Travel-Planning-Report_September2015_FINAL-8-31-1

Planning Travel

September 2015

Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Travel/Hospitality Vertical Analysis Study Contents 4
 
5
 
Planning Travel Methodology
  8
 
Seasonality
  20
 
September 2015 Decision
 Drivers
  21
 
Opportuni:es
 
Abstract Contact
 Informa:on
 

Traveler needs vary based on the type of trip and the group who is
traveling. It is important to understand the considerations and
decision drivers of various groups of travelers to determine what
messages will resonate.

Aggregating thousands of social media posts from key forums,
blogs, review sites, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Cision
segmented and analyzed the drivers of travel planning decisions,
which revealed several key findings:

§  Travel planning generally follows a seasonal cycle. Upticks in
planning discussion occurred in November and January, with
the majority of posts focused on booking summer travel.
Families began planning trips months in advance to facilitate a
hassle-free trip.

§  Price surfaced as the top driver of travel planning discussion
across audience segments, as business and leisure travelers
alike were cognizant of budget.

§  “Beisure” travel presented an opportunity for corporate
travelers to extend trips for enjoyment. They often redeemed
travel rewards to help further defray costs. Business travelers
and families both discussed rewards more frequently than
other audience segments.

§  Word-of-mouth over-indexed across audience segments, as
travelers indicated that reading online reviews was an integral
part of the trip planning process. Some retirees, business
travelers and families noted that they would not stay or visit a
location that did not have positive word-of-mouth. For
millennials, reviews helped identify must-see locations and
attractions.

2 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Study Methodology

About This Study

This study examines first-person conversation in social media
among travelers planning business or leisure travel and the factors
driving their planning decisions. Custom categories (saved Boolean
searches that can be layered upon foundational searches) were
created to isolate travel planning discussion among specific
audience segmentations that included families, retirees, business
travelers, millennials and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or
questioning (LGBTQ) community.
Discussion drivers that surfaced organically in conversation were
identified and used to quantify the volume of posts that mentioned
the topic within travel planning discussion, rank the importance of
specific drivers in travel planning, and create indices on how
audience segments perform on these discussion drivers relative to
total travel planning discussion.
Cision’s Visible Intelligence platform was leveraged to analyze
social media discussion to yield qualitative and quantitative insights.

Time frame
June 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Language
English
Social media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, forums, microblogs,
bookmarking/ sharing sites, reviews/shopping sites, social
networking sites

3 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Study Methodology

About This Study

Travel planning discussion was segmented by Top Sites for Travel Planning Discussion
audience, season and decision drivers to surface
relevant insights. Site Channel Posts

Social media provides an array of outlets for travelers to Twitter.com Social Network 1,001,900
share their own travel experiences firsthand, read others’
accounts or ask for advice. Overall, Twitter accounted for Facebook.com Social Network 176,002
the largest share of travel planning discussion (59
percent), driven by tweets from business travelers TripAdvisor.com Forum 61,862
preparing for upcoming conferences, shares of articles
with travel planning tips, and leisure travelers providing Instagram.com Social Network 16,689
details or status updates on upcoming trips.
Priceline.com Blog 14,568
To derive meaningful insights from nearly 1.7 million posts
related to travel planning during the analysis period, the Reddit.com Bookmarking/Sharing 13,101
data was segmented by audience, season and decision
drivers. Segments were ranked and indexed relative to DISboards.com Forum 13,090
total travel planning discussion.
FlyerTalk.com Forum 11,526

BabyCenter.com Forum 9,114
n=1.7M

Several audiences were pre-identified as key groups to examine for perceptions and attitudes regarding
travel planning, namely families, retirees, business travelers, millennials and the LGBTQ community.
Audiences were segmented at the post level, using linguistic cues to identify the group. Not all posts

yielded conversation that could be attributed to a particular audience and therefore not all groups equal
100 percent of total posts analyzed.

Business travelers accounted for the largest share of discussion of the audiences analyzed.

