At the latest FHT trade show, Charles-Antoine Duron, Google France’s Director of Travel and Mobility, and Nicolas Dussart, responsible for strategic partnerships at Google France, presented their analysis of summer travel figures and trends.
Travel is back
In April 2022, 77% of European travellers said they were ready to travel, up 21% compared with April 2019. This appetite was confirmed by a 23% increase in Google hotel searches over the same period. While the Covid crisis and travel restrictions had forced travellers to stay in their own countries, domestic travel continues to grow.
The return of big cities
Big cities are once again attracting 35% of demand. Paris is finally back in favour, with international demand up 55%.
Unsurprisingly, destinations combining “sun and beach” (such as the French Riviera) are thriving, accounting for 22.2% of leisure travel demand.
A price divide
Price has once again become a key issue, driven by inflation across the sector. On Google, searches related to discounts are popular: “discount”, “money-back guarantee”, “no cancellation fees” and “flexible dates / voucher” are trending queries.
Travellers want to make up for the time they spent unable to travel (the so-called “travel revenge”), but this is coupled with reluctance to spend. In April 2022, the European Travel Commission recorded a 34% drop in individual bookings over €2,000, while bookings between €1,000 and €1,500 rose by 23.5%.
“There is a challenge for the sector in deciding how to position itself between these two emerging poles,” says Charles-Antoine Duron.
More flexible travellers
To address price concerns, more travellers are willing to be flexible about destinations and travel dates.
Charles-Antoine Duron advises hoteliers to use their CRM to target these travellers.
Travellers are also more flexible about the type of accommodation they choose and are willing to try new brands.
The renewed growth in Google travel searches should encourage hoteliers to be more active across their websites and digital communication and distribution channels. Now is the time to take control of all the free and paid tools Google provides to increase direct bookings—and to visit the FoodHotelTech website to discover the essential technology solutions for the hospitality and catering industry.