Consumer interest in travel high, but booking frustrations linger

Consumers are prioritizing travel over other types of discretionary spending, but the process of shopping for travel is still frustrating for many.

That is one of the results of a new survey commissioned by Travelport and conducted by Toluna Research of more than 2,000 people from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. 

Respondents indicate a willingness to give up spending on other types of products and experiences in order to travel. Seventy-one percent of respondents would forgo concerts, 64% would stop buying new clothes, 53% would give up playing sports and 36% would stop dining at restaurants in order to have more money to travel.

“While the last two-plus years have been a significant challenge, the global travel industry recovered more than 50% of its gross activity by the end of 2021,” says Jen Catto, Travelport CMO.

“Should this trend continue along the same trajectory, it could reach 85% recovery by the end of this year. The pent-up desire to travel is strong. Our latest survey findings clearly demonstrate this, highlighting how many indulgences people are willing to sacrifice in order to travel again.”

Travel ranks as the most enjoyable activity in the survey – but comes in fourth based on how much respondents enjoy the process of researching and booking a trip, behind the experiences of shopping for clothing, restaurants and electronics. 

For respondents from the United States, 43% said they do not finding booking travel enjoyable.

Travelport says the survey results show that the industry is seen as lagging compared to others that have innovated and simplified their customer experience.

“With demand for travel rebounding at its strongest pace since the pandemic began, it’s imperative the industry listens to its customers,” Catto says.

“Now is the time for us to fix travel retail, putting consumer convenience, digital experience, and breadth of choice above all. By restoring clarity, confidence, and fun to travel shopping, we can grow trust, generate repeat business and inspire true loyalty – the benchmark of successful modern retailing.”