Destinations

The competition for travelers' attention has never been more intense. Tourism boards and destination marketers are evolving their strategies to engage visitors, shape experiences, and drive demand in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Skift Research delivers deep analysis on tourism trends, competitive positioning, and traveler intent, helping destinations stay ahead. We explore how marketing campaigns, digital engagement, and economic factors influence visitation patterns and traveler decision-making.

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From brand storytelling and sustainability efforts to emerging source markets and seasonality trends, our research equips industry leaders with the data and insights needed to attract the next generation of travelers.

Stay ahead of the curve with in-depth research on tourism demand, evolving consumer behavior, and the strategies shaping top destinations worldwide.

Airlines

Skift Global Travel Economy Outlook 2019

As we wrap up 2018, our latest Skift Research report dives into what went well this year and what we can expect heading into 2019. Looking ahead, we expect another strong year of economic growth, with a few different puts and takes, which should translate well for the travel industry.
Rebecca Stone and Seth Borko |
Destinations

U.S. Repeat Visitation Survey 2018

Creating customer loyalty can be a challenge for brands in the travel industry, and this is especially true for destinations. The results of our U.S. Repeat Visitation Survey help decode visitors who choose to return to destinations.
Meghan Carty |
Airlines

Digital Advertising Trends in Travel 2018

Along with marketers’ heavy investment in digital, the quality of digital advertising continues to improve with more advanced targeting and measurement capabilities. Optimized marketing success requires the right media mix and the right types of technology.
Haixia Wang |
Airlines

U.S. Traveler In-Destination Mobile Usage Survey 2018

Mobile has become a key component of the in-destination experience for U.S. travelers today. From finding things to do, to spontaneous bookings, mobile apps and websites have a role to play at each part of the in-destination journey. Travel brands that can find a meaningful place in this mobile journey have a lot to gain.
Meghan Carty |
Airlines

U.S. Affluent Traveler Trends 2018: Annual Survey on Travel Behavior

The relative spending power of affluent Americans makes them an attractive and strategic group for travel brands to target. The results of our second annual U.S. Affluent Traveler Survey help us understand key trends when it comes to their travel preferences, attitudes, and behaviors. Segmenting further by other characteristics allows us to create a more refined consumer portrait of such a lucrative, complex, and diverse group.
Meghan Carty |
Destinations

The State of Tours and Activities 2018

Optimizing a fragmented and traditionally offline model is obviously going to take time. However, we expect key players in the tours and activities space to increasingly try new strategies not only to increase scale, access to distribution, and consumer reach, but also to enhance in-destination experiences for travelers and locals alike.
Margot Bigg, Rebecca Stone, and Seth Borko |
Destinations

WeChat Marketing Strategies for Global Travel Brands 2018

WeChat, China’s most popular app, has infiltrated the daily lives of its nearly one billion monthly active users. The popularity and penetration of the app in the country makes it an attractive platform for global travel brands looking to unlock the China market. Without a thoughtful WeChat strategy, however, this is easier said than done.
Meghan Carty |
Airlines

Room for Optimism: 2018 Global Travel Market Outlook

There is room for optimism heading into 2018 for the global travel industry. Emerging and developing markets are showing healthy signs of growth, and global consumer and business confidence is high. Policy uncertainty and geopolitical tensions can’t be ignored, but outside of any major shock, we expect travel to benefit from a solid year of macroeconomic growth in 2018.
Rebecca Stone |