MMGY Global released its 2015 “Portrait of American Travelers” survey revealing several shifts in the travel habits of Americans.
According to the study of 2,832 U.S. adults, travelers are migrating from OTAs and heading directly to travel brand sites for research and to book travel at a substantially higher rate than in previous years. Only 58% of travelers obtained travel information from an OTA during the past year, down significantly from the 84% who did so in 2014.
Millennials are increasingly interested in “staycationing,” with 55% taking a vacation close to home opposed to traveling a greater distance during the past year. This figure is up 14% from 2014 and 23% from 2013.
Affluent travelers — those with an annual household income over US$150,000 — are increasingly turning to travel review sites for advice and recommendations about travel.
Shared travel services are gaining popularity with all generational groups. According to the survey, 74% of Baby Boomers and 72% of GenXers now use shared services and would be interested in doing so again, just slightly less than the 80% of Millennials.
“We were surprised to find such significant shifts in travel preferences in just one year,” said Steve Cohen, vice president of insights for MMGY Global. “In addition, the survey revealed several unexpected trends across generational groups. Clearly the industry is in a state of flux, as the way people view and make decisions regarding travel is evolving at a much faster pace than in previous years.”