Who’s Your Audience? Audience Demographics for the Travel and Hospitality Industry

The travel and hospitality industry is vast; it features families headed to the beach for summer vacation, business travelers on a flight to Europe for a meeting, solo travelers taking a cross-country road trip, and many other groups. The point is: no matter where folks are headed, the travel and hospitality industry has many audience segments for your business to reach. 

While COVID-19 caused significant disruption to travel and travel spending, it’s quickly returning to pre-pandemic levels. According to Statista, total travel spending in the US will reach $1.21 trillion. Much of this is due to revenge travel, which is the idea that people now travel more often (and with a larger budget) after being unable to travel during the pandemic. 

As travelers continue packing their suitcases and planning their itineraries, your travel-related business has a significant opportunity to connect with them and improve their plans with your products and services. Here, we’ll explore the audience demographics for the travel and hospitality industry to help you reach your target audience. 

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Audience Demographics for the Travel and Hospitality Industry 

Demographics for Frequent Travelers in the US  

How Old Are They? 

According to Statista: 

• 33% of all frequent travelers in the US are 30 to 39 years old
• 25% are 18 to 29 years old 
• 21% are 40 to 49 years old
• 22% are 50 to 64 years old

With 30- to 39-year-olds making up one-third of the frequent traveler demographic, it’s critical to understand and implement Millennial marketing best practices. It’s also vital to leave space in your budget to target other generations so you don’t distance yourself from younger or older travelers. 

What Are Their Other Interests? 

Frequent travelers are also interested in the following: 

• Movies, TV shows, and music 
• Food and dining 
• Science and technology
• Health and fitness
• History 

While travel is, of course, the most important interest for your business, you can also include aspects of these other areas within your marketing. For example, if you’re advertising for your travel agency, you might want to showcase restaurants, hiking trails, and museums around a specific area to show customers you understand their wants and needs. 

Where are US Travelers Headed? 

When asked about upcoming travel within the next 12 months, one Statista study found: 

• 57% of travelers were planning a trip to a large city 
• 54% to a small town 
• 40% to a national park 
• 34% to a resort
• 31% to a theme park 
• 17% on a cruise 

Summertime Traveling 

However, these numbers shift depending on the time of year. When it comes to the most popular summer vacation destinations, US travelers are headed to: 

• The beach — 32% 
• The lake — 11% 
• Into nature (camping, national parks, etc.) — 11% 
• A small town — 11% 
• A cruise ship — 10% 
• A big city — 6% 

Spring Break Destinations

And they shift again when we’re talking about spring break. According to Statista, small towns and other rural destinations held the number one spot for preferred spring break destinations. 

The other top destinations included: 

• The beach 
• State, county, regional, or national parks 
• The mountains or mountain resorts
• Cities 
• Theme or amusement parks
• The desert or desert resorts 

Depending on the time of year, it’s critical to tailor your video marketing to where your audience will likely travel. You can learn more about your brand’s specific audience by engaging with them through branded communities, sending out polls or surveys, and connecting on social media. 

Frequent Travelers and Social Media 

What Platforms Do Frequent Travelers Use? 

If you want to reach travelers on social media, there are three key platforms to target. 

1. Reddit

No matter your hobbies or interests, there’s a subreddit for you. With over 1.7 billion visits to the site in May 2022, Reddit is an incredible network to connect with your audience. 

According to Statista, 39% of Reddit users reported interest in travel, making the platform great for reaching your target audience. From a general travel subreddit to a space dedicated to finding the best deals, Reddit has a forum for all travelers! 

2. Instagram

As Instagram focuses more on video content, you can use Reels and other video ads to connect with your target travel audience. 

Since 36% of Instagram users reported being interested in travel, you can use this opportunity to connect with them on the platform. And, since many Instagram users are taking to the platform (instead of Google) for general searches, you can directly answer their questions with your products or services. 

3. Snapchat

In Q3 of 2022, Statista found there were 363 million daily active Snapchat users worldwide. In addition, 36% of those users reported an interest in travel, making the platform a unique and creative way to connect with your audience. 

Frequent Travelers Interact With Brands on Social Media 

Once you find your travel audience on these platforms (and others!), you’re at an advantage to interact with them. Frequent travelers in the US are more likely to engage with brands on social media than the average person who uses the internet. 

Specifically, Statista found: 

• 30% of frequent travelers like company posts, while the average is 24% 
• 27% followed companies on social media, while the average is 20% 
• 19% shared company posts, while the average is 14% 

With a more interactive audience, your brand is at a significantly higher advantage than brands in other industries. With the right social media content, you can create a presence your audience is excited to see, interact with, and share. 

5 Tips For Connecting With a Travel and Leisure Target Audience

Give Travelers Something New To Try

19% of frequent travelers are innovators or early adopters of new products, so give them something new to try! Whether you’re launching a new travel app or designing a new carry-on suitcase, frequent travelers can be an incredible audience to test out your latest innovations. 

Highlight Eco-Friendly Travel Opportunities

According to Statista, 30% of frequent travelers reported that sustainability is important to them while traveling. Additionally, in August 2021, Statista found many travelers would be willing to spend more for eco-friendly accommodations. Specifically, 30% of Gen Z, 29% of Millennials, and 20% of Baby Boomer travelers. 