Audiences in Travel Planning Discussion

4 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonality

5 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonality

Spring break buzz contributed to peak travel planning conversation in March, but
the majority of travelers were planning for summer travel

200,000 Planning Travel Social Discussion Trend Over Time
150,000
Monthly Average:~129K

100,000

50,000

0 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15
Jun-14

Overall, travel discussion occurred more often than average in November, January and March. Peak
discussion in March was roughly 20 percent higher than the monthly average, boosted by buzz about
spring break. Conversation about upcoming trips to Disney World surfaced in 11 percent of leisure travel

planning discussions in March. The U.S. leisure destinations mentioned most frequently were Alaska;
Charleston, South Carolina; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Canada, England and Ireland were the international

destinations most frequently mentioned.

Travel planning discussion in November often focused on travel related to Thanksgiving and upcoming

holidays, noting trips to visit family as well as taking family vacations. Similarly, the holiday mindset
contributed to January’s elevation in travel planning discussion. January served as a point of

retrospection of the past year’s travel as well as a time to plan for travel in the new year.

Share of Discussion by Season Aside from the month of year when travel planning discussion
Winter, was most likely to occur on social channels, Cision identified
26% the seasons in which travelers most discussed planning.

Travel planning conversations were segmented to determine
whether travelers were most actively discussing “summering”

in a certain location versus making plans for spring break.

Summer, Fall, 7% Overall, 61 percent of travel planning conversation involved
61% Spring,
preparation for summer travel. Discussion elevated in June
6% and July as travelers discussed plans for overnights, weekend

trips or upcoming family vacations. Peak buzz occurred in
April, as travelers discussed ideas for the summer. Some
leisure travelers noted that they had been planning their

summer vacation for months, often because their travel
included small children. Families often wanted to have all of
the details of the trip outlined well in advance to facilitate

smooth travel.

6 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonality

Discussion of winter trips was a distant second, driving more than a quarter of discussion (26 percent).
Families took advantage of children’s winter breaks to take vacation. Destinations varied, including
escapes to locales with warm weather (Hawaii or Florida), family-centric venues (beach or Disney World)
and trips that capitalized on cold-weather activities (skiing in Switzerland). Business travelers sometimes
counted down the days until their own vacations, as crowded airports and winter weather delays wearied
frequent business travelers.

Some audiences over-indexed on conversation about planning travel for a particular season. All audience
groups except families and millennials over-indexed on travel planning discussion for fall, perhaps due to
the back-to-school priorities of these segments.

Overall, conversation about spring trips was driven by leisure travelers, particularly families and
millennials, who capitalized on spring break schedules to plan family vacations or getaways with friends.
This was the only season where families over-indexed.

Retirees over-indexed slightly across all seasons except summer, perhaps a reflection of the decreased
discussion of traveling to avoid inclement weather. Overall, all segments performed in line with or under-
indexed for summer travel planning discussion.

Seasonal Index by Audience

Families Retirees Business Millenials LGBTQ
Travelers
(n=23,723) (n=653) (n=193) (n=79)
(n=23,862)
142
Fall 77 120 147 22 195 High Index
91 Low Index
*Spring 123 96 133 88
153

Summer 103 87 86 98

Winter 86 119 120 118

* All data has been normalized using an index with a set point of

100 to enable easy comparisons of trends. Interpret as: discussion
about planning spring trips was 53 percent higher among family

audiences than in total discussion.

7 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Decision Drivers

8 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Decision Drivers

Price was the top decision driver across audience segments

Purchase Drivers Discussion drivers that surfaced organically in conversation were
identified and used to create categories to segment the data and
Price 26% identify the percentage of total travel discussion for which each
topic accounted.
Amenities 22%
A variety of decision drivers were considered by business and
Service 18% leisure travelers alike as they planned and prepared for travel.
Ultimately, price weighed heaviest on traveler decisions as they
Safety 13% planned their trips. Price was mentioned in a quarter of travel
planning posts. Discussions most often occurred on Facebook
Location 9% and TripAdvisor.com. The number of conversations involving price
rose in August and March.
Rewards 4%
Price-related conversation on Facebook was driven by leisure
Reviews 4% travelers planning for upcoming vacations or sharing itineraries
from recent trips. Many of the authors noted that they were still in
the planning phase and looked to others for input on how to stay
within a budget or suggestions on budget-friendly vacation ideas,
particularly during peak times. Facebook also served as a venue
to post positive and negative experiences at a specific location or
with a mode of transportation.

