In our latest trend report, we take a look at travel, focusing on how mobile devices, real-time connectivity, social networking and the growing expectation of instant gratification are reshaping the travel experience. For this report, we interviewed travel experts and influencers and conducted quantitative surveys in the U.S. and the U.K. using SONAR™, JWT’s proprietary online tool.

1. REBOOTING
TRAVEL
APRIL 2011

2. WHAT WE‟LL COVER
Background and Methodology
Rebooting Travel
• Travel‟s Tiny Essential
• The New Travel Currency
• Unplugged Holidays
• Book NOW! The Urgency Economy and Travel
Things to Watch
• Marketing Work/Life Balance
• The New Chinese and Brazilian Tourist
• Culinary Calling Cards
• Gay-Centric Hotels
• Odyssey Trackers
Appendix
• Learn More about Our Experts and Influencers
REBOOTING TRAVEL

3. METHODOLOGY
JWT‟s Rebooting Travel is the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research
conducted by JWTIntelligence throughout the year.
Specifically for this report, we conducted quantitative surveys in the U.S. and the
U.K. using SONAR™, JWT‟s proprietary online tool, surveying 1,024 adults aged 18-
plus (590 Americans and 434 Britons) from March 4-15, 2011; data are weighted by
age and gender.
We also interviewed experts and influencers from the sector.
REBOOTING TRAVEL

4. TRAVEL‟S TINY
ESSENTIAL

5. TREND
No more toting guidebooks and folding maps—the smartphone is replacing them, with
its location-based services and guides, mobile mapping technologies and many
available travel apps. It‟s a one-stop shop that connects travelers with their
surroundings, each other and travel brands better than any traditional travel guide
ever could.
This ultimate traveler‟s companion is changing the travel landscape, putting a world
of information about our surroundings within easy reach and offering a much more
personalized experience. Today‟s travelers can hit the ground running, then plan on
the go without missing a beat.
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

6. DRIVERS
• Mobile as the Everything
Hub
• Expectation of instant
gratification
• Hyper-Personalization
• Worlds Colliding
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

7. DRIVERS (cont‟d.)
• Mobile as the Everything
Hub
• Expectation of instant
gratification
• Hyper-Personalization
• Worlds Colliding
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

8. MANIFESTATIONS: THE RISE OF THE DIGITAL GUIDE
“The publishing world has been talking for years
about how we are going to follow the music
industry down the pan. I don‟t think that is going
to happen tremendously quickly for publishing in
general, but travel guidebooks are absolutely
the front line. In travel it makes much more
sense to have digital rather than traditional
paper books.” — MARK ELLINGHAM, founder of the
Rough Guides series, “The end of the guidebook?”
Financial Times, August 6, 2010
Image credits: nycaudiotousapp.com; lonelyplanet.com TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

9. MANIFESTATIONS: ÜBER-NICHE GUIDES AND DATA
Image credits: google.com/mobile/goggles; Wikitude.org; seatauthority.com; goby.com TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

10. MANIFESTATIONS: THE SOCIAL GRAPH AS INFO HUB/RECOMMENDATION ENGINE
“If you try to pick a restaurant
based on Yelp reviews, it‟s like
walking up to a random group of
strangers and asking them where
you should eat. And while the
reviews are helpful and you may
learn something, you don‟t, know those people, you
don‟t know what they like. … With access to the social
graph, there‟s now the opportunity for individuals to
leverage their friends to get information. I think social
media and the social graph are the big things that we
do a little with today but will do a lot with in the
future, and I think that‟s the way recommendations
will start to work in the future.”
—MARK WATKINS, CEO and co-founder of Goby, a personalized
location-based activity search engine
Image credits: wanderfly.com; TripAdvisor YouTube Channel TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

11. MANIFESTATIONS: MOBILE MANUFACTURERS GETTING IN ON THE ACTION
As mobile, local, travel and search continue to overlap and integrate, watch for
mobile manufacturers to find innovative ways into the travel market.
The BlackBerry Travel app, launched in February, allows BlackBerry owners to book
hotels and flights, manage their travel itinerary, find local things to do through Yelp
and receive notifications of itinerary changes; it also taps into LinkedIn, letting users
compare itineraries.
Starting in June, Samsung phones will include a social travel service, Tripper, that
will help users find nearby points of interest, create itineraries, and add (and share)
photos, ratings and reviews.
Apple‟s rumored iTravel app is said to be focused on suggesting apps for users based
on location (e.g., a ticket finder app for someone in a theater district).
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

12. SIGNIFICANCE/RELEVANCE
Meet a new breed of traveler: the Foreign Local. Armed with mobile resources, these
travelers are clued in to the inner workings of a place (down to the bartender‟s
name), able to instantly familiarize themselves with their surroundings at the touch
of a button. And as more people come to rely on their mobile devices for on-the-go
planning, plugged-in travelers will rarely feel out of place, confused or lost.
At the same time, as the digital realm becomes more personalized, travelers will
come to expect uniquely tailored rather than generalized information from the travel
brands they interact with.
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

