https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/1j7MZ3kqVrSKIgSvcAIOljgFkLNVaUaai/page/kAWd
When looking for a new destination, the modern user prefers to be inspired by the opinions of other travelers, or they simply opt for popular destinations. They go through different stages, which are known as the buyer’s journey, and they remain connected from the moment of inspiration, throughout the whole trip experience and until their return. That is why travel agents are not always their first point of contact.
With the arrival of the Christmas holidays, TravelgateX shares an overview report on the world’s most popular travel destinations of 2018, and early 2019, along with those that are evolving with respect to the previous year. As of December 2, 2018, hotel reservations for the weeks between December 20 and January 8, 2019, have already exceeded 112K. This supposes an increase of 62% with respect to the reservations made before December 2, 2017, for the same period in the previous year.
Countries like Spain, Italy, and France remain under-the-radar as top European travel destinations for 2019, but the surprising increase of 94% of bookings in the United Kingdom with respect to last year is something to keep in view especially with the growing popularity of ‘Staycation’.
In the UK’s case, this growth is due to the increase of suppliers and despite the Brexit and all the changes that are happening in the country, travelers are betting on new destinations during these Christmas dates.
If we look at Asia, the preferred destinations are Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. On the other hand, as we can see in the graph, bookings to Indonesia and Malaysia have increased by 400%.
Finally, the preferred destination in the American continent is the United States with an increase of 34.5% over the previous year.