Travelers often weighed cost against convenience factors, such
as flight times, airport locations and total travel time. Moreover,
families who had to buy multiple airline tickets sometimes
considered other travel arrangements (like driving) as opposed to
spending a large portion of their budget on airfare.

Ranked Highest to Price Total Ranking (by Volume) Top Rank
Lowest Based to Total Amenities 1 Families Retirees Business Millenials LGBTQ Low Rank
Service 2
3 11111
Safety 4 22223
Location 5 43344
Rewards 6 34432
Reviews 7 55555
66767
77676

9 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Price weighed heaviest on travelers’ decisions

Price discussion on Travelocity included conversations from both “I love flying SW from MKE
leisure and business travelers. Forum threads typically focused on (Milwaukee) to LAS (Las
the location and type of travel, providing feedback or suggestions on
where to stay based on budget or the type of travel, such as “Avoid Vegas). Done it many times
this hotel for any kind of business travel” or “Best Deal on the
Coast.” over the last few years.
Planning a trip with my
Brand loyalty was another factor considered by both business and
leisure travelers, who weighed positive experiences with a particular spouse in May, but your
brand against lower prices offered by another. prices are higher than
normal at this time. I can
Travelers also considered the cost of convenience as they made
travel arrangements. For planners, the impact of flight times, fly out of O'Hare on AA for
destinations that an airline serviced and availability of direct flights $150 less total, which
all factored into the price of airfare.
includes 1 checked bag for
Of note, a number of travel agents and agencies used Facebook to each of us. I hate to have to
offer insights on how to plan the best vacation and stay within
budget. They emphasized that using an agent or agency didn’t change airlines. Time is
include additional fees and that they could save travelers money.
running out…” –
Ultimately, positive price discussion was driven by travelers noting Facebook.com - Feb. 27,
that they had acquired what they perceived to be a great deal on
airfare or accommodations relative to competitive rates or that they 2015
enjoyed a great trip and stayed within budget. This included
mentions of securing great deals on accommodations for trips to
Disney World, Hawaii, Alaska and Europe.

10 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Discussion of amenities focused on lodging or hotel
accommodations more often than airline offerings

The availability of pools at a resort or hotel surfaced in 5 percent of total
conversation, as authors noted that they planned to incorporate swimming as
part of their stay. The number was slightly higher among leisure travelers (9
percent). Some travelers had questions or concerns about the spaciousness
of the pool area and whether it would be overly crowded. Travelers also
discussed the pool accommodations in detail, such as whether the pool was
indoor or outdoors, the style of pool (e.g. infinity or lagoon style) and whether
the pool area catered to families or adults (water slide available or proximity to
a bar area). Families and LGBTQ audiences indexed highest of the audiences
analyzed on this amenity.

Of the amenities analyzed, families indexed highest on kids club discussion, which occurred more than
three times as often as in overall conversation. Many parents listed childcare as a feature that contributed
to their decision to stay at a location. Disney accommodations frequently generated praise from travelers,
who highlighted the numerous activities for children, childcare options and activities for children
accompanied by a guardian.

Retirees over-indexed on in-room dining, as well as on on-demand television programming. While many
retirees talked about going out to dinner and trying new things, some appreciated the convenience of not
having to leave their hotel room after a busy day.

Business travelers were most concerned with amenities like Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as in-flight
entertainment. These amenities were things that enabled them to get work done in transit or pass time
during a long flight. Business travelers also discussed fitness centers, placing an emphasis on
maintaining fitness routines while traveling and noted when hotels had “scaled down” facilities or offered
a variety of cardio and weight training equipment. Similarly, millennials were nearly twice as likely to
discuss fitness centers.

For LGBTQ High Index
travelers, amenities Low Index
related to
convenience
prompted higher
levels of discussion
than the norm.
Hotel shuttles and
complimentary
coffee, drinks or
breakfast all over-
indexed for the
group.

* All data has been normalized using an index with a set point of 100 to enable easy

comparisons of trends. Interpret as: discussion about pools was 134 percent higher among the
family audience than seen in the average audience.

