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Radio and Summer Travel Plans

Author: Stephanie Heracleous, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB

It’s no secret that the pandemic affected the travel industry in a major way. Americans had to put their plans of exploration on hold. As travel restrictions continue to ease, folks are eager to plan their next getaway.

Travel planning is underway! Forty-two percent of Americans say they are likely to plan a domestic vacation in the next 12 months, while 12% are likely to plan an international vacation in the same time period, according to MRI-Simmons.

So where to next? According to Expedia’s 2022 GOAT (Greatest of All Trips) travel trend report, Americans are gearing up for tropical, beach destinations (59%). Since the pandemic forced many of us to be home-bound and triggered us to postpone plans, there is a desire to spend on getaways. Forty percent of travelers are willing to splurge for their trips this year. There has been a pent-up demand to escape, with a sense of wanting to feel exhilarated by adventure.

When looking forward to vacations, people are also looking forward to certain feelings and tend to have travel attitudes that affect when and where they will take a journey. According to MRI-Simmons, some travel attitudes that Americans are considering while planning any trip during April-June are:

  • When choosing a hotel, 85% of adults consider safety and hygiene practices, along with other amenities offered.
  • Eighty-three percent do research on a location before they go on vacation.
  • Eight in 10 adults prefer traveling to places they’ve never been.
  • When traveling, 80% like to be spontaneous.
  • Sixty-nine percent of adults travel, and hotel discounts have a strong influence on where they choose to travel and stay.
  • Sixty percent seek adventure and thrills on their vacations.

Radio is a proven way to reach these travel enthusiasts who are currently planning out their voyages. Provoke Insights, a full-service market research and brand strategy firm, conducted a fourth wave of in-house research in March 2022. As part of an exclusive partnership with RAB, Provoke Insights examined at the attitudes and habits of radio listeners across multiple categories, including travel. According to Provoke Insights’ Travel and Radio Report, 39% of radio listeners are planning a domestic trip this year. This is a good opportunity to influence potential travelers and give them travel ideas and inspiration by using the airwaves to entice listeners curious about certain destinations.

Radio listeners are airline loyalists. Provoke Insights uncovered that hotel brands can win radio listeners’ loyalties by building brand intimacy with listeners, using their attitudes as guides. In the last month, 22% of American radio listeners booked a hotel stay, 16% purchased an airline ticket and 2% bought a cruise trip. What resonates with radio listening travelers? They are booking these domestic travel plans and tend to pay more for sustainably sourced items (69%), they are married (61%), have made major home improvements in the last three months (27%) and have bought or leased a car (23%). They are a rich audience travel agencies and tourism boards should try to reach.

Other findings from the same survey include radio’s ability to influence behaviors. Radio listeners acted after hearing radio ads, which is why radio works to increase revenue. Other behaviors triggered by hearing ads include searching online for more information (50%), speaking to others about what they heard on the radio (27%) and purchasing the product (19%). These are all findings that travel agents and tourist bureaus should be aware of.

Traveling truly helps people relax, learn about themselves, learn different cultures and gain new perspectives. It’s an act of connecting to yourself and it provides opportunities to connect with people and places that you normally wouldn’t. Taking advantage of how radio can help drive business for travel agents and bring awareness to new places to see can give listeners an extra push to plan their summer vacations. It’s time to get back out there and explore the world! 

RAB members can view the full report here.

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