Google's 2012 Traveler "Road to Decision" Presentation

Google has released its 2012 Traveler “Road to Decision” presentation. Good stuff. Here are the key takeaways you need to know:

• Travelers desire to define value continues to be strong. This was a big theme of my presentations to NGCOA  and to HEDNA earlier this year.
• Leisure and business travelers prioritize search differently. This is new. In the past the differences between leisure and business were fairly minimal.
• Mobile is driving increased search query growth.
• Significant growth in both leisure (38%) and business (57%) traveler mobile access to travel information on the Internet.
• Oh, and both business and leisure travelers increasingly “don’t use a computer” to access that information (ignoring, of course, that mobile devices are computers .)
• A bad mobile website blocks bookings (#1 determining factor). Make sure you’re mobile enough .
• Video offers opportunity to differentiate your travel product.

Google no longer offers the presentation to embed (as of mid-2013, which leads me to believe the 2013 data is coming soon). In the meantime, you can download the presentation as a PDF here or view it on Google here .

Of course, don’t forget, I’m available to speak about these and other key trends affecting the industry at your next event .

If you’re interested in learning more about travel marketing and where it’s going—as well as lessons that apply to a host of other industries—register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” You can get your free copy of the report here .

Finally, you might also enjoy some of our past coverage of these changes in the marketplace, including:

• 4 Reasons Why Google Metasearch in Maps Matters (Travel Tuesday)
• Why Travel Marketers Must Think Mobile Right Now (Travel Tuesday)
• How Big Will Mobile Be? (Travel Tuesday)
• How to Get in Your Customers’ Pants… Pocket (Travel Tuesday)
• Where Google, Facebook, and Expedia Want to Take Your Guests (Travel Tuesday)
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• The Future of Travel Search and Mobile (Travel Tuesday)