First came Black Friday, then Cyber Monday.
Now, deal-hungry consumers have a reason to shop online for an extra day. “Travel Tuesday” — the first Tuesday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday — is aimed at those looking for travel discounts rather than flat-screen TVs.
According to a published report, search popularity for “Travel Tuesday” increased by more than 500% from 2021 to 2023 McKinsey & Company on Thursday.
McKinsey said searches were highest among consumers in the United States and Canada, but interest was also rising in Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain.
Google Trends supports this, showing that searches for “Travel Tuesday” began in November 2017, declined during the pandemic, and rose sharply in 2022 and 2023, primarily in North America, Western Europe, and Australia.
“European travel companies can foresee that ‘Travel Tuesday’ will become an increasingly popular phenomenon in their region,” the McKinsey report states.
The report notes that with the exception of Singapore, Travel Tuesday has yet to catch on in Asia, possibly because China’s “Singles’ Day” – a week-long sales period that peaks on November 11 each year – is popular in the region .
Search popularity for “Travel Tuesday” on Google Trends since 2019.
Source: Google Trends (https://www.google.com/trends)
But that doesn’t stop Asian companies from taking part in the sale to attract global customers.
Kristen Jennings Graff, Director of Sales and Marketing Lower reservesAn eco-resort in Indonesia’s Riau Islands said her company will launch its first “Travel Tuesday” promotion in 2023.
“We offer a choice of offers – an upgrade, a discount or a free flight,” she said. “It’s resulted in good sales for us.”
Flights, hotels and cruises
McKinsey’s report is titled “Travel Tuesday is real — and growing” shows that on last year’s “Travel Tuesday” (that is, November 28, 2023), U.S. tourists’ hotel, airline and cruise bookings surged.
The report said that compared with the two weeks before and after, air bookings on the day surged by more than 60%, and cruise bookings surged by more than 50%.
Hotel bookings also surged 28%, although they were down slightly from the previous day’s Cyber Monday, the report said. Surveys show that Cyber Monday searches are much higher than Travel Tuesday, but interest in the former is declining.
“Travel bookings for Travel Tuesday exceeded those for Cyber Monday,” said Ryan Mann, a partner in McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics and Infrastructure practice and one of the report’s authors.
But Mann warned that Travel Tuesday may not have the same impact on the travel industry as Black Friday did on retail.
On both dates, consumers are looking for the best deals, he said. “But unlike some of the impulse purchases consumers make on Black Friday, travel bookings may require more planning.”
For those ready to book, they can find discounts on flights, cruises and tour packages, with many hotels offering 20-30% off their best rates. Passengers can view “Travel Tuesday” offer from 2023 Find out what to expect this year.
part of year-end expenses
Travelers say they face rising travel costs and inflationary pressures Finding good deals is a top priority.
Designating travel discount days is a win for travelers and an opportunity for companies to increase revenue during a period when bookings are typically lower, McKinsey said. The report notes that late November/early December is often considered too late for winter bookings and too early for summer bookings.
It could also be a way to get a piece of year-end holiday spending, which has long been dominated by in-kind gifts.
More than half of Americans (58%) say they would rather spend their money on travel than shopping, according to personal finance company WalletHub’s 2024 Winter Travel Survey.
A 2024 Amex Trendex global survey of more than 13,000 adults earning at least $50,000 a year found that about one-third of respondents said they planned to provide ” Experience”. For friends, the proportion is even higher, with nearly 70% saying they would rather gift experiences or trips rather than material gifts, the survey showed.
According to a survey released by American Express in September, the most popular experiences are entertainment (59%) and travel (54%).
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