to leverage
this) or where there is low demand (perhaps in a market we are trying to dominate).

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TRAVEL INDUSTRY SEARCH DEMAND
KEYWORD US MONTHLY (APPROXIMATE) SEARCHES
VACATION SPOT 165,000
BOOK A FLIGHT 110,000
PLAN A TRIP 110,000
BOOK A HOTEL 90,500
Collectively, the travel industry has a substantial amount of monthly searches within the United States. Online
searches are often indicative of offline demand. This emphasizes the need for visibility within search engines
and search engine results pages in order to capture this traffic.
Source: Google

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‘BOOK A FLIGHT’ SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS
Online booking sites represent a majority of search
engine results page real estate for ‘book a flight’
Airlines appearing in PAID SEARCH PLACEMENTS for
‘book a flight’:
• American Airlines
• Delta
Airlines appearing on Page 1 in ORGANIC SEARCH
RESULTS for ‘book a flight’:
• Delta
• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• Southwest
*paid placements are paid advertising available through search
engines, organic search results are the listings that are free and do
not require a hard media investment

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‘BOOK A HOTEL’ SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS
Similarly, online booking sites also represent a
majority of search engine results page real
estate for ‘book a hotel’
Hotels appearing in PAID SEARCH PLACEMENTS
for ‘book a hotel’:
• Taj Hotels
• Marriott
Hotels appearing on Page 1 in ORGANIC
SEARCH RESULTS for ‘book a hotel’:
• Radisson
*paid placements are paid advertising available through search
engines, organic search results are the listings that are free and do
not require a hard media investment

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TRAVELERS
RESEARCH BEHAVIOR

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ONLINE ACTIVITES
Researched an upcoming trip 62%
Sourced initial trip idea 45%
Read reviews from other travelers 43%
Watched travel video
Read travel related blog
Posted travel reviews
Uploaded video related to past travel
Commented on travel reviews
Commented on travel related blog
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Top online activities for US travelers are researching upcoming trips, brainstorming trip ideas, and reading
reviews by other travelers. These online search habits indicate the need for visibility within search engines
and search engine results pages during this critical research period.
Source: Mediabistro Data

13. 13
VIDEO AS RESEARCH SOURCE
When thinking
about taking a
trip
When deciding
When choosing a
on which website 66% destination
to book
34% 64%
When choosing When looking for
ideas of activities
destination to do at a
accommodations destination
57% 62%
Travelers watch online videos throughout their entire travel planning process. Creating a YouTube channel or
incorporating video on your website surrounding these consumer needs (amenity and attraction information)
may help influence consumers to book with your site or plan a trip to your city.
Source: “The 2012 Traveler”, Google, August 2012

14. 14
TYPES OF VIDEOS WATCHED
Videos from hotels, airlines, cruises, tours, etc. 62%
Trip reviews from experts
Videos from travel-related channels
Trip reviews from people like me
Videos made by people like me
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Travelers using video for research watch a mix of user-generated content and professionally-made videos.
Including both internal marketing videos and customer-made videos on your websites will provide these travel
researchers with the content they are looking for when they come to your site, preventing them from seeking
this content elsewhere on the web.
Source: “The 2012 Traveler”, Google, August 2012

15. 15
SMARTPHONE USAGE
More than
110 MILLION
Americans own a
smartphone
As smartphone ownership increases so does the necessity of having a mobile website for consumers using
these devices for travel research and booking.
Source: comScore, June 2012

16. 16
MOBILE RESEARCHING + BOOKING
36.4 15.8
MILLION MILLION
travel travel
researchers bookers
U.S. smartphone travel researchers represent 30.4% of online travel researchers in 2012, while U.S.
smartphone travel bookers only represent 16.1% of online travel bookers in 2012, suggesting most travelers
still prefer making travel-related purchases through more traditional means such as a desktop or telephone.
Source: eMarketer Data, August 2012

17. 17
MOBILE AS RESEARCH SOURCE FOR AIR
Checked airfare prices 26%
Looked up airline phone number 25%
Looked at flight schedules 25%
Checked flight status 25%
Looked up airport information
Checked in for a flight
Received price alerts for flights
Booked a flight
Received SMS alerts for a flight status
Tracked the status of a checked bag
Cancelled a flight
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Most travelers using a mobile device for research want to check prices, find contact information, view flight
schedules, and check the status of a flight. Ensuring these elements are prominent and easy to use on your
mobile site will provide a good user experience for mobile website visitors.
Source: comScore Data, April 2012

