Social Media Users and Leisure Travel

1. Social Media Users and Leisure
Travel
Lead Sponsor: Study Commissioned by:

2. The Mandala Research Model:
“Research for the Industry By the Industry”
Lead Sponsor: Study Commissioned by: In Partnership with the U.S.
Department of Commerce

3. Additional Sponsors:
3

4. Additional Sponsors:
4

5. 5

6. What Travelers Want
Experience is still in. Travelers want to “experience”
destinations in all respects; want an authentic
experience, and for many this includes reflection of the
destination in their hotel, dining and activity choices.

7. Trends in U.S. Leisure Market
The automobile rules. 91% of all leisure travelers (that use both paid
and unpaid accommodations) travel to their destination by car. There are
natural implications for operations and service in all aspects of the travel
and tourism industry. Our soon to be released report on the Drive Market
helps destinations and attractions capitalize on this lucrative but untapped
market.
Doing more than one thing at a time Research shows that leisure travelers
want to combine a number of activities and seek diversity in the
destinations they choose to visit

8. Trends in U.S. Leisure Market
Niche markets matter. Finding
the right fit means understanding
nuances among travel groups
• GLBT
• Culinary Travelers
• Cultural and Heritage Travelers
• African American Travelers
• Drive Market Travelers
Targeted segmentation allows
destinations and attractions to
reach out with surgical precision
• Curious & Engaged African
American Travelers
• Keeping it Light Cultural
Heritage Travelers
• Social Media users

9. Trends in the U.S. Leisure Market
Emerging from the Recession
Optimistic, hopeful, wiser and more
discriminating. More leisure
travelers are planning to take as
many if not a greater number of trips
in the next 12 months.
Friends and family still matter
most When asked about primary
reason for last leisure trip, visiting
friends and relatives was tied with
vacation.
Booking Window Narrower Photo Chris Seufert
Leisure travelers are booking
transport, hotels, and event tickets
closer to their travel dates.

10. Trends in the U.S. Leisure Market
“Green” not a passing fad.
Leisure travelers care about this
issue. 48% up from 42% in 2009
saying they are willing to pay more
to a travel company who makes
efforts to protect the environment.
Short stays are here to stay.
The 1-2 day trip, whether defined
as “weekend getaway” or other
personal travel represents the bulk
of all room nights.
Giving Back Leisure travelers
want to contribute positively to the
places they visit.
Block Island, RI

11. Trends in U.S. Leisure Market
• Boomers still booming. These travelers and their needs and preferences still
need to be addressed in future leisure strategy. Boomers have the following
characteristics:
• Greatest share of leisure room-nights
• Longest stays
• Highest level of spending
• Younger travelers key to watch. Gen X and Gen Y saw the fastest
increasing room-night volume of all generations at 45% and 29% respectively
from 2000 to 2008. While life stage transitions suggest that younger travelers
will travel more, improving economic conditions may shift this trend.
• New hotel designs to accommodate the “ever connected” business traveler.
• It’s a virtual world. Nearly 7 in 10 use the Internet to gather information on
travel, with 56% booking online. Boomers and Matures are more likely to do
both than Gen X and Gen Y.

12. Increasing Need for Market Research: Targeting
U.S. lost one-third its share of
international tourism since
1997
Recession in U.S. reduced
domestic travel
Result: Increased need to
identify profitable niche
markets;
Necessitated need to focus
marketing efforts
Economic Impact =Justification for
Targeting and Spending

13. Name that Destination

14. Name that Destination

15. Trends in US Leisure Market: Digging Deeper
Attitudes, world view, and behavior. Not just demographics.
• Segmentation on these variables creates a greater distinction, necessary
to identify the travelers with whom your product has the most resonance.
• Knowing the three Rs is not enough
• Rest
• Relaxation
• Rejuvanation
The WHY, draws out the deeper motivation.
The underlying values motivating consumer choice.

16. Digging Deeper: Who are Cultural & Heritage Travelers?

17. Sizing the Market: 118.3 Million Adult Leisure Travelers
$192 billion
economic impact
78%
Participate
in C&H
(U.S. Adult Population - 225 Million)

18. C&H Traveler Segments
$124 Billion
core C/H

19. Cultural & Heritage Travelers
Spend More: $994 Per Trip
Travel More Frequently:
5.1 Trips Per Year
Stay Longer: 5.86 nights
Per Trip
See out C&H Experiences

20. They Came, They Saw, They Shopped
They Come to Shop: Majority say that shopping
was either a key reason for the trip or was a factor in
their choice of travel destination.
% who agree… %
Shopping helped me choose between potential destinations. 30%
Shopping was the key reason I chose to take the trip. 23%
I sought out shopping opportunities but they were not a factor in choosing
58%
between destinations.

