Post-Covid has given way to a wave of revenge travel, as people sought to make out for missed holiday time during the pandemic. However, as the trend is coming to an end, financial pressures are starting to hinder travel plans, or so it seems.
A recent study conducted by Airports Council International (ACI) has come to the same conclusion as other similar studies on travel sentiment: people say they are worried about economics and perceive a strong impact on their travel habits, however, when analysing the actual travel trends, , little evidence is found on the impact of the economy on actual travel behaviours.
For the fourth year, ACI World’s Airport Service Quality’s (ASQ) expertise in market research has been leveraged for the ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey (GTS) report to engage the views of over 4,000 travellers from 30 countries who have travelled by air at least once in the past 12 months.
The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General, ACI World Director General
“This year’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveller behaviours and expectations”, explained Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General at ACI World. “The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel.”
While 54% of the respondents travelling for leisure and personal reasons reported that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year, 56% of them are planning to travel within the next three months, compared to 51% the same time last year. While travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence is found on the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviours in the past 12 months or on their forecasted behaviours for the next 12 months.
The study did however identify several trends that actually influence traveller behaviours and preference:
- Automation: 58% of travellers favour technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration processes.
- Personalization of travel experience: 74% of travellers would use an app that pushes personalized information to make their journey more fluid.
- Emotional engagement: passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport.
- Remote and hybrid work: the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip.
- Sustainability: 72% of travellers expect to see a green environment at airports and 43% of respondents have heard of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
The aim of the GTS report is to provide key insights into the evolution of traveller behaviours and expectations and contribute to the advancement of airport experience, by exploring current and emerging travel trends, as well as monitoring the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry. “While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies”, de Oliviera added.
