Summer months, sporting events drive travel search traffic

Travel industry marketers looking to capitalize on periods of high travel search traffic have the best shot during summer months and around large sporting events, according to a report from Bing Network. 

Bing Network's "Summer Travel Insights" found that from the end of May until after July 4 is the peak time period when consumers search for and click on travel content, and through September search volume remains strong.

Major sporting events also bring an increase in travel searches, according to the report. During the two weeks prior to this year's Super Bowl, bookings for air travel to host city Minneapolis were up 27% compared to before that date and after the game. And the 2018 Final Four had an even bigger impact - boosting air bookings to host city San Antonio by 44%.

Looking from 2017 to 2018, there was growth in click traffic across sectors. Activities saw a 25% increase, and cruise click traffic grew by 21%. Lodging came in third (16%), followed by transportation (13%) and air suppliers (6%).

The category of specialty travel - things such as honeymoons and family vacations - had the highest share of its search on mobile (31%) compared to the volume of searches done on desktops and tablets. Second in this ranking was transportation and excursions, with 25% of those searches being done on mobile.

Overall, accommodations lead the list of categories travelers searched for on Bing from March through September 2017, with 37% of the search volume. Tourist attractions and destinations were second at 29%.

Within that category, zoos and aquariums saw the biggest increase compared to that period in 2016 with a 35% increase in clicks. Regional parks and gardens were second at 20%, followed by museums at 18%.

And certain types of travel are also seeing a surge. Bing reports clicks for senior citizen travel jumped 46% year-over-year, and for couples and honeymoons it was up 42%. 

Internationally, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Mexico generated the most searches for travel to destinations in the United States. The majority of searches originating internationally are done for accommodations in the United States, except for French travelers, who primarily searched for travel booking services.