Three out of four travel advisors expect a strong holiday travel season this year, according to a survey conducted by TravelAge West, part of its Need to Know research series. In the survey of nearly 250 advisors, 76% say their holiday travel bookings are the same or more than last year. About half (49%) feel that their bookings meet expectations, with 17% saying it’s more than expected and 35% stating that it is less than expected.
Seventy-six percent of respondents say their bookings are the same or more than last year.
Credit: 2024 TravelAge West
According to respondents, most clients (38%) book holiday travel four to six months out, followed by more than six months (35%) and one to three months (27%).
The biggest challenges advisors face this holiday season include the high cost of airfare (40%) and the clients’ budget constraints (35%). Nearly half (45%) of respondents report that the most typical total budget range clients are allocating for their holiday trips is $5,000 to $10,000. Another 33% put that budget at less than $5,000.
All-inclusives are the top accommodation style for the holidays.
Credit: 2024 TravelAge West“Air prices have definitely been the thorn in our clients’ side for travel any time of year lately,” said Justin Muphy of VIP Travel Experience. “But in planning for holiday travel this year, pricing seems to be exorbitantly higher than previous years, particularly in Premium and Business Class services. As a result, clients are pushing to travel at other times of the year so they can get more bang for their buck on the overall experience.”
Caribbean (31%) and domestic (30%) travel is virtually tied for the most popular destinations for holiday travel, followed by Europe (18%) and Mexico (16%).
The high cost of air travel is affecting travel decisions.
Credit: 2024 TravelAge WestMost respondents (87%) say that price and value are the greatest factors affecting clients’ destination choices this season. This is followed by a fairly even split between unique experiences and activities (47%); accessibility and ease of travel (42%); recommendations from friends/family (42%); and safety and health considerations (40%).
"I have had plenty of clients planning for next year either pivot to a different destination or type of experience because of the costs,” Murphy said. “We have even curated a marketing campaign for ‘destination dupes,’ recommending similar experiences to lesser-known locations instead of the big cities or typical tourist destinations to make the most of our clients’ travel investment.”
When it comes to experiences, most clients are looking for beach vacations (75%), followed by family-friendly trips (68%) and ocean cruises (63%). Advisors are also seeing more multigenerational travel (48%), international trips (42%) and last-minute getaways (42%).
"I found this statistic for beach vacations quite surprising, personally,” Murphy said. “I’ve had a surge this year in cultural destinations that emphasize immersive, active experiences as opposed to more traditional relaxing escapes. On the other hand, I have seen a notable increase in interest for multigenerational travel recently, which is particularly encouraging as it is introducing an enthusiasm for travel to future generations early on.”
All-inclusive resorts are by far the most popular accommodation type this season, with 61% of advisors picking it as their top choice.
Need to Know Survey Series
“Need to Know” is a research series from TravelAge West that tracks the responses of travel advisors as they relate to various travel trends and topics. This survey recorded the responses of 240 advisors across the U.S. See more Need to Know stories here.