11 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Air travel surfaced more often in negative service discussion
than in positive discussion

18 percent of travel discussion focused on service. “…The hotel and staff have
exceeded my
Overall, service discussion was largely focused on the hotel
experience (as opposed to travel/airlines). Authors noted when expectations...I would
front desk staff were courteous and helpful. None of the audience recommend this hotel
segments analyzed over-indexed on this driver. again and again. Everyone
from the ladies at the front
Service discussion skewed positive overall, driven by accounts of desk which are ultimately,
quick check-in, courteous staff, clean rooms, comfortable beds The Directors of First
and complimentary breakfast.
Impressions to the
For some leisure travelers, a concierge heightened the sweetheart that everyone
experience as the suggested sites or restaurants provided calls, Mama that I would
memorable experiences or eased some of the responsibilities of encounter every morning
planning the travel itinerary. for breakfast…There is a
coffee bar in the lobby that
Business travelers were quick to point out when a coffee station someone takes the time to
or café opened before early-morning meetings or flights. make sure is replenished
and neat. I am a VP of Hotel
Negative conversation focused on the travel experience.
Travelers cited flight delays, airport frustration or unhelpful Sales and Acquisitions
agents. Frustrations surfaced at similar levels across major therefore I notice
carriers.
everything! Not one single
Unfavorable comments about hotel stays also surfaced but at complaint! Great job hotel
lower levels than air travel mentions. Negative hotel experiences staff and owners. I will visit
included delayed check-ins or long wait times on requests for again when I return back to
rollaway beds, extra pillows, etc.
Charleston…”
Service discussion among millennials highlighted inconsistencies TripAdvisor.com - May 17,
in airlines. They noted that flight attendant demeanor or aircraft
quality could vary greatly from one flight to the next, even within 2015
the same airline.
Nearly

1 in 10

positive service
posts referenced
hotel concierge

services

12 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Authors shared articles on how to maintain personal safety
while traveling or discussed unsafe travel destinations

Twitter accounted for the largest share of conversation about safety. Retweets of an article from Picfuno
that showed some of the most dangerous cities in the world were actually popular vacation destinations
drove discussion, as well as industry tips on how to travel safely.

Much of this content was driven
by information sharing, which
included links to articles that
provided tips for traveling safely.
Other shared articles highlighted
locations perceived as unsafe,
including cities in Central or South
America (Acapulco, Mexico or Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil) and within the
U.S. (New Orleans and Detroit).
Of note, The American Express
Global Business Travel Report
2014 cited some of these
locations as the top travel
destinations among business
travelers.

Top TripAdvisor threads echoed Source: American Express Global Business Travel Report 2014
Twitter concerns, showcasing
hotels located in safe areas in

cities perceived as unsafe.

Health safety also surfaced with some discussion about bed bugs and recommendations for purchasing
traveler’s insurance.

Retirees expressed concern about travel safety whether traveling alone or as a couple. Destinations
discussed varied from major cities in Europe like London, Edinburgh and Rome to more exotic locations

like San Juan and Australia to general regions of the U.S. (Southwest). Concerns included worries of
plane crashes, incurring an illness and being assaulted. These concerns were often prompted by the

news or experiences of retired friends.

While safety generally ranked in the midrange of drivers across audiences, the topic surfaced
higher within conversation among the LGBTQ community.

Safety, avoiding discrimination and finding fellowship were common motivators for seeking out LGBTQ-
friendly travel destinations. LGBTQ travelers were interested in remaining “out” while they traveled, so

countries with laws protecting the LGTBQ community were seen as safer travel destinations than
countries with governments that did not. Posts occasionally referenced information from the Gay
European Tourism Association (GETA), which advised, “It is for individual LGBT travelers to decide what

countries they wish to visit but as a rule, the further east you travel in Europe, the more careful you need
to be about public displays of your sexuality.”

13 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Millennials viewed travel as a way to demonstrate their
independence, but safety concerns surfaced

Millennials frequently described independent travel as a rite Travel Planning Discussion
of passage or a way to assert their adult independence. Among Millennials

The destinations millennials discussed varied greatly, ranging 82%
from touring a region of the world (“backpacking Europe”) to more
refined mentions of one country in particular (“visit Argentina”) to 18%
an extensive tour of a specific city like Tokyo.
n=1,253
A number of millennials expressed a preference for traveling
alone, noting they did not need to rely on others to have fun or 18%
enjoy their travel experience.
of millennials
However, some millennials had concerns about safety as they
traveled solo. They expressed nervousness about wanting to discussed
make friends and connect with other travelers because these planning solo
encounters could potentially lead to robbery or assault. Other
factors that contributed to apprehension were traveling to a travel
country where they did not speak the language and concerns
about staying in hostels without a private room.

