Uncovering opportunities for local travel businesses 

Editor’s note: Nikhil Jain is director of insights and data solutions at Dailymotion, a Paris-based news and media website. 

The year is 2023 and domestic travel is thriving, with spend up 4% higher than it was in 2019. To take advantage of this growth in travel, advertisers and marketers working alongside tourism boards and travel brands need to understand the preferences of the post-pandemic traveler to create a successful advertising strategy. 

Americans shift to local travel 

In the last 12 months, travelers experienced lost baggage nightmares and delayed and cancelled flights, which might be why our research found that nearly half of Americans are willing to travel two+ hours for a vacation rather than fly. The growth in adoption of electronic vehicles may also be influencing travel preferences and helping to cut travel costs. Not to mention one in five families in the U.S. adopted a dog during the pandemic, meaning they are coming for the ride too. A combination of these factors is opening a vast amount of opportunities for local travel businesses.

Through our research, we identified U.S. local travel trends and grouped travelers into five personas based on their considerations for travel – as well as preferred online content. Marketers and advertisers in the travel industry can use this information to target their audiences more precisely through the content they’re most likely to watch.  

Let’s break down the five U.S. travel personas: 

  • The “rejuvenator” goes on vacation to indulge in pure relaxation, and they look for the best returns on their travel investments. Their preferred content includes television, music, dance, animated movies, video gaming and weight loss.
  • The “seaside sojourners” go on vacations to relax with family, and they look for cost-effective and hassle-free holidays. Their preferred content includes television, video gaming, rock music, food, geography and sports.
  • The “luxury adrenaline seekers” enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking or surfing, but also want to experience comfort and luxury, like you would at an all-inclusive resort. Their preferred content includes music, amusement and theme parks, parks and nature, travel, real estate and insurance.
  • The “family explorers” like to spend time with family, try local cuisines and prioritize places that enable them to spend quality time together. Their preferred content includes food and drink, sports, reality TV, theatre, travel, concert and music events.
  • The “culturally connected” consider vacations as a time to enjoy good weather and relax while learning about new cultures. Their preferred content includes comedy tv, world music, geography, documentary movies, politics, zoos and aquariums.

With 78% of Americans planning to travel locally in the next 12 months, the time is now for tourism and travel boards alike to revamp their advertising strategies. Providing ads that are tailed to the location, weather and activity preferences of these groups can help capture the attention of consumers. For example, if a travel brand wants to target those who are interested in outdoor activities, they can look to “luxury adrenaline seekers” to reach them by advertising alongside content that is focused on travel, insurance, real estate and amusement parks. 

amusement parks American travel

Within these five personas, only 25% of people are interested in experiencing the local cuisine and nightlife – which could support the downward trend of drinking habits with younger generations. And despite the success of Instagram and TikTok’s travel influencers, only 6% of participants cite “popularity of the destination” as a driver to travel to a destination. In this case, the younger generations will require special attention and tailored strategies over time given their unique preferences and attitudes. The major attitudes and perceptions toward travel were found to be relaxation and spending time outdoors while disconnecting from their routines, and other niches focus on luxury, family and adventures as primary audience identifiers and travel motivations. 

Are Americans saying goodbye to “workcations?” 

Those who took advantage of remote work during the pandemic are now looking to disconnect, with only 9% selecting destinations based on ability to work remotely, and 43% looking to indulge in pure relaxation during their time off. The trend of “workcations” is becoming a thing of the past, and travelers are looking for places to unplug and for more activities they can engage in at their locations. 

After a few years of travel coming nearly to a stop, people are ready to get out and go. And through contextual targeting brands have a strong opportunity to meet travel customers where they are.