As we head into the 2023 holiday season, U.S. travelers are making the most of their vacation planning despite inflationary pressures and rising debt rates. In a recent survey commissioned by IBS Software, which provides SaaS solutions to the travel industry, a record 47 percent of respondents are utilizing in-person advisors or online travel agencies (OTAs) to book their holiday trips due to convenience.
Perhaps surprisingly, the younger generation is more preferential to traditional travel advisors (38 percent of Millennials and Gen Z) given the group's typical preference for digital behaviors over analog. This contrasts with Gen X and Boomers, only 12 percent and 2 percent of whom use the services of a traditional travel advisor. Instead, Gen X far prefers to use OTAs when booking their holiday travel (35 percent). This “renaissance” of the travel advisor among the younger generation has contributed to just 22 percent of respondents booking hotel stays and airline tickets directly through their vendor's websites.
Of the groups surveyed, 92 percent plan to spend the same amount or more on their holiday travel this year. Among the top reasons for increased spending include taking a longer trip (46 percent), splurging on higher-rated hotels (43 percent) and upgrading to more comfortable modes of transportation (43 percent).
To maximize on their savings, however, travelers across all age categories are attributing how they book their vacations to increased savings where they are available. Across Gen X (52 percent) and Gen Z groups (36 percent), those surveyed say their booking choice is based on where they will get the best deal. Boomers, who overwhelmingly prefer booking directly on airline and hotel websites (63 percent), attribute their booking methods to increased savings available through loyalty programs.
U.S. travelers are prioritizing booking their main holiday travel over secondary trips like New Year's Eve as an estimated 40 percent reported just traveling for the holidays, while only 17 percent plan to take a trip for New Year's. Family-oriented vacations are a top priority among Boomers (51 percent) and Gen X Americans (30 percent). For Millennials, theme parks are rated among the top choice for holidays this year at 23 percent, while a ski trip is among the top choices for Gen Z at 29 percent. (For Americans surveyed overall, however, snow and ski destinations rank higher at 26 percent compared to a theme park destination at just 21 percent.)
Location, cleanliness and overall hospitality are among the top factors that travelers take into consideration when choosing which hotels to book their stay at. Boomers are primarily drawn to the location of their hotels, as 60 percent stated it was an important factor when booking. Reviews and recommendations from friends and family ranked at 39 percent and 35 percent, respectively, followed by 35 percent attributing their choices to brand loyalty. Hotel amenities are also a deciding factor for travelers, with 41 percent of respondents reporting so. Despite this however, the most crucial factor in deciding on a hotel across all age groups is overall cleanliness.
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