When it comes to travelers, one of the most discussed topics is how to do it without harming the environment. And, since so many travelers are interested in eco-friendly travel (and many would even spend more to ensure it), it’s essential to highlight how your brand can help them with this. Whether it’s a local initiative your company started or simply sharing eco-friendly travel tips, these strategies can help you connect with your customers on a deeper level and create a lasting relationship. 

Include Business Travelers

While business travel spending dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are eager to get their employees back together through company-wide meetings, conferences, and more. 

Now more than ever, people are taking advantage of traveling for business and adding some leisure time to their schedules. A term has even been coined to discuss the increase of the phenomenon: bleisure. 

Why are people combining business and personal travel? According to Statista: 

• It makes the trip more fun 
• Travelers can bring along their friends and family
• They can go places they wouldn’t typically visit 
• It helps employees conserve vacation time 
• It allows team members to feel more in control of their work-life 

When creating your video marketing strategies, don’t forget about business travelers. By including them (and their reasons for adding leisure time to business trips), they can feel connected with your brand—and more likely to visit your site the next time they’re planning a trip. 

Include Solo Travelers

Business travelers aren’t the only folks who often feel left out of travel marketing. Solo travelers make up a significant portion of the traveling audience and are ready to spend money to get there. 

A 2021 Statista study found most solo travelers from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia spent between $1,000 and $2,000 per week on average (excluding airfare) during their travels. 

Why are people traveling solo? According to Statista: 

• To see the world without waiting for others
• To do what they want when they want
• To feel free and independent
• To meet new people
• For personal growth 
• Because they have different interests from their friends 
• Because their partner does not want to travel as much as they do 

By including solo travelers and their intentions within your next marketing strategy, you’ll be able to connect with people who often feel left out of travel target audiences. 

Continue Marketing to Travelers After Their Trip Has Started

According to Statista, 41% of travelers use smartphones as a guide during their trips. In addition, 31% of frequent travelers also use their smartphones to book spontaneous accommodations, car rentals, and other additional services while they’re already traveling. 

Since travelers stay connected during their trips (and even expect to make an unplanned purchase or two!), ensure your marketing doesn’t stop once they’ve left the house. With digital and social media marketing tools, you can connect with frequent travelers on the go and provide them with exciting additions to their trip. 

What Do Frequent Travelers Want? 

Flexibility

US travelers would be willing to pay more for free cancellation/date change/refund on accommodations. Specifically, Statista found: 

• 49% of Millennials would be willing to pay more
• 39% of Gen Z would be willing to pay more
• 35% of Baby Boomers would be willing to pay more

As travelers adjust to an industry impacted by COVID, they understand flexibility is critical—and they expect brands to continue offering it, even if it means they have to pay a little extra. 

Reassurance Around Health Concerns 

While many restrictions have been lifted, many people are concerned about traveling. According to Statista, frequent travelers said they were: 

• Extremely concerned — 16%  
• Moderately concerned — 21% 
• Slightly concerned — 31% 
• Not at all concerned — 33% 

To combat this, you can use this as an opportunity to showcase how you keep your visitors and employees safe. For example, if you still have heightened cleaning protocols, this might make more cautious travelers feel more comfortable with your offering. 

Deals

Who doesn’t love a good deal? According to Statista, 34% of frequent travelers always look for the cheapest offer. As we mentioned earlier, there’s a whole section on Reddit dedicated to finding great travel deals—and many travelers take their budget seriously. 

When you create your campaigns, ensure your deals and sales are front and center. This will hook your audience and encourage them to learn more about your brand, products, and services. 

Travelers and Digital Marketing 

How Effective is Marketing to Frequent Travelers? 

A May 2022 report from Statista found: 

• 69% of respondents booked a trip after being influenced by marketing of any kind
• 53% were influenced by digital marketing 
• 24% were influenced by digital marketing promoting a deal or offer 
• 23% were influenced by personalized digital marketing

How Do Travelers Feel About Personalized Advertising? 

Most consumers enjoy personalized advertising because it makes them feel like brands understand their wants and needs—and frequent travelers feel the same way. 

According to Statista, 72% of respondents said receiving a relevant or personalized ad would make them more likely to visit the advertised destination. In fact, generic advertising can hurt your brand’s reputation with consumers. The same study found 56% of respondents who received an irrelevant message had a less favorable view of the brand. 

Where To Advertise To Frequent Travelers

According to Statista, frequent travelers remember ads better on certain platforms than on others.

Where are frequent travelers most likely to recall seeing ads? 

• 42% remember social media ads 
• 40% remember ads on video streaming services
• 39% remember ads on search engines 
• 39% remember ads on video portals 
• 36% remember ads on websites and apps of brands 

When it comes to digital marketing for travel industry brands, it’s essential to stay in front of your audience through effective advertising—specifically through engaging video content. From TikTok videos to CTV ads, your brand can create and share unique content with your target travel audience. 

Use Video Marketing To Effectively Connect With Your Travel and Hospitality Audience

Whether you’re a small travel business creating a marketing strategy or an enterprise corporation expanding to new audiences, video marketing can help you effectively reach your target customers. 

But with so many audience segments to reach and platforms to run ads on, creating video content for all of these objectives can be costly and time consuming. 

That’s where we come in! At QuickFrame, we use our end-to-end video creation platform to connect you with the perfect team for your project. Our global network of makers and production teams is ready to help you make the custom video content you need, from Instagram Reels to CTV ads (and beyond). 

Contact us today to learn more!