With summer in full swing and the recent launch of MMGY Global’s 2018–2019 Portrait of American Travelers® study, the company has been busy sharing our perspective on the travel industry’s latest trends and insights. We’ve lined up several interviews and secured high-profile placements quoting our executive team members in publications like the Associated Press, Bloomberg.com, Skift, TravelPulse, Travel Weekly, Boston.com, Forbes.com, NewsDay.com and more.
New insights and highlights include:
Travelers Want Meaningful Vacations, Not More of Them
MMGY Global’s 2018–2019 Portrait of American Travelers® research reveals travelers could take up to 6 million fewer vacations in 2018 than 2017 while spending the same amount. Although people are traveling less, travel spending will hold steady into 2019. This indicates that travelers will actively invest more money and planning in each vacation, thus valuing each trip more this year than in the past. Read more on Destinations International’s website in the story “MMGY Global predicts flat travel spending but longer trips,” or in Insider Travel Report’s online article “MMGY Global Survey Shows Slight Slowdown in Travel for 2018.”
What You Don’t Expect from Sharing Economy Travelers
Despite popular belief, 41 percent of home sharing and 47 percent of ridesharing travelers are not Millennials, according to the 2018–2019 Portrait of American Travelers® study. The median age is 40 years old for home sharing travelers and 41 years old for ridesharing travelers. There may be concerns in ridesharing quality and experience, as only 69 percent of current ridesharing travelers say they’re likely to use ridesharing again on vacation during the next 12 months (last year it was 88 percent, and in 2016 it was 94 percent). Read more in Travel Market Report’s “Shared Economy Services May Be Losing Their Popularity” or “Travelers losing interest in home-sharing” on Hotel Marketing online.
NJF in the News
We are thrilled to share insights from NJF’s very own Nancy Friedman and Julie Freeman in a story bylined by the two titled “A Shift in Storytelling” on O’Dwyer’s website last month. The piece highlights a great mix of agency work, including client successes such as the Los Cabos team’s placement in Bon Appetit, South Dakota’s Nylon feature and El Dorado’s article in The New York Times.