21. They Came, They Saw, They Shopped
They Spend Time Shopping: Shopping accounts for a third of
these International Shopping Travelers’ time when in the U.S.
and is nearly a third of their total trip expenditures.

22. They Came, They Saw, They Shopped
Shopping accounts for about third of total expenditures
Shopping Spend Total Trip Shopping % of
Spend Overall
Average $1063 $3692 29%
Canada $757 $2490 30%
Germany $1085 $4127 26%
Japan $1200 $4722 25%
Mexico $1310 $3249 40%
UK $989 $3845 25%

23. Market Sizing and Economic Impact
Market Sizing and Economic Impact
Social Media Users: Market Sizing and Economic Impact

24. Sizing the Market
Leisure Travelers* represent 68% of the U.S. adult population, or approximately 152 million Americans. Fifty
two percent of these 152 million Americans report that they use social media, which totals approximately 79
million Social media users .
U.S. Adult Population Leisure Travelers - Social and
(225 million)** Non Social Media Users

25. Leisure Trip Spending: Social Media Users and Non-Users
The average trip spending by total leisure travelers is $909, compared to $871 for all social media users
and $949 for non social media users. For all three groups, about half of their expenditures are spent
on activities, dining and shopping they participated in while traveling.
• $909 (Average) Total Leisure Travelers
Total Spend • $871 (Average) Social Media Users
• $949 (Average) Non Social Media Users
47%/44%/51%of Total
Spend is Spent on
Activities, Dining and
Shopping for both
groups
• $431 (Average) Total Leisure Travelers
Total Spend on
Activities, Dining • $386 (Average) Social Media Users
and Shopping • $480 (Average) Non Social Media Users

26. Estimated Annual Economic Impact
Social media users have a larger economic impact on domestic tourism than non social media users. The
total spend by Social media users ($102.9 b) is almost 1.47 times higher than the spend by non social media
users ($69.5 b) The greater economic impact of the social media users is driven by the increase number of
trips they take on average, 5.4 vs. 4.2 for leisure travelers who do not use social media.
Social Media Non Social Media Users
Users
Average Amount Total Spend $870.72 $949.42
Median # Leisure Trips 3.00 2.00
Population (In Millions) 78.8 73.2
Median Household Size 2.00 2.00
Estimated Economic Impact (In Billions) $102.9 $69.5
Total: $102.9 billion attributable to social media users;
$69.5 billion is attributable to non social media users

27. Social Mediaand Leisure Trip Planning, Characteristics, Planning,
Social Media Usage
Usage and Leisure Trip Behavior
Characteristics, Behavior

28. The Use of Social Networking Sites 2009
The majority of social media users say they have been using social networking sites less than two years (56%)
These leisure travelers who use social media do more “reading” than posting of content on the sites they visit.
Large majorities read Second Life, LinkedIn and others, but few post on those sites.
How Long They Have Been Using Social Networking Sites
56%
60% 44%
40%
20%
0%
Less than 2 years More than 2 years
Sites Used by Both read and post on this social Read this social Post on this social
Social Media networking site networking site networking site
Users
Facebook.com 65% 25% 10%
MySpace.com 31% 59% 10%
Twitter.com 20% 72% 8%
Linkedin.com 16% 77% 7%
Friendster.com 7% 85% 7%

29. Length of Social Networking Sites Usage 2011
• More than half of those
surveyed have been using
social networking sites for two
years or more, 68% of Gen Y,
61% of Gen X, 41% of
Boomers and 35% of those
64+.
• Among drive market travelers,
37% have been using social
media sites for between 6
months and 2 years.
29

30. Websites Regularly Visited – African American Travelers
Over half of African American travelers
regularly visit Facebook.com, Yahoo.com
and Google.com.
Approximately 70% of Gen Y and Gen X
regularly visit Facebook.com.
Those with an active interest in their history
and culture (C & E Travelers) are more
likely to go to Essence.com and
Blackvoices.com than the rest of this
traveler population.
Family Reunion Travelers and those with
cultural and historical interests (C & E
Travelers) are more likely to look at
Blackenterprise.com than other segments.
30