18. 18
MOBILE AS RESEARCH SOURCE FOR HOTEL
Looked up hotel address/directions
29%
Looked up/ researched attractions/ things to do at my
destination/ near my hotel
Looked up/ researched places to eat at my destination/
near my hotel
Read a hotel review
Compared hotel prices + availability
Booked a hotel room
Received price alerts for hotels
Looked up/ researched ground transportation at my
destination/ near my hotel
Cancelled a hotel reservation
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Most travelers using a mobile device for research are looking for the hotel address and directions to get
there, followed by researching attractions and places to eat near their hotel. Including directions, nearby
things to do, and favorite local dining spots on your mobile site will fulfill the needs of these travel researchers.
Source: comScore Data, April 2012

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LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? WANT TO SEE MORE?
This is just the beginning of what we can tap into, imagine what we could do with the data you have internally…
At Levelwing, we specialize in interpreting your data and providing you with applications (and not just graphs) that
can impact your MARKETING, MERCHANDISING, INVENTORY or even TALENT RECRUITMENT. We help companies
utilize data to OPERATE WITH GREATER CLARITY + PROFITABILITY.
Bottom line, we move your business forward by helping you make sense of your data so that you can ACHIEVE
WHAT COULD BE.
For additional information, please contact:
LUKE FROST
Business Development Analyst
lfrost@levelwing.com
1+843.647.7314

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THANK YOU
Want to learn more about Levelwing? Just keep reading.

21. 21
WHO IS LEVELWING?

22. 22
OUR BELIEFS
The Right Data Changes Everything
Marketing Budgets Should Be Smaller, Not Larger
Accountability is Essential
Success Should Pay For Itself
Leverage Existing Demand First

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THE RIGHT DATA CHANGES EVERYTHING
We use data to illuminate all facets of your business. You’ll
sell more and enjoy greater cost-efficiency.
More importantly, you’ll operate your business more
PROFITABLY.

24. 24
MARKETING BUDGETS SHOULD BE
SMALLER, NOT LARGER
Bigger is not necessarily better.
We believe by holding media and ideas accountable through
advanced analytics, you can do MORE with LESS.

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ACCOUNTABILITY IS ESSENTIAL
We measure and create insights based on what’s important,
not just metrics that are easy to calculate.
We create real ACCOUNTABILITY.

26. 26
SUCCESS SHOULD PAY FOR ITSELF 26
An understanding of Return on Investment leads to
marketing efforts that are more than just an expense line
item.
We build SELF-FUNDING initiatives.

27. 27
LEVERAGE EXISTING DEMAND FIRST
AWARENESS
INTEREST
A demand-driven strategy creates media efficiency and
greater profitability by focusing on existing IN-MARKET
PURCHASERS.
CONSIDERATION
PURCHASE

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INTELLIGENCE IS AT OUR CORE 28
Our BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS help organizations
understand consumer brand perception, gain competitive
information and uncover real opportunities to improve
organizational and operational efficiencies.
WE BELIEVE in informed, evidence-based decision-making,
only made possible by complex and comprehensive data
collection + analysis.
Competitive Insights | Data Enrichment | Operational Efficiency | Price Sensitivity
Analysis | ROI Analysis | Analytics Solutions | Data Knowledge Management

29. 29
WE ARE LEVELWING
GLOBAL REACH We currently serve clients throughout North
America, Europe, China and Japan
UNIQUE APPROACH Levelwing is the leader in business
intelligence and marketing solutions with data mining + analytics at
the core
FULLY INTEGRATED We employ a matrix organization of marketers,
analytics design experts, statisticians, researchers and creatives
MEASURED SUCCESS Levelwing has experienced 10 consecutive
years of growth with industry leading client satisfaction results

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SOME OF OUR PARTNERS
Some of the most innovative and strategic minds in the industry - Novartis
Some of the most sophisticated things I’ve seen being done with analytics and ROI measurement - Adobe