Technology helped quell some apprehension among millennials,
who indicated that they would text or email with friends and family
periodically to confirm their safety and provide status updates on
their current location and lodging.

Discussion of safety among business travelers surfaced
reminders about being wary of hotel location. Given that many
business travelers often travel alone, safety is a concern if
walking to restaurants in the evening or enjoying a run or walk
early in the morning.

“Trying my hand at traveling abroad alone was really
important to me, I’ll share more about that another time,
but even when I wasn’t alone there were some things I
felt were really important for me to try on this trip. Some

were specifically meant to challenge me. Not because
anyone put me up to it or ever doubted me or but simply

because I wanted to challenge myself.”

– JaneOnChange.Blogspot.com – Dec. 26, 2014

14 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Convenience was a key decision driver when choosing hotels

When it came to location, the discussion that surfaced on travel review sites like TripAdvisor and other
travel sites like Priceline, Expedia, DisBoards and Orbitz often included travelers sharing firsthand
experiences at particular hotels. Authors often outlined the pros and cons of the establishment and how

they would impact leisure or business travelers. Authors shared whether a specific hotel was near
downtown areas, local attractions or in proximity to large conference centers.

Many posts included whether lodging was within “walking distance”
to attractions or downtown areas, as well as the proximity to
restaurants. There were passing mentions of how easy or difficult it

was to find parking.

Business travelers were focused on the hotel’s proximity to the “The hotel is around 20 minutes from
airport, meetings or conferences. The overall goal of planning was airport, good if you are on a business
to create an itinerary that made things as convenient as possible
and eliminate extraneous expenses (renting a car, cab fares to trip and plan to move around the
restaurants or meetings). same part of…Recommended only

Positive features included proximity to the airport (enabling the for business travellers, leisure
business traveler to take a cab to the hotel as opposed to renting a travellers please explore other hotels
car), highway, restaurants (either within the hotel or walking
distance) or scenic location (by a river or other natural/picturesque to get some local flavor …Nothing
feature). special about it except its location in

the business district.” -
TripAdvisor.com - Feb. 3, 2015

Proximity to planned destinations was a top discussion driver among families, as well. Families were less
concerned with travel time to airports, instead focusing on identifying hotels within walking distance of
museums, parks, beaches or other predetermined destinations on their vacation itinerary. Some families

preferred to be further removed from downtown areas or areas with a busy night life, but valued the
hotel’s proximity to family-friendly restaurants and small shops.

“…has tailored family excursions that Frustrations surfaced in unfavorable reviews from travelers who
will not require a lot of travel thanks to booked lodging at locations that identified themselves as near main
the central location of the hotel. From tourist attractions but were not actually within walking distance to the
site or were a farther drive from attractions than described by the
a nearby park complete with hotel website.
sandboxes, swings and an indoor ice
skating rink to IMAX theaters keeping Conversely, some travelers were most concerned about the
authenticity of the location. These travelers wanted to ensure that
the kids busy and happy is a the sites and restaurants they visited were not touristy, preferring
breeze…” –HaveSippyWillTravel.com venues that provided a realistic feel for the local culture.

– June 19, 2014

15 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rewards discussion accounted for just 4 percent of travel
planning buzz

Rewards discussion was not a Families Retirees Business Millenials LGBTQ
leading driver of travel planning
decisions. However, the topic was Price 92 96 31 51 101 High Index

high priority for all audiences, over- Highest to L o west Amenities 51 49 17 23 69
indexing across all segments Based to Total
Service 168 228 109 172 191

Safety 28 38 15 28 101

examined. LGBTQ travelers Location 49 93 21 48 70

indexed six times as high as total Rewards 413 484 113 282 712

travelers on this decision driver, Reviews 450 553 177 219 620 Low Index
and families and retirees indexed
* All data has been normalized using an index with a set point of 100 to enable easy comparisons of
three times higher.
trends. Interpret as: service discussion was 68 percent more likely to be seen among families than the
norm.