31. Social Networking and Electronic/Communications Devices
Personally Owned and Used African American Travelers
• The majority of this population have their own cell phone and use it. Cell phone usage and ownership are highest
among Boomers and the Silent/GI Generations, but the younger generations are more likely to utilize smartphones.
• Facebook is quite popular among all generations of these travelers, with 66% to 82% of all travelers posting and reading
this site.
31

32. Use of Social Media and Other Online Travel Sites African
American Travelers
Twelve percent say they use “user-
generated” content. Of these, 69% use
Trip Advisor, with 80% of the Silent/GI
Generations using this source.
Facebook.com, Weather.com and
Orbitz.com are more popular user-
generated sources with Generation X and
Y.
As Generation Y travelers are more likely
than others to book trips on short notice,
Hotwire.com is more popular with this
cohort.
Travelers with an active interest in their
culture and history (C & E Travelers) use
AOL.com, Answers.com and
Myspace.com more than other groups.
Hotwire.com and Priceline.com are more
popular with Family Reunion Travelers.
Business Travelers are more likely than
others to turn to Travelocity.com and
Disney.com.
32
Which, if any of the following user-generated sources n= for 27B

33. Advice from Friends takes on a whole new meaning
• Seeing detailed information on points of interest is
either critical or important to 68% of travelers
surveyed. Almost a quarter, (24%) of Gen Y
travelers consider it critical with 78% saying it is
either critical or important, 74% of those <50 with
fewer (59%) of those travelers 50+ agreeing.
• The ability to access written reviews or locations
friends liked was either critical or important to 40%
of travelers overall. 52% of Gen Y , 53% of Gen
X, 30% of Boomers, and 21% among those 64+
agreed.
• When asked if viewing editorial reviews,
destination information or “best of”, more than half
of the travelers surveyed said this was either
critical or important. Again younger travelers said
this more often, 61% of Gen Y, 66% of Gen X
whereas 48% of Boomers and 37% of those 64+.

34. How They Used Their Smartphones in the U.S. – Emerging
Markets
Over a third of all travelers
A B C D E have a smart phone such as an
Total India Australia Brazil Korea China iPhone, BlackBerry, or Droid ,
etc.
14% 12% Texting was the most used
GPS application on phone or other device 10% 5% 10% 11%
(C) (C)
feature by all groups, followed
Electronic maps, such as Google Maps, 18% 29% 13% by electronic maps. Australians
15% 9% 5%
Mapquest, . (D E) (A C D E) (E)
are the largest group to use
53% 52% electronic mapping with close to
Texting or SMS on your phone 47% 45% 40% 48%
(C) (C)
a third of travelers using this
10% 10%
WiFi Finder 8% 5% 9% 4% feature.
(C) (C)
10% of all travelers access
Sending and receiving email from your phone 9% 6% 11% 10% 12% 6% social media sites with their
Reading and/or posting on Facebook, 13% 13% smart phones, the largest group
10% 9% 6% 8% of which are Chinese and
MySpace, or other social media sites (B) (B)
Travel sites, such as Expedia, Travelocity, Australians.
5% 5% 4% 6% 6% 4%
Orbitz, Kayak, Priceline, etc.
34

35. Information Sources Used to Plan Trip Emerging Markets
A B C D E Social Media sites such as
Total India Australia Brazil Korea China Facebook and Social Media
10% 11% travel sites such as
Social Media sites (such as Facebook, MySpace] 6% 4% 2% 3%
(C D) (C D) TripAdvisor are more
popular among Indian and
6% 7%
Social Media travel sites (such as TripAdvisor, etc.) 5% 3% 2% 5% Australian travelers.
(D) (C D)
Welcome centers en route to destination 4% 4% 3% 5% 3% 3%
Blogs 3% 3% 5% 3% 3% 3%
5% 4%
Travel provider websites (e.g., airline, hotel, etc.) 3% - - 2%
(C D) (C)
Podcasts 2% 3% 3% - 3% -
Radio 2% 3% 2% - 3% -
Online travel website (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity) 2% 2% 3% 2% - -
Destination web sites (ex. sites dedicated to a 2% 2%
- - - -
specific U.S. city or attraction) (C) (C)
Destination travel guides (printed guides to a 2%
- - - - -
specific U.S. destination) (A)
Which of the following information sources did you use to plan your last trip to [Insert destination visited]?
Please select all that apply. Base Total respondents n = 2500

