trivago Data Reveals Americans’ Appetite for Travel Strongly Correlated with COVID-19 Case Numbers - Seite 3

The Dominican Republic Puerto Rico and Cuba gained significantly in preference. While those countries accounted for approximaely7% of all search queries between January and July 2019, they made up 13% of all searches between April and the first week of July 2020. The data indicates a desire to travel to destinations with high proximity to the continental United States. Compared to last year, the total distance traveled decreased by 37%, indicating a bigger shift toward domestic travel.

Preference for longer trips
Interestingly, trips of 7-plus days took longer to be affected and were less severely impacted overall than shorter trips. However, data shows that trips of more than 14 days did not recover as quickly as shorter trips. By mid-June, planning for longer trips returned to 39% of January volume, but has since dipped to 32% of the January level. Search volume for trips up to six days decreased by 90% compared to the beginning of the year. In the first week of July 2020, searches for shorter trips (1-6 days) were back at 37% of the January level.

“Given the shift to traveling more by car, longer trips are more desirable for obvious reasons,” said Hefer. “We expect that this will continue; longer trips where travelers can spend more time to experience their holiday but stay closer to home.” 

Changing customer expectations will drive change for the industry
According to McKinsey consultant Wittkamp, the travel industry – including tourism associations, event organizers, hotels and tourist attractions -- faces completely new challenges: “They need to ensure that demand and expectations for a destination match the realities and opportunities available. If this is not the case, measures need to be taken to ensure travelers still enjoy a good experience. Hotels, for example, need to know when capacities can be ramped up or need to be scaled down.”

Hefer adds: “Tourism agencies need to weigh the risks of opening attractions against the danger of a new COVID-19 outbreak. Questions and answers are changing daily, requiring greater flexibility.”

About trivago
trivago is a leading global hotel search platform focused on reshaping the way travelers search for and compare hotels and alternative accommodations. Incorporated in 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the platform allows travelers to make informed decisions by personalizing their hotel search and providing them access to a deep supply of hotel information and prices. trivago enables its advertisers to grow their businesses by providing access to a broad audience of travelers via its websites and apps. As of March 31, 2020, trivago has established 54 localized platforms connected to over 4.5 million hotels and alternative accommodations, in over 190 countries.

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