For LGBTQ travelers and retirees, rewards conversation focused on redeeming rewards previously

accrued. LGBTQ travelers talked about using rewards from prior travel as they considered prospective

travel plans and asked for recommendations on gay-friendly resorts and lodging. Retirees focused on

how mile rewards could defray the cost of a trip or how they impacted when and what flights they could

take. Millennials often evaluated rewards programs, asking for opinions or assessing which programs

would provide the greatest return on investment.

Planning Business Travel: Business travelers chose specific brands for air travel and hotel
Airline Share of Voice: stays based on rewards programs, working to earn “status” to
achieve air travel benefits like priority screening, upgrades and
3% 1% 1%
miles, and hotel benefits like free nights or upgrades. The brands
were selected by business travelers either due to convenience of

hub locations or rewards programs.

6% 22% Rewards program posts often included discussion about changes to
7% 22% programs, contributing to buzz for both United and Delta airlines.
8% Both rewards programs announced changes that would reward

15% passengers based on how much they spent on travel as opposed to
how many miles they traveled. This change was generally not well
received, as travel bloggers pointed out that it makes it harder to

earn miles and devalues the program.

n=11,137

15% Conversations also compared and contrasted rewards benefits,
such as which program offered a better conversion rate of miles to
points or perks like airport lounges.

Southwest United Airlines Business travelers also based flight decisions on partner rewards
American Airlines Delta n= credit cards like the American Express SkyMiles Card or Citi
Jetblue US Airways Platinum/AAdvantage Card. They also compared the affiliated
Alaska Airlines Frontier
Spirit Airlines Virgin America airlines and associated travel perks relative to their travel schedules.
Hawaiian Airlines

Share of Voice: Percentage of overall coverage or Families’ discussions of rewards points emphasized the value of
conversation related to brand/product/topic.

“United has so far been coy about how the defraying the cost of a vacation, whether they be redeemed for
MileagePlus program will adjust on the
nights at a hotel or converted towards airfare. Moreover, families
redemption side, but if the recent changes to with young children benefited from additional perks that make the
Delta’s Skymiles program are any indicator, it experience of navigating through an airport more manageable,

won’t be to the advantage of most frequent including free bags (child equipment) and priority seating.

flyers…” - TravelAndLeisure.com – June 20,
2014

16 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Beisure” trips piggybacked leisure travel onto a business trip

“I've got a business trip Some business travelers accrued points with airlines and hotels for
coming up that's taking me to the singular purpose of taking family or significant others on
vacation, leveraging the rewards program to help defray the cost of
Karlsruhe, Germany next family vacations.
month and my husband is
going to join me so we can Some business travelers added on days at the beginning or end of
take a week's vacation in corporate travel as a way to keep costs down and provide couple/
Bavaria together after my family time. Some referred to these as “beisure” trips. These
work is done. I would really travelers capitalized on the opportunity that the employer would
appreciate any help and already pay for airfare, which would help reduce the overall costs of
suggestions planning our trip a vacation. Moreover, many travelers redeemed points from hotel
loyalty programs to extend the duration of their stay and incur no
on such short notice.” additional lodging cost.

– TripAdvisor.com – Feb. 25, Business travelers planned to redeem travel rewards during off-peak
2014 seasons where they would get the most value out of their rewards.

“Consider bringing a friend or
family member with you on a
business trip to make it more
enjoyable. Pay for their ticket
using miles, or if you have the
Southwest Companion Pass
transfer the pass (if needed)
to their name so they can fly
for free. (You can transfer the
Companion Pass to another
individual up to four times a
year.) It may make sense to
add some vacation days to
the end of your business trip
and have your friend or family
member join you during those

days.”

– BoardingArea.com – Nov. 6,
2014

17 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reviews discussion over-indexed across audiences

While reviews accounted for just 4 percent of travel planning Resources Used To Plan Leisure
discussion on social channels, a recent study by The State Travel
of The American Traveler revealed that roughly one quarter

of travelers had used reviews in the past year to help plan
leisure travel. This shows that while travelers may not be

posting on social channels about turning to review sites,
they are leveraging the resource in the planning process.