36. Internet Sites Regularly Visited
The majority of leisure travelers using social media are regular users of Google and Yahoo and use most
online sites and tools more than non social media users.
Travelocity and Expedia are the most regularly used online travel agent sites used by the social media
travelers, while there is less differentiation among travelers who do not use social media. They are as
likely to use Priceline and Cheap tickets as they are to use Travelocity and Expedia.
Sites Total Social Media Non Social Sites Total Social Media Non Social
Leisure Users Media Users Leisure Users Media Users
Travelers Travelers
Google.com 64% 70% 58% Ask.com 20% 22% 19%
Yahoo.com 53% 61% 46% Orbitz.com 19% 21% 17%
Facebook.com MySpace.com
41% 79% 0% 20% 38% 0%
Youtube.com 38% 53% 22% ESPN.com 17% 18% 15%
Weather.com 33% 37% 28% Priceline.com 15% 18% 12%
Wikipedia.com 36% 24% Cheaptickets.com 17% 13%
30% 15%
Craigslist.com 31% 39% 23% Hotels.com 14% 17% 11%
Travelocity.com 25% 28% 21% AOL.com 15% 18% 13%
Expedia.com 23% 28% 18% Twitter.com 12% 23% 0%
CNN.com 21% 26% 16% Hotwire.com 11% 14% 9%

37. Internet Sites Regularly Visited
One of the most talked about social media sites in travel, TripAdvisor is used by only
10% of all leisure travelers; slightly higher among the social media users (12%)
Sites Total Social Non Social Sites Total Social Non Social
Leisure Media Media Users Leisure Media Media Users
Users Users
TripAdvisor.com 10% 12% 8% Bookit.com 3% 3% 2%
Disney.com 10% 11% 8% Travelweb.com 2% 3% 2%
Linkedin.com 8% 15% 0% Gay.com 2% 3% 1%
Answers.com 9% 5% LastMinuteTravel.co 2% 1%
7% m 2%
Kayak.com 7% 7% 6% Usmagazine.com 2% 2% 1%
Oprah.com 6% 8% 4% Bebo.com 1% 3% 0%
Lowestfare.com 4% 4% 4% Friendster.com 1% 3% 0%
Rottentomatoes.com 4% 6% 2% Secondlife.com 1% 2% 0%
Drudgereport.com 4% 5% 3% VirtualTourist.com 1% 1% 1%
Vacation.com 3% 5% 2% Mobissimo.com 1% 1% 0%

38. Attitudes towards social media experiences and networks
Shared values is also cited as a reason
they participate in these user generated
media sites.
The majority of leisure travelers who use
social media report a sense of belonging,
shared values, and say they enjoy the
process of sharing user generated
content.
“Heavy” users, those who participate in 7
or more social media networks, are more
likely to report the sense of belonging and
enjoyment from their participation.

39. Attitudes towards social media experiences and networks

40. Reasons for becoming TSFs
Forrester Technographics® data shows that 26 million
more US online leisure travelers use social media in 2010
than in 2008. Leisure travelers are really connected to
travel companies beyond booking.
A high 41% of US online leisure travelers have become
travel social fans (TSFs) by friending, following, or
becoming fans of a travel company or destination on a
social networking site like Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, or
Twitter.
51% befriend a brand without such a reason. They do it
just because it's fun, or because they like the brand. When
they befriend the brand, their main purpose isn't to get
something out of that relationship .

41. Reasons for becoming a TSF

42. Trip Information Sources
Websites of destination
Trip Information Sources Friends and family
General Web search (Google, Yahoo)
Not surprisingly, social media users, however, 3rd party travel websites (Expedia)
are more likely to gather information from the Brochures and info. by destination
Web than travelers who do not use social media. Official sources of destination
Still, however, the websites of travel destinations Travel related magazines
and friends/family members dominate as travel Travel section of newspaper
information sources for all leisure travelers. User generated sources (TripAdvisor)
Independent published reviews in destination…
Convention & visitors bureaus
Travel agent
0% 20% 40% 60%
General Web 3rd party Indep. User
Friends Brochures and Official Travel Travel Convention
Websites of search travel published generated Travel
and info. by sources of related section of and visitors
destination (Google, websites reviews in sources agent
family destination destination magazines newspaper bureaus
Yahoo) (Expedia) destination (TripAdvisor)
Social
Media
Users 61% 60% 54% 39% 24% 27% 22% 17% 18% 20% 11% 8%
Non
Social
Media
Users 53% 50% 42% 23% 28% 20% 22% 21% 16% 13% 12% 7%
Total 57% 55% 48% 31% 26% 24% 22% 19% 17% 17% 11% 7%

