Winning direct bookings has never been more important, or more difficult. Today's travelers don't move through a predictable booking funnel. They discover destinations on social media, compare prices across multiple sites, seek advice from AI tools, revisit travel brand websites, and often delay booking until the last possible moment. Every interaction creates an opportunity to win, or lose the customer.
Our latest research: The Future of Travel report explores how traveler expectations are changing and what those changes mean for marketers responsible for driving direct revenue, improving customer loyalty, and reducing dependence on third-party channels.
Travelers aren't making booking decisions based on price alone. Across all generations, an easier booking experience rivals, and in some cases exceeds the importance of better pricing when choosing to book directly with a travel brand. At the same time, trust, loyalty benefits, flexibility, and personalized experiences continue to influence where travelers ultimately complete their booking.
The takeaway? Competing on discounts alone is becoming a losing strategy.
Search engines remain a major discovery channel, but social media, recommendations from friends and family, travel brand websites, and even AI assistants all play meaningful roles in the decision-making process.
For marketers, this reinforces an important reality: customers don't experience your channels separately. They experience your brand as one connected journey.
AI is becoming part of travel planning, but consumer attitudes are far from straightforward. While many travelers are comfortable using AI to compare travel options or research destinations, most still distrust AI-generated travel recommendations, and many already feel overwhelmed by AI appearing across digital experiences.
Understanding where AI adds value, and where human experiences still matter will become a defining advantage for travel brands over the next several years.
The report explores much more than individual survey results. It reveals how booking motivations differ across generations, what influences travelers to choose direct channels over OTAs, which marketing channels capture attention, how consumers think about personalization, and where automation still falls short.
Whether you're responsible for CRM, eCommerce, digital marketing, lifecycle marketing, or customer experience, these insights provide a practical view of how traveler expectations are evolving, and what your organization should prioritize next.
This article only scratches the surface. The full Future of Travel report includes detailed generational data, analysis across every survey question, and actionable recommendations designed to help travel brands increase direct bookings, strengthen customer relationships, and deliver more relevant customer experiences.
Download the full report to explore the complete findings, uncover additional trends, and discover practical recommendations that will help shape your travel marketing strategy for 2026.