With quality time, relaxation and discovery at the forefront of our minds, we are seeing a huge increase in the number of family travellers looking for accommodation this summer.
New data from Booking.com shows searches for family-friendly accommodations are up 64% compared to last year.
Additionally, domestic family travel is on the rise, with 41.5% of families choosing to fly within the United States, according to Booking.com data.
Not only are U.S. travelers excited about traveling, but families around the world are also showing strong interest in traveling, with lodging searches up 8% and flight searches up 21% compared to last year.
The analysis also reveals several additional trends that Booking.com says will “shape family travel” in 2024, including the “primary drivers” for family travel.It's unclear how these motivations differ from previous years, but many of them are fairly standard reasons for travel in general.:
- Quality time: Nearly two-thirds (62%) of U.S. families said quality time is their primary motivation for traveling this year.
- relaxation: 51% of families want to relax while traveling
- discovery: 48% of family trips are aimed at discovering new places
- Culinary exploration: 40% of families around the world would travel to try food they've seen in a show or movie, highlighting the influence popular media has on travel choices.
One of the report's most interesting conclusions is that family travel this summer looks set to “redefine what it means to be a well-traveled child.”
Data from Booking.com revealed that 32% of global flight searches by Americans include plans to travel with at least one child, highlighting “a trend for families to seek meaningful travel experiences together,” the report said.
Several destinations are also trending in family travel searches, including beach destinations like Siesta Key and St. Pete Beach in Florida, Nags Head in North Carolina and Gulf Shores in Alabama.
The most popular global travel destinations for families this summer are Albania, Morocco, Spain, Japan, Brazil and Croatia.
As inflation continues to pose a challenge for many families, budget-friendly destinations are also growing in popularity this summer, with data from booking.com showing that 51 percent of U.S. families are looking for value for money when searching for a vacation destination.
Additionally, more than half of American travelers (58%) plan to visit a destination with a lower cost of living than their home city, and 69% are planning to budget less for their trip in order to vacation within their means.
Equally noteworthy, nearly two-thirds (64%) of American travelers are on the lookout for travel deals, with 70% looking for discounts through loyalty programs.
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