uk short breaks insights

UK Short Breaks Insights

2016 Travel Overview

The digital transformation of the UK travel industry continues with online booking accounting for the majority of travel bookings in 2016

Source – ABTA (association of British travel agents) Holiday Habits Report 2016

Despite the uncertainties of 2016, the average number of holidays taken per person in the UK rose to 3.4 from 3.2 in 2015. The rise was largely driven by an increase in domestic holidays

Source – ABTA (association of British travel agents) Holiday Habits Report 2016

City breaks were the most popular type of Holiday taken in 2016 – with over 50% of respondents having taken one and almost as many planning to take one in 2017

Source - ABTA (association of British travel agents) Holiday Habits Report 2016

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2016 Travel Overview Summary

• Online booking prevailed as the most popular form of travel booking in 2016 (accounting for 76% of travel bookings)

• Despite the uncertainties of 2016, average holidays per person increased to 3.4 from 3.2 in 2015

• Domestic holidays were behind this increase in average holidays per person. They rose to an average of 2 per person – the highest average for domestic holidays since 2012

• City breaks were the most popular holiday type in 2016, with this trend expected to continue in 2017

How to capture the 2017 opportunity?

Spring Short Breaks | Capturing The 2017 Opportunity

Internal Source: volume of generic searches related to Short Breaks and all travel related searches relative to the average monthly volume between Nov 2015 – Nov 2016, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, all devices. Internal Source: generic short breaks YoY % change in terms of search volume, click volume, top position CPC and top position CTR

Flights: 24%Travel Info: 22%Lodging: 14%Car Hire: 12%

Trains: 4%

The Short Breaks Opportunity on the Bing Network• January is a key period for generic short breaks search volume (+44% vs index for this period). Unlike the

travel vertical overall, generic short breaks search volume remains strong after January, and is +19% vs index between February and April as spring bank holidays approach in April & May

• During last years seasonal volume peak for short breaks (Jan – Apr), short breaks search and click volume increased by over 15% YoY whilst top position CPC declined (-4%) and CTR rose (11+%)

A Closer Look At Short Breaks…


Trains: 4%

Travel all up: 21%Holidays: 36%Skiing: 26%Cruise: 25%

Destination and Spa short breaks proved popular during the seasonal volume peak (Jan – Apr 2016) last year

Internal Source: Share of searches with Short Breaks travel intent by category, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, Jan – Apr 2016, all devices*Activity Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park Short Breaks*Destination Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city Short Breaks*Spa Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to spa Short Breaks or weekends*Other Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific Short Breaks, often themed e.g. romantic Short Breaks, luxury Short Breaks

Generic Short Breaks Search Volume – Device Breakdown


Trains: 4%


• 30% of generic short breaks search volume derived from mobile & tablet traffic

• Spa short breaks saw the strongest mobile & tablet traffic, accounting for 31% of volume

• Activity & Other short breaks saw the weakest mobile & tablet traffic, accounting for 28% of volume

Internal Source: Short Breaks travel search volume by category, split by device, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, Jan – Apr 2016.*Activity Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park Short Breaks*Destination Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city Short Breaks*Spa Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to spa Short Breaks or weekends*Other Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific Short Breaks, often themed e.g. romantic Short Breaks, luxury Short Breaks

Unmasking the short breaks audience on Bing Ads


Trains: 4%


• Generic short breaks searches were most prominent amongst the 50-64 age group and were led by women

• Spa short breaks were popular with younger audiences, with over 46% of volume deriving from consumers under 34

*Activity Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park Short Breaks*Destination Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city Short Breaks*Spa Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to spa Short Breaks or weekends*Other Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific Short Breaks, often themed e.g. romantic Short Breaks, luxury Short Breaks

Internal Source: Search volume with Short Breaks travel intent by age and gender for each short breaks category, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites, in the UK, Jan – Apr 2016, all devices

Top Position CPC By Device

Internal Source: top/first position CPC for generic Short Breaks searches by category, split by device, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, Jan - Apr 2016, *Activity Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park Short Breaks*Destination Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city Short Breaks*Spa Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to spa Short Breaks or weekends*Other Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific Short Breaks, often themed e.g. romantic Short Breaks, luxury Short Breaks

• Top position CPC bids were 17% cheaper on Mobile & Tablet vs PC for all up generic short breaks searches

• Activity & Destination generic short breaks searches saw the highest top position CPC’s, across all devices

• Spa generic short breaks searches saw the lowest top position CPC’s, across all devices

Top Position CTR By Device

Internal Source: top/first position CTR for generic Short Breaks searches by category, split by device, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, Jan - Apr 2016, *Activity Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park Short Breaks*Destination Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city Short Breaks*Spa Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to spa Short Breaks or weekends*Other Short Breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific Short Breaks, often themed e.g. romantic Short Breaks, luxury Short Breaks

• Top position CTR was 26% higher on mobile & tablet vs PC for all up generic short breaks searches• Activity & Destination generic short breaks searches saw the highest top position CTR’s, across

all devices• Spa generic short breaks searches saw the lowest top position CTR’s, across all devices

Other

Top 15 Short Breaks Keywords (Jan - Apr 2016)

1. cheap weekend breaks2. romantic breaks3. log cabin breaks4. last minute breaks5. romantic weekend

breaks6. romantic breaks uk7. cheap breaks8. hot tub breaks9. midweek breaks10. family breaks11. mini breaks12. last minute weekend

breaks13. cheap short breaks14. uk family breaks15. last minute short breaks

1. spa breaks2. spa breaks uk3. spa weekends4. spa break5. spa breaks couples6. cheap spa breaks7. spa breaks yorkshire8. spa hotel breaks9. spa breaks scotland10. hotel spa breaks11. spa breaks kent12. last minute spa breaks13. spa breaks cheshire14. spa weekend breaks15. weekend spa breaks

Spa1. city breaks2. weekend breaks

england3. city breaks europe4. short breaks uk5. amsterdam breaks6. cheap city breaks7. weekend breaks

europe8. last minute city breaks9. weekend breaks uk10. new york breaks11. uk breaks12. city breaks rome13