The holiday season is a crucial time in the calendar year for travel operators and travel loyalty programs. According to the TSA, the year’s busiest travel days usually fall on the long Thanksgiving weekend (especially the Sunday after Thanksgiving) and Christmas/New Year’s. Hotels usually experience occupancy and rate spikes during the holidays. And the loyalty programs that are explicitly aligned with travel brands (like frequent flier programs) and those that incorporate travel rewards (most other programs) see an increase in earning and redemption activity with the holiday-associated surge in consumer spending and travel volume.
This year, the holiday travel season arrives amid a unique set of contextual considerations; the years-long travel resurgence the industry has enjoyed seems to be leveling off. How will that impact the traditional November/ December travel volumes? Cost has clearly dictated how many consumers traveled (or didn’t travel) during the 2022 holiday season, but will persistently high travel prices prompt consumers to moderate their 2023 holiday plans?
These programs are well-positioned to provide the reward and redemption options that make holiday travel more attainable for members while capitalizing on the heightened interest in travel that the season usually brings. However, travel loyalty programs don’t consistently deliver the value they promise, which creates an opportunity for those who can. Our recent survey of 2,116 consumers in the United States belonging to a loyalty program that incorporates travel-related rewards revealed valuable insights into their travel plans for this holiday season compared to last year. The study also revealed their main priorities and considerations and how they interact with their travel loyalty programs
to find holiday travel deals.
We found that most American travel loyalty program members intend to travel for the holidays this year, and value dominates their decision-making and planning processes. Their travel loyalty programs can play a significant role in unlocking that value.
The holiday season is a crucial time in the calendar year for travel operators and travel loyalty programs. According to the TSA, the year’s busiest travel days usually fall on the long Thanksgiving weekend (especially the Sunday after Thanksgiving) and Christmas/New Year’s. Hotels usually experience occupancy and rate spikes during the holidays. And the loyalty programs that are explicitly aligned with travel brands (like frequent flier programs) and those that incorporate travel rewards (most other programs) see an increase in earning and redemption activity with the holiday-associated surge in consumer spending and travel volume.
This year, the holiday travel season arrives amid a unique set of contextual considerations; the years-long travel resurgence the industry has enjoyed seems to be leveling off. How will that impact the traditional November/ December travel volumes? Cost has clearly dictated how many consumers traveled (or didn’t travel) during the 2022 holiday season, but will persistently high travel prices prompt consumers to moderate their 2023 holiday plans?
These programs are well-positioned to provide the reward and redemption options that make holiday travel more attainable for members while capitalizing on the heightened interest in travel that the season usually brings. However, travel loyalty programs don’t consistently deliver the value they promise, which creates an opportunity for those who can. Our recent survey of 2,116 consumers in the United States belonging to a loyalty program that incorporates travel-related rewards revealed valuable insights into their travel plans for this holiday season compared to last year. The study also revealed their main priorities and considerations and how they interact with their travel loyalty programs
to find holiday travel deals.
We found that most American travel loyalty program members intend to travel for the holidays this year, and value dominates their decision-making and planning processes. Their travel loyalty programs can play a significant role in unlocking that value.
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