13. POTENTIAL
Mobile devices are disrupting many corners of the travel industry—from guidebook
publishing to human tour guides—as they become a one-stop shop for all things
travel. With travelers engaging these devices for trip planning, ticket purchasing,
navigation and more, brands have many new touchpoints. For instance, how can
the flight and hotel check-in process be made more social or game-like, leveraging
the popularity of location-based services such as Foursquare?
With the mobile travel market still taking shape, there are many opportunities,
especially as travelers come to rely more heavily on mobile services and as geo-
location apps start to drive behavior rather than simply reward decisions already
made. Travel companies can create dialogues with travelers throughout their trips
or selectively during the most relevant moments.
With the vast amount of travel information and recommendations out there, brands
can take a proactive role in the consumer‟s decision-making process—helping to
direct informed choices rather than simply adding to the content overload.
TRAVEL’S TINY ESSENTIAL

14. THE NEW TRAVEL
CURRENCY

15. TREND
Travel has always garnered some level of social currency. But where travelers of old
shared (and bragged about) their activities upon returning home, today‟s hyper-
connected and mobile-enabled vacationers are doing so in real time. Posting
photos, video and text updates amplifies the travel experience, affording an
opportunity to broadcast far and wide how cool, privileged, worldly, etc. the
traveler is.
“This concept isn‟t new, but it has been intensified,
especially with the advent of social media. The idea of
„keeping up with the Joneses‟ began in the late ‟90s when
people started choosing more sustainable holidays. When
more mainstream travel agencies started to market more
experiential holidays, it was accepted by early adopters,
which began the „one-up‟ concept. Social media has certainly
made it easier and more accessible.”
—BRUCE POON TIP, Bruce Poon Tip, founder and CEO of Gap
Adventures, a group travel company
THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

16. DRIVERS
• Life in real time
• Social living
• Social one-upmanship
THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

17. MANIFESTATIONS: FOURSQUARE BADGES
Real-time communications have only heightened the bragging rights associated with
attendance at mass cultural or sporting events as people comment and follow along on
social media. Foursquare badges awarded for attendance at such events can therefore
boost the user‟s social currency.
Image credits: foursquare.com/picklescoop; 4squarebadges.com THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

18. MANIFESTATIONS: BRANDS TAPPING INTO THE TREND
Image credits: TheJamieExperiment YouTube channel; http://www.facebook.com/americanexpress THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

19. SIGNIFICANCE/RELEVANCE
While relaying the experience to others has always been part of travel‟s appeal,
social media now affords travelers the instant gratification of sharing every highlight
on the spot with a broader audience, amplifying the social currency connected with
travel. Key brands with which travelers interact are being organically spread
throughout social networks.
THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

20. POTENTIAL
With travelers posting photos, videos, status updates and the like, there‟s
tremendous opportunity for brands to facilitate online boasting, as American
Express is doing with “Social Currency.”
Contextual advertising on social networks can also boost brands, with many
consumers motivated to “get in on the action” after reading about friends‟
activities. Brand‟s can also create incentives for name dropping in photo tags,
check-ins and the like through programs like Facebook‟s Sponsored Stories—a
program that rewards users for brand interactions with greater user visibility on
the social network.
Brands that create unique, transient experiences that attendees will want to brag
about can also drive social media word-of-mouth. Or more simply, marketers can
make direct connections between the experience they offer and its cachet on
social media.
THE NEW TRAVEL CURRENCY

21. UNPLUGGED
HOLIDAYS

22. TREND
In an extension of De-Teching, one of our 10 Trends for 2011, vacationers are
increasingly seeking refuge from technology: choosing to log off in an effort to
reconnect with loved ones, fully recharge and savor real-world experiences.
While many travelers feel empowered and comforted by having their mobile devices
on hand, they‟re also feeling weighed down by nonstop reminders of obligations
waiting back home. With relaxation hampered by constant connectivity, vacationers
are coming to regard De-Teching as the only way to truly get away from it all.
Slide 21 Image Credit: chuck_heston UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

23. DRIVERS
• Desire to savor the now
• Desire to revive
relationships
• Life in real time
• Blurring of work and
personal time
• Growing awareness of
digital‟s downside
• Far-reaching digital
coverage
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