Word-of-mouth was a critical piece of information across
audience segments. For LGBTQ audiences, reviews on

sites like Gay Travel Information contributed to discussion.
There, travelers shared experiences about their stays at
specific locations and highlighted hotels that offered

packages around gay pride weekend festivities.

Retirees and millennials talked about reading reviews online Source: The State of the American Traveler
and indicated that word-of-mouth swayed their decisions as Travel Report- Winter 2015

they made travel plans. Retirees focused on hotel
accommodation, and advised others to read reviews to
avoid “lumpy beds.” Millennials were more focused on

reviews of locations and attractions to help determine the
“must-see” sites as they traveled.

Business travelers posted about reading reviews on “…Most of us who book
websites like TripAdvisor and used them as a way to accommodation online want to
research and plan hassle-free travel. Reading online ratings know what others who have stayed
and reviews was described as part of the due diligence that
there think of the property. I, for
both business travelers and families consistently performed one, ALWAYS read reviews before
as part of their planning travel process.
booking a hotel…” –
WildJunket.com – Jan. 29, 2015

Of note, an article on FlyerTalk pointed out inconsistencies on popular review sites like TripAdvisor due to
diverse audiences contributing reviews. The thread noted that a business traveler may have different
expectations and ultimately review a hotel less favorably than a college student. Ultimately, the forum

underscored the importance of describing the travel experience in as much detail as possible to give the
reader a more balanced view to form their own opinion.

“I've never had a bad experience using hostels mentioned on WikiTravel. People
will quickly edit out any spammy entries. TripAdvisor seems more hit and miss

since such a range of people use it. A business traveller might give a place 2

stars that a backpacker would give 4 stars.” – FlyerTalk – Sep. 20, 2014

18 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Opportunities

19 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.

Opportunities Opportunities
Key Findings
Are there ways to link travel costs to
While price was top of mind across desired amenities when targeting
audience segments as they planned specific audiences? Perhaps

travel, we found that different identifying the value of these unique
amenities appealed to certain experiences could help travelers
demographics and audiences. justify the expense.

Business travelers and families Are there ways in which business
actively discussed rewards as a travelers could split payment over
way to help defray leisure travel business expenses and rewards
costs, with business travelers often points? Perhaps businesses could
piggy-backing corporate travel with allow for multiple payment types
a family vacation to help defray
including partial payment with
costs. points for business travelers looking
Convenience and cost often went
hand in hand since both business to extend their stays for leisure.
Partnering with local transportation
and leisure travelers try to limit providers or ride sharing companies
costly expenses such as rental could help travelers struggling with
a set budget. The walkability of local
cars. attractions and conference centers

Reviews were not a top driver of should also be provided and
travel planning discussion overall, accurately reflect walking times and

but they were an essential conditions.
component of the process across Including verbatim comments from
happy patrons on brand websites
audiences analyzed.
Travel planning generally and marketing materials will be
impactful among these audiences.
follows a seasonal
cycle. Upticks in planning Brands should consider ways to
actively respond to negative
discussion occurred in
November and January. The reviews on review sites to ensure
majority of those posts focused that travelers are not provided a
on booking summer travel.
Families began the planning poor impression.
process months in advance to
facilitate a hassle-free trip. Winter months are an opportune
20 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved. time to create relevant and easily
sharable content as families are
planning summer travel immediately

before and after the holidays.

Contact Us

Reach, React and Respond at the Speed of Travel

See how Cision Global Insights can help you uncover key purchase criteria, understand
travel preferences and improve customer experiences.

Click here to schedule a consultation now!

Best Content Analytics Solution

About Cision

Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today’s
communication, social media and content marketing professionals. Offering the industry’s most
comprehensive PR and social software, rich analytics and a Global Insights team, Cision
enables clients to improve their marketing and strengthen data-driven decision making.
Cision’s Visible Intelligence™ software platform ensures maximum ROI on social media
investments for agencies, Global 2000 and government customers. We deliver highly skilled
enterprise strategy, professional service, account management and customer support to
ensure rapid and sustained customer success.
Cision also represents the Gorkana Group, PRWeb, Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact
brands. Headquartered in Chicago, Cision has over 100,000 customers worldwide and
maintains offices in Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and China.

21 Copyright ©2015 Cision, Inc. All rights reserved.