What are travelers on Google searching for?

For many consumers, searching for any product – including travel – starts at one spot: Google.

So when it comes to travel searches, how has consumer behavior changed as vaccine distribution rolls out and people start to consider getting away?

According to travel discovery platform TripsToDiscover, which analyzed Google search activity in the United States, searches are up dramatically for travel products since January 1, 2021.

Get a dose of digital travel in your inbox each day

Subscribe to our newsletter below

Google data reveals that searches for hotels are up 92% and up 79% for flights and 88% for cruises.

The largest overall increases in travel search have occurred in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, though people in Florida are the most active for travel search, which has been the case since 2019.

Meanwhile, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia and Maine have seen the largest overall decreases in travel search.

Although hotels are benefiting the most from search activity, vacation rental searches have remained relatively steady, TripsToDiscover finds.

Additionally, search activity for Airbnb remains higher than Vrbo.

Read more…