24. DRIVERS (cont‟d.)
Digital communications have profoundly shifted
relationships, distracting people from focusing
• Desire to savor the now on loved ones. Constant connectivity has led
many to allow digital relationships to eclipse
real ones. As a result, vacationers are putting
• Desire to revive
increased focus on reconnecting with loved
relationships ones and strengthening those relationships.
• Life in real time Our survey found that 79% of U.S. and 68% of
British respondents use their vacations as a way
• Blurring of work and to rekindle personal relationships. Interestingly,
personal time the hyper-connected Millennials in the U.K
outpaced their elders, with 78% in agreement
• Growing awareness of
digital‟s downside With the fast-moving pace of the online world,
our digital lives have become a never-ending
• Far-reaching digital struggle to keep up. Did you see my e-mail? My
coverage status update? That YouTube clip? Digital
media‟s immediacy gives our social and
recreational time a “get „er done” quality once
reserved for work. People are coming to see
vacations as a chance to leave this digital
baggage at home.
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

25. DRIVERS (cont‟d.)
• Desire to savor the now “When I returned to civilization—and a phone—
[after De-Teching on vacation] I had over 50
• Desire to revive messages. But here‟s what I found most
relationships interesting: the first half of the messages all
• Life in real time raised problems that needed to be resolved, and
the second half were the same people telling
• Blurring of work and me not to worry about the first half because
personal time
they had resolved the problems on their own. It
• Growing awareness of turns out that unplugging created an
digital‟s downside opportunity for my team to grow, develop, and
exercise their own judgment .”
• Far-reaching digital
—PETER BREGMAN, CEO of management consulting firm
coverage
Bregman Partners, “The Mostly Unplugged Vacation,”
Harvard Business Review Blog, March 18, 2010
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

26. DRIVERS (cont‟d.)
• Desire to savor the now
• Desire to revive More and more research suggests that when
relationships people busy their minds with digital input,
they give up the downtime they need to
• Life in real time process information, come up with new ideas
and simply relax. By severing digital ties
• Blurring of work and while on vacation, people can more fully reap
personal time the mental health benefits of time off.
• Growing awareness of
With people Tweeting from Mount Everest and
digital‟s downside mid-flight, it seems impossible to escape
connectivity. As a result, vacationers are
• Far-reaching digital forced to practice self-restraint or seek out
coverage tech-disabled locales if they want a break.
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

27. MANIFESTATIONS: LOW-TECH VACATION ZONES
“I really wanted to bring back the concept of
having a true getaway. You can have a much more
fulfilling experience with the people you‟re with
if you don‟t have those distractions. … We had
rooms wired for telephones, but people said, „Do
you really need to put them in?‟ Now we will
never install them!”
—MAURICE BONHAM CARTER, president and CEO of Island
Destinations and co-owner of Arawak Beach Inn, “10
Unplugged Vacations,” ForbesTraveler.com, June 2008
Image Credit: Satemkemet UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

28. MANIFESTATIONS: MOBILE-FREE ZONES
Though cell phone etiquette in
public spaces is still being
hammered out, some commuter
train lines designate “quiet”
cars where technology use is
banned and U.K.-based train
operator c2c has even installed
a signal-blocking film on
windows to ensure riders a bit of
peace and tranquility
Image Credit: ChazWags UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

29. MANIFESTATIONS: MARKETERS TAP INTO THE TREND
Image credits: Ads of the World Copa Airlines; Ads of the World Melchers Travel Agency; FloridaKeysTV YouTube Channel UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

30. SIGNIFICANCE/RELEVANCE
Consumers are tech-fatigued, stressed out and over-stimulated, and mobile devices
ensure that some of that stress follows them on vacation. Travel and tourism brands
that facilitate De-Teching holidays offer opportunities to reconnect with loved ones
and more fully savor the moment.
With a growing segment of vacationers less interested in whether resorts are “wired”
and equipped with the latest technology, brands can profit by offering isolation—a
peaceful, quiet and distraction-free bubble in which travelers can recharge.
With the pull of digital connections strongly felt, however, there is also some guilt
and fear about unplugging. More than a third of respondents expressed fears of
“missing something” if they found themselves unable to check their mobile phone, e-
mail or social networking site regularly while on vacation; this fear is most
pronounced among Millennials, with 60% of American and 54% of British Millennials
agreeing. Over one-third of overall respondents also feel guilty not answering
messages (business or personal) while away.
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

31. SIGNIFICANCE/RELEVANCE (cont‟d.)
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

32. POTENTIAL
While addicted to constant connectivity and fearful of missing out on something
important if they unplug, people also yearn for a break from the bombardment. As
experts in relaxation, travel brands can give consumers permission to De-Tech and
help assure them that it‟s a healthy choice that‟s only enhancing their holiday.
Since a fully unplugged vacation may not be an option for all, brands can help
vacationers dip into their digital lives as necessary.
Restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues can consider limiting Wi-Fi and
digital device use in order to cultivate a warmer, less distracting experience.
Hospitality venues can also help to facilitate the low-tech travel experience,
whether through planned activities or streamlining arrangements so that travelers
have less real need for their devices.
UNPLUGGED HOLIDAYS

