As British holidaymakers consider booking their 2023 getaways, Newsworks business analyst Jennifer Schooling demonstrates how news publishers help put travel brands on the map
January is often described as cold and long, so it’s little wonder many of us start dreaming about places we would rather be. With the immediate impact of the pandemic continuing to fade, and travel brands making their comeback1, there is an expectation 2023 will see ad spend in the sector bounce back with a vengeance.
As Google Trends data shows searches for ‘hot holidays’ reaches its annual peak this month, we decided to deep dive into the news brand audience to see what travel habits brands can expect from our readers over the coming year.
Jet, set, go
The data is clear: the national news brand audience are keen jet setters. With 10.8 million adults holidaying outside the UK at least once in the past year, nine in 10 of those are monthly readers of news publisher content2.
In fact, the more frequently a person flies for leisure, the more likely they are to read national news brands.
Those who chose to holiday in Europe once or twice in the past 12 months index at 117, compared to 122 for those who visited Europe between three and six times and 98 for those who didn’t travel at all3.
Channel hopping
Of course, flying is just one way readers head on holiday. On a daily basis, news brands reach nearly six in 10 of those who have used the Eurostar or the Eurotunnel in the last two years and over eight in 10 every week2. The younger news brand audience is significantly more likely than older readers to opt for a holiday this way, indexing at 119 for weekly readers aged 18-34 versus 97 for those over 552.
With online searches for cruises expected to peak around 23 January, news brands should be on operators’ radar. Daily news brand readers are significantly more likely to have taken a cruise in the last two years, reaching two thirds of that audience2. Weekly readers over 55 are significantly more likely to have been on a cruise in the last year, indexing at 185 versus 56 for 18-34s2.
Holiday your way
While it might be a bit miserable outside, not everyone’s looking for a sunny beach getaway. On a weekly basis, publishers talk to 81% of those who have hit the slopes in the past two years, as well as 81% of city breakers in that time period2.
But when it comes to package holidaymakers versus those who prefer to do it their way, news brands offer plenty of reach to everyone: more than eight in 10 from both groups read news brand content on a weekly basis2.
Overall, news brands deliver a well-travelled audience. Any brand looking to reach an audience of frequent flyers, European tourists or long-haul globetrotters would do well to make an investment in news brands in 2023.
Sources: Ad Intel Nielsen ad spend data1, PAMCo 4 20222, Touchpoints SuperHub 20223
