Boutique NYC Travel PR Agency Spotlights Family Travel Trends

 
As we evolve during the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, families are starting to travel for long overdue family reunions and get togethers thanks to the Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots.  Families are once again exploring the world and checking off their bucket list destinations.
 
Family travel market presents key opportunities for savvy marketers.   An American Express study reports that “a family of four spends on average $1,145 per person or $4,580 on vacation.”
 
The Family Travel Association reveals key findings about the family travel market.
 

• “85 percent of parents anticipate traveling domestically in the next 12 months”
• “43 percent of parents anticipate staying in a hotel in the next 6 months.”
• “68 percent of parents say when their children are involved in the planning process, they become more excited about the trip.”

 
To help destination marketers and hoteliers tap into the family travel industry, Allen Marketing Communications, Inc., a boutique travel and lifestyle public relations agency based in New York City, spotlights key family travel trends for 2022.
 
Multi-Generational Trips Are Making a Comeback
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a trend for those who can afford to buyout hotels, villas, condos and private yachts to reduce their contact with individuals who are not in their inner circle and to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus.  This trend will continue in 2022 as families gather once again for multi-generational vacations.
 
Grandparents will continue to embrace Skip Trips – grandparents travel with their grandchildren often leaving parents home alone. “Grandparents, parents, and children are booking vacations together, whether they’re road-tripping to national parks or heading abroad for a milestone celebration,” according to Barrons.
 
As families get together for long overdue family reunions, there is a trend for splurge taking their vacations to the next level.  The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the message that life is short and it is inspiring avid travelers to venture to unique locations, with new airlines promoting their affordable prices makes going to some travlers’ dream locations easier than ever before.
 
Glamping Adventures
Glamorous camping, as this new word translates to, is essentially a luxurious camping – cabins, yurts, treehouses, glamping pods, and pop up glamper.
 
Glamping provides endless opportunities to social distance and enjoy areas of natural beauty.  Glamping experience has been expanded to include staying in a retro-fitted also known as van glamping.  Staying in treehouses has burst onto the scene making it popular for families to have a truly unique experience in the outdoors.
 
“Outdoorsy attributes the surge in camping to trends such as “vanlife” and “glamping,” as well as increased availability of Wi-Fi and cellphone service at campgrounds. These are among factors attracting younger generations to the great outdoors, as Gen Z and Millennials now represent 48 percent of all campers in North America,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
 
Glamping adventures present endless opportunities to explore areas of natural beauty, social distance and reconnect with natural wonders.  In fact, there has been an increase in visitors to more than 400 national parks in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Off the Beaten Path, Micro-cations Roadtrips Remain Supreme
As families continued to look for socially distant getaways throughout the pandemic, trips to locations in remote, middle of nowhere places became much more popular.  Micro-cations is an emerging trend – quite simply short vacation, “four to five days added to a work trip, destination wedding, reunion.”
 
Micro-cations don’t have to be heavily planned in advance with plenty of flexibility is what families across the country are looking for nowadays. And, as is very convenient with these trips and what we learned is still probably the easiest way to travel, is the timeless classic of a road-trip.
 
For families, traveling by car is an economical way for families to escape for desperately needed quality time away from home.  During the Covid-19 pandemic, some families have stepped things up a couple of notches by renting RV’s and traveling across the country.
 
“These four-day-or-less trips allow you to see someplace new and get a break from everyday life. It's a good way to get the kids used to traveling without having to pack a ton of gear for everyone.” (Source: Tiny Beans)
 
Families are starting to check off the bucket list destinations once again.  One “change induced by the pandemic is that families reported that they are paying more attention to cancellation policies and to health and safety considerations when choosing travel destinations. Eighty percent of respondents said they will only book travel with companies that have flexible cancellation policies in place.” (Source:  Travel Agent)
 
Our travel and lifestyle public relations professionals are here to help savvy marketers capture their share of family travelers.  Give us a call.
 
By Robert Goldsmith at Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.

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