43. Speaking into their listening
• Segmentation - process of dividing the market into subsets of consumers
SEGMENTATION,TARGETING AND POSITIONING
with common needs and characteristics
• Targeting - selecting one or more of the segments to pursue
• Positioning - developing a distinct image for the product in mind of
customer

44. The Difference: Not so Much
The gap is narrow between social media users and non-users

45. The Demographics of Social Media Users vs. Non-users
Age Social Media Non Social
Social Media Non Social Media Users Media Users
Gender`
Users Users
18- 24 17% 7%
25- 54 20% 11%
Male 47% 53%
35- 44 23% 17%
45- 54 20% 21%
Female 53% 47% 55- 64 10% 18%
65+ 10% 26%
Average Social Media Non Social Household Social Media Non Social
Number of Trips Users Media Users Income Users Media Users
Per Year (by
Less than 42% 39%
type)
Leisure 5.37 4.15 $50k
$50k- 23% 22%
Business 1.22 1.22 $74,999k
$75k- 14% 15%
Combined 0.82 0.86 $99,999k
More than 14% 15%
International 0.63 0.47 $100k

46. The Demographics of Social Media Users vs. Non-users

47. The Demographics of Social Media Users vs. Non-users
Sexual Orientation Social Media Non Social Media
Users Users
Heterosexual 90% 90%
GLBT 8% 5%
Social Media Non Social Media
Race/Ethnicity Users Users
Race
White 72% 76%
Black 10% 11%
Other 18% 13%
Hispanic
Yes 8% 7%
No 92% 93%

48. The Demographics of Social Media Users vs. Non-users: Generations
Age plays a role: Not surprisingly GenX and Millennial travelers are more likely to use social
media sites.
Generations Total Social Media Non Social
Users Media Users
Millennials 20% 27% 13%
GenX 28% 33% 22%
Boomers 33% 29% 37%
Silent/G.I. 19% 11% 28%

49. The Demographics of Social Media Users vs. Non-users: Education
There are no statistically significant differences between social media users and non social
media users regarding education.
Education Total Social Media Non Social
Users Media Users
HS/GED or Less 14% 14% 14%
2 Year Degree or Some College 41% 41% 43%
4 Year Degree 27% 27% 26%
Graduate Professional 17% 17% 16%

50. Psychographics of Social Media Users vs. Non Users
Social media users and non social media users are fairly similar
on the psychographics asked in this study.
About half of each said they would pay more for travel
experiences that do not “harm the environment.” And nearly
two-fifths say they often give back to cultural/heritage
destinations they visit while traveling.
Most leisure travelers say they prefer trips that are a
combination of a “wide variety of activities. “
Social media users are more likely to say they want to peruse a
life “challenge, novelty and change” and more likely to want to
bring back local products from the destination and share them
with family and friends.

51. The Distribution of Leisure Trips and Business Trips
Increasingly business travel is being combined with leisure travel or includes some leisure
activities. Leisure travelers of all kinds report on average that nearly one of their trips in the past
12 months was a combined business/leisure trip. And more than a third of travelers say that 50%
or more of their business travel includes personal, leisure activities.
Average number of trips in past 12 months that was combined business and leisure trip
28%
30% 28% 27%
25% Percentage of Domestic Business Travel that included personal, leisure Activities
20% More than a third say that 50% or more of business trips
include leisure activities
15% 12% 12% 13%
11%
11%
9% 8% 8%
10% 7%
7% 8% 8% 9% 8% 9% 7% 8% 9%
6% 7% 5% 6% 6% 6% 6%
5% 4% 4%
0%
0% to 10% 11% to 20% 21% to 30% 31% to 40% 41% to 50% 51% to 60% 61% to 70% 71% to 80% 81% to 90% 91% to 100%
Total Social Media Users Non Social Media Users

52. The Distances They Travel
Travelers who use social media tend to travel farther distances (861 miles) on their leisure trips than travelers
who do not use social media (734 miles). Part of this may be due to the higher incidence of air travel among
these social media users.
Miles Average Miles Traveled

