8 Global travel trends that will...

Location, price and loyalty programmes are the top three factors influencing hotel bookings next year

Surveying its loyalty programme members, UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) has identified some of the world-wide travel trends that will shape 2023.

GHA is the world's largest alliance of independent hotels brands, and its loyalty programme GHA DISCOVERY has proved popular. Its members survey showed that travel sentiment for the year ahead is positive. Most respondents are comfortable with the thought of travelling internationally, and they say that location, price and loyalty programme perks are most likely to impact their booking decisions.

Here are the eight key findings:

1. More Than 50% Ready to Return to Travel
More than half of all respondents in all markets are comfortable with the thought of travelling internationally in 2023. The most bullish markets are the UK with 85% of respondents intending to travel internationally, followed by the UAE and Singapore with 83% and 81% respectively.

2. Travellers Planning Six Trips for the Year
Respondents said they are more likely to travel for leisure than business in 2023, planning on average between four and six leisure trips versus two to four business trips.

3. Chinese Markets Show an Appetite for Travel
Members from China expect to travel the most next year, with 6.1 leisure trips and 4.5 business trips anticipated respectively. However, China-based members plan to mainly travel within their own regions again next year, most likely due to ongoing travel restrictions, favouring Beijing, Shanghai and Sanya as destinations.

4. Japan's Popularity Will Peak
Japan (pictured) has emerged as a preferred country to visit in 2023, named in the top four leisure travel hotspots by members across countries globally.

5. Travellers are Seeking New Experiences
When asked what they were most looking forward to when travelling for leisure in 2023, members in every market said ‘seeing and experiencing new things’. ‘Spending time with family and friends’ was the second most popular response.

6. Most will Travel with Spouse
Members from most countries plan to travel with a ‘spouse or partner’ or ‘immediate family'. Not many plan to travel with pets, those who do tend to be travelling within Europe.

7. Travellers Seek City Breaks
There's a clear preference for cities for leisure trips, followed by beach and tropical destinations. Mountain and countryside locations were "on members' travel radars", but not as popular. Specific destinations favoured include Tokyo, Bangkok, London, Paris and Singapore.

8. Location, Price and Loyalty Programmes will Influence Bookings
Location and price will be the top two factors influencing hotel and accommodation bookings in 2023, and hotel loyalty programmes were named the third most important factor impacting decision-making, indicating that travellers from most markets are value-conscious.

When asked ‘If you are a member of a hotel’s loyalty programme, what is most important to you regarding your hotel experience?’, members named discounts or savings as the most important aspect, followed by hotel benefits such as a room upgrade.

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Commenting on the survey results, GHA VP Kristi Gole said: “The trends revealed in our survey paint a very positive picture for leisure travel in 2023. The results are particularly encouraging against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty.

With members telling us value for money and loyalty programme benefits are now most influencing their hotel booking decisions the reimagination of GHA DISCOVERY, launched a year ago, becomes even more relevant, with our new digital rewards currency, DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), adding more value to each stay.

"D$ are earned on spend across the hotel and are redeemable at time of checkout toward room charges, dining, spa, and a host of curated experiences. With more than D$57M now in circulation, thanks to a bumper 2022, our 22 million members can action their 2023 travel plans, choosing from any of GHA's 800-plus hotels in leading destinations around the world."

The GHA survey, launched to understand the 2023 travel plans of GHA DISCOVERY members, was conducted in October and November 2022.

The GHA DISCOVERY mobile app and website feature more than 800 properties in 100 countries across the globe.

For more information, visit Global Hotel Alliance