Travel and Tourism: Trends and insights roundup for 2022 — Part 1

Based on research YouGov conducted over the course of 2022, we have identified several key trends and insights behind traveler sentiment.

Here’s what we uncovered about the travel and tourism industry this year:

1. Recapping and forecasting travel intention

After a year of stop-and-go travel due to borders reopening and closing again in 2021, travelers were ready to explore far-flung destinations again in 2022.

As a global data company, YouGov is in a unique position to provide the travel industry with comprehensive and up-to-the-minute market insights from 26 markets around the world. We’ve been tracking travel sentiment since the start of the pandemic and at the start of this year, 60% of global consumers said they were planning a leisure trip this year.

Roughly three in 10 (29%) consumers said they would take three or more trips this year, according to data from YouGov Global Travel Profiles.

We also polled over 13.000 consumers in eight key markets about the types of travel experiences they would prioritize in the lead up to spring and summer travel in order to help travel companies and destinations keep up with travelers this year.

Three main themes emerged from the survey: escapism, wellness tourism and aspirational travel. Many consumers wanted a break from their usual routine, while others sought to relax and rejuvenate, and others still wanted to cross things off their bucket lists. Read more about the key motivators spurring travel in 2022.

With the new year fast approaching, YouGov looked ahead to see how the global appetite for leisure travel is shaping up to be for 2023. A YouGov survey of more than 26,000 global consumers indicates that tourism’s outlook appears to be strong as we approach the new year: more than three in five (63%) consumers globally plan to take a leisure trip in the next 12 months.

For a fuller picture of travel sentiment this year, explore our other notable insights:

• The most popular types of holidays and vacations among travelers in 2022
• A mid-year update on global travel intent
• The opportunity for travel destinations in the metaverse

2. Gen Z: Youth of today, travelers of tomorrow

After being locked down for two years and denied a chance to gain real-world experiences, Gen Z was one of the most eager cohorts to resume travel again.

The youngest segment of adults is poised to shape the travel industry in coming years and holds the key to unlocking new opportunities for travel marketers and brands. Our annual travel report this year was focused on some big questions around Gen Z, including:

• Who are they? What’s important to them and how do they spend their time?
• What are their expectations for travel? How do their travel perspectives differ from other age groups?
• How can brands connect with them in meaningful ways?

In the report, we examined which types of vacations are preferred by Gen Z travelers in the US and UK. We also identified cost to be an important factor to this group of young travelers and home in on the types of accommodations they tend to book when they travel.

Download YouGov’s travel & tourism report 2022: Youth of today, travel of tomorrow for free here.

3. Rising cost-of-living and travel prices

The travel industry’s rebound reached its peak this year, based on consumers’ trip intentions, but another global phenomenon started to impact leisure travelers’ behaviors and priorities. A longitudinal study from Global Travel Profiles reveals that in 2022, consumers’ main barrier to travel shifted from COVID-19 health concerns to cost hikes.

Reach out to see how travel barriers have changed since the pandemic.

The setback for travel was immediate, at least in terms of how consumers would reprioritize their spending. YouGov asked consumers across 18 markets in which areas they would first make cutbacks if their household budget was squeezed by the increase in cost-of-living.

Roughly half (49%) of global consumers said they would cut back on travel first, a spending category second only to eating out (60%). They were more likely to limit spending on travel than they were to say the same about clothing (46%), takeaway (43%) and technology purchases (39%).

Read more about the spending cutbacks consumers would prioritize amid rising inflaiton.

We also polled consumers on the factors that influence their choice of destination and unsurprisingly, the cost of a trip was a significant factor this year, behind only the climate/natural beauty of a destination and value for money.

Get market-by-market insights on how cost factors into people’s choice of holiday destinations.

There’s even more topics from the Travel and Tourism industry that we covered this year. Continue reading part 2 of YouGov's travel roundup series here.

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