53. Number of Miles Traveled Away From Home
Social media users have traveled further on their most recent trip (an average of 861 miles), while non social
media users have traveled 734 miles on average.
Miles
Traveled

54. Sharing Their Experiences
Total Social Media Non Social Media
Users Users
Met in person to talk about the trip 39% 43% 36%
Cell phone 43% 46% 40%
Text messaging 21% 26% 15%
Email 44% 49% 40%
Hosted a party 1% 1% 1%
Online social community (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) 20% 35% 4%
Shared photographs via Kodak, snapfish, etc. 18% 21% 15%
Shared photographs via my email account 24% 30% 19%
Telephone 42% 44% 39%
Posted a review on a travel website (TripAdvisor, 3% 3% 3%
Expedia, etc.)
Posted on a personal blog/website 6% 9% 2%
Other, please specify 2% 2% 3%
I did not share my travel experiences with family, friends 16% 13% 20%
and/or others

55. Important Factors in Choosing Leisure Activities
Top 2 Box Total Leisure Social Media Users Non Social
(Very Important/Somewhat Important) Travelers Media Users
Relaxing and relieving stress 94% 94% 94%
Creating lasting memories 92% 96% 88%
Enriching my relationship with my spouse/partner/children 88% 89% 85%
Trying a new experience 87% 91% 82%
To stimulate your mind/be intellectually challenged 75% 78% 73%
Learning more about history and local cultures 73% 76% 70%
Having stories to share back home 72% 77% 67%
Explore a different culture 70% 75% 66%
Pampering yourself 66% 70% 60%
Providing educational experiences for my children 61% 66% 54%
Seeking out solitude and isolation 53% 56% 51%
Pursuing a hobby 53% 58% 46%
Challenging myself physically, to feel physically energized 51% 56% 44%

56. Accommodations On Most Recent Trip
Overnight accommodations are similar for both users and non users of social media. Paid
accommodations are most common, with over a third of all travelers staying with family and
friends.
Accommodation Type
Hotel/Motel/Resort
Stayed w/ family/friend
Owned home/condo/townhome/apartment
Rental condo/townhome/house
Bed and Breakfast
Recreational vehicle, camper, tent
Other
Time Share
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Owned
Recreational Rental
Bed and home/condo/to Stayed w/ Hotel/Motel/Re
Time Share Other vehicle, condo/townho
Breakfast wnhome/apart family/friend sort
camper, tent me/house
ment
Total 4% 4% 5% 4% 5% 5% 35% 61%
Non Social Media Users 4% 4% 5% 3% 4% 4% 34% 63%
Social Media Users 3% 4% 4% 5% 5% 6% 36% 60%

57. Staying at Historical Properties
The majority of respondents who stayed in a hotel, motel or resort did not stay in a historical property. Only
8% (N=23) of them stayed in a historical property. Social media users were more likely than non social
media users to indicate that they didn’t know if the property was historical and/or they’d rather not say.
Stayed in an historical property during most recent trip

58. Research and Information Sources

59. Types of Publications Read by Leisure Travelers:Sports, Fashion,
Entertainment, news magazines and newspapers
Community newspapers
News magazines
Entertainment magazines
General interest, city life, or regional magazines
Travel related magazines
National newspapers
Fashion/homemaking magazines
Food/Wine related magazines
Hobby related magazines
Sports related magazines
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Sports Hobby Food/Wi Fashion/ National Travel General Entertai News Commun
related related ne homema newspap related interest, nment magazin ity
magazin magazin related king ers magazin city life, magazin es newspap
Total 21% 20% 22% 22% 26% 27% 29% 29% 34% 39%
Non Social M edia Users 18% 19% 21% 15% 23% 25% 28% 18% 29% 39%
Social M edia Users 23% 21% 24% 28% 29% 29% 29% 39% 39% 40%

60. All the buzz but is it working…
While social media networks are getting a great deal
of attention lately, only a small share of travelers
actually use them to obtain leisure travel information
(20%) and, excluding Trip Advisor and Travel
Blogs, an even smaller number consider them
dependable.

