US is No 1 for festive feeling
TTG StaffUK travellers opt for New York and Orlando while European counterparts stick to colonial connections. By Gary Noakes.
Orlando and New York will top the list of Christmas long-haul destinations for UK families despite the slump in the value of the pound, according to research by an online marketing company.
The findings of US-based travel marketing and branding firm Sojern put the two US destinations ahead of Dubai, Bangkok and Sydney for December searches in the UK with a party size of three or more.
Sojern’s latest Global Travel Insights Report reveals that Orlando does not appear in the top five of three other origin markets surveyed, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, although New York scored top with the French and third among Germans. France’s second choice, Bangkok, was number one with Germans and Dutch.
The French and Germans showed a propensity to holiday in a destination with former colonial or historical links. France’s third, fourth and fifth preferences, for example, were Reunion, Guadeloupe and Martinique, while the Dutch favoured Indonesia, South Africa and the Caribbean island of Curacao. Sojern found that French travellers especially have a strong allegiance to current or former territories, with 6 of the top 10 destinations searched being among these, including Montreal, Dakar and The Seychelles.
While Sojern says Bangkok globally has remained consistently popular since last year despite sporadic anti-government rioting, other troubled countries have fallen from grace. Turkey, for example, has fallen from 8th to 17th place because of its political instability and terrorist attacks, while Brazil’s popularity has faded with the Olympics, falling from overall third favourite among European families in 2015 to sixth in the list of preferences for 2017.
US election
For North American consumers, the shift in currencies and the run up to November’s presidential election appears to be having an impact. Miami remains the top destination for December departures this year, but Cancun has dropped from second to fourth, perhaps because of presidential candidate Donald Trump’s disparaging remarks about Mexico, which may make some travellers think their welcome will not be as warm as in the past.
Cancun’s spot has been taken by Las Vegas, which climbs from fourth place. Eighth and ninth places have been swapped between London and Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan, with the increase in the value of the dollar against sterling undoubtedly a factor in making the UK more attractive for US travellers.
Strong euro appeal
Taking Europe as a whole, London topped the list of searches, with sterling’s weakness against the euro undoubtedly adding to its appeal. It was followed by weekend break favourites Barcelona, Amsterdam, Palma and Madrid. Bangkok again topped the list of long-haul favourites, followed by New York, with Dubai a firm third.
In Latin America, growing wealth means an increasing propensity to travel, but familiarisation and proximity are still playing a part, with Miami, Mexico City, Cancun and New York making up the top four searches. Madrid was the only European destination in the top five.
When it comes to booking patterns, Sojern found that 20% of European travellers searched for trips seven days or fewer ahead of their planned departure date. This figure was, however, mirrored by those who searched 30-59 days ahead, while the majority of searches (31%) were carried out 60-plus days ahead of departure.
TTG Staff
Sign up for weekday travel news and analysis straight to your inbox
Recommended For You
Latest travel jobs
Senior Sales Consultant
Branch Manager
Sales & Marketing Manager - UK, Ireland, Scandinavia & North America
Competitions
TTG Luxury Journey
Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