33. BOOK NOW!
THE URGENCY ECONOMY
&TRAVEL

34. URGENCY ECONOMY: TRAVEL
Travel is one of many categories
affected by today‟s Urgency
Economy (one of our 10 Trends
for 2011). As time-sensitive
deals experience a renaissance
among younger, hipper and
more “in the know” consumers,
we‟re seeing the “act now”
strategy adapted to the booking
and travel-planning process.
Sites like TripAdvisor‟s
SniqueAway—which sometimes
requires a decision within 24
hours—are helping to nudge
travelers back to their pre-
recessionary, “spend-now-think-
later” ways.
Image credits: http://escapes.livingsocial.com/deals/25749-5-days-on-grand-bahama-island BOOK NOW! THE URGENCY ECONOMY & TRAVEL

35. URGENCY ECONOMY: TRAVEL (cont‟d.)
BOOK NOW! THE URGENCY ECONOMY & TRAVEL

36. THINGS TO WATCH
IN TRAVEL

37. THINGS TO WATCH: MARKETING THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Even as people work longer hours in today‟s
demanding economy, they‟re more aware
than ever of the link between stress and
health—something a range of travel brands
are tapping into. Watch for more marketers
to target consumers anxious over achieving a
work/life balance.
Image credit: RoyalCaribbeanIntl YouTube Channel; No Leave No Life THINGS TO WATCH IN TRAVEL

38. THINGS TO WATCH: THE NEW CHINESE AND BRAZILIAN TOURIST
The booming economies of China and
Brazil are changing the face of
international tourism. Outbound tourism
expenditure from Brazil skyrocketed by
52% last year; from China it was up by
17%, according to the UN World Tourism
Organization. Compare that with
traditional markets such as Australia,
France and the U.S., where outbound
expenditure grew by 9%, 4% and 2%,
respectively. About three in 10 travel
industry executives cite in- and outbound
travel from emerging markets as the “as
the single biggest opportunity for the
travel industry…over the next five
years,” according to the World Travel
Market 2010 Industry Report.
Image credit: feserc THINGS TO WATCH IN TRAVEL

39. THINGS TO WATCH: CULINARY CALLING CARDS
Several high-profile names will be producing
projects worth watching: Filmmaker Guillermo
del Toro has launched a transmedia enterprise,
Mirada, billed as “a storytelling engine in the
form of a company”; Ron Howard‟s adaptation of
the Stephen King book series The Dark Tower
will involve three films (the first is due in 2013),
with TV series between each to continue the
story; and an Inception video game is being
developed by Christopher Nolan, which the
director has described as an opportunity to
incorporate “all kinds of ideas that you can‟t fit
into a feature film.” While transmedia
entertainment is a natural fit for the sci-fi,
fantasy or horror genres, watch for it to expand
to other genres.
Image credit: citymama THINGS TO WATCH IN TRAVEL

40. THINGS TO WATCH: GAY-CENTRIC HOTELS
Lords, a gay-focused Miami hotel
that opened in late 2010, is looking
to open in New York and L.A. Fort
Lauderdale‟s Royal Palms Resort &
Spa has expanded from 12 rooms to
62 to accommodate more of its male
clientele. And with The Out NYC
“urban resort”—which will include an
Axel Hotel, restaurant, stores and a
club—in the works in Manhattan,
watch for more projects inspired by
Spain-based Axel.
Image credit: www.lordssouthbeach.com/ THINGS TO WATCH IN TRAVEL

41. THINGS TO WATCH: ODYSSEY TRACKERS
With tools that combine social media and
GPS tracking, extreme adventurers are
broadcasting their adventures in real time
to a global audience. Geospatial company
Esri creates custom Web trackers such as
Live on Everest, which followed teenager
Jordan Romero‟s 2010 ascent. And the app
EpicTracker offers a “customizable map
that geo-locates all of your social media
posts including blogs, podcasts, photos,
videos, Tweets and Facebook status
updates—then posts them on your map in
real time.”
Image credit: fPat THINGS TO WATCH IN TRAVEL

42. APPENDIX

43. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR
EXPERTS & INFLUENCERS

44. GREG SULLIVAN, co-founder, CEO and editorial director of AFAR Media
APPENDIX: LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS AND INFLUENCERS

45. BRUCE POON TIP, founder and CEO of Gap Adventures
APPENDIX: LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS AND INFLUENCERS

46. MARK WATKINS, founder and CEO of Goby
APPENDIX: LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS AND INFLUENCERS

47. THANK YOU
Ann M. Mack Jessica Vaughn
Director of Trendspotting Trends Strategist
JWT Worldwide JWTIntelligence
ann.mack@jwt.com Jessica.vaughn@jwt.com
@annmmack @jess_vaughn
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