61. Trends in Leisure Travel and Social Media
In April 2010, Facebook
overtook Google as the most
popular site on the Internet.
As computers revolutionized
travel and tourism planning,
the Smart Phone is poised to
do the same for reservations,
accommodations, navigation
A whole new meaning of
taking advice from friends and
family – our travel site fans of
just a year ago are now
“friending” destinations but…

62. Trusting content of social networks
Friends and family on social media
were trusted for product
recommendations far more than
brand-originated content or people
consumers did not
know

63. Level of trust with sources for travel information
• Unsurprisingly, opinions of family members and friends have the highest levels of trust among all groups.
• In addition, people place a high level of trust in the destination’s official website as a source for travel information.
Online reviews, on the other hand, only received a high level of trust when the reviews are from know experts.
Reviews by other consumers, editors, bloggers, or through chat rooms or discussion boards do not rate highly on
the trust level.
• The level of trust also varies across age groups, with Gen Y and Gen X appearing more trusting overall than
Boomers and people over 64 years old.

64. Dependability: Websites are most used and most dependable,
social networks are least

65. Dependability: Higher income travelers find all sources of information more
dependable than do lower income travelers

66. Dependability: Hotel and destination websites are most used and
most dependable

67. Recent Industry Information

68. Spending on Social Media marketing is low
• 17% of respondents said they allocated only
1% of their annual marketing budget to social
media
• 16% said they allocate 4-5%
• When asked what percentage of their
company's overall marketing budget is spent
on social media, the largest group, covering
24% of survey takers, selected "don't know“
• Smaller companies with tighter budgets are
significantly more likely than large companies
to say they spend almost 50% of their
marketing budget on social media.
Travelindustrywire.com, September 201The Watch is based on a national random
survey of 750 small business owners. It is commissioned by Discover
Business card, and is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, LLC

69. Lack of metrics for Success
• No effective measures for understanding
the ROI of social media efforts
• When asked to identify the most important
measure of social media success, nearly
two-thirds of respondents selected "don't
know“
• Of those who identified a measurement,
the largest group, covering 20%, said
engaging customers to respond and
provide feedback
• 65% of respondents said they're not using
any listening tools to monitor what their
customers are saying about their brand.
Travelindustrywire.com, September 201The Watch is based on a national random survey of
750 small business owners. It is commissioned by Discover Business card, and is
conducted by Rasmussen Reports, LLC
0)

70. SN usage among tour operators
69% of companies are spending 10 hours
per week or less on their social media
programs,
48% of North American travel tour
operators participate in social media on a
daily basis,
77% participate in social media at least
weekly,
despite widespread usage of social media,
operators are uncertain about its impacts
on business, with only 43% of
respondents citing social media as quite
or extremely important to business
success
Source: Adventure Travel & Trade Association

71. SN usage among operators
• 18% reporting they do not know yet whether
social media has bottom-line impact,
• just 13% of companies cite social media as
generating 10% or more of their revenue,
• blogs remain an important, yet under utilized
tool,
• uploading videos to YouTube is a growing trend
among those embracing social media,
• monitoring, ‘listening’ and responding to traveler
review sites appear to be lagging behind what
would be expected, though tour operators
outside North America are more prone to do so,
• 75% of respondents indicate that their budgets
(including human resource wages) for social
media will increase in the next 12 months.
• Source Adventure Travel & Trade Assoc.

72. Usage among hoteliers
• Nearly 70% of US hoteliers responding to
the April 2010 study reported online was
the marketing channel with the greatest
return on investment, and the majority
are using a variety of online channels to
reach potential customers, including 69%
marketing via social media.
• They are also ahead in their usage of
that tactic: 60% told HSMAI and
VIZERGY that they had a social media
marketing strategy.
• For many hotels, guest reviews are an
important part of that strategy. Half said
they proactively encouraged guests to
post reviews of their hotel, and even
those that did not encourage reviews
saw the importance of monitoring them.
Nearly seven in 10 did so at least weekly.

73. Usage among hoteliers
• Social marketing strategies will
help the travel industry reach more
than just those planning a vacation.
According to American Express
Business Travel eXpert insights
"Social Media in Business Travel
Management" report, half of US
businesses use social media to
support business travel
management.
• Keeping abreast of the latest travel
info was the top benefit cited, by
44% of respondents. They also
used social media to reduce costs,
look for preferred vendors and
analyze travel pattern

74. The Take Away
Credibility and dependability
are critical.
An extension of Word of Mouth
Market segmentation and
precision targeting will make the
difference between successful
social media strategy and just
another click on the web.

75. Thank You!
www.MandalaResearch.com
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Laura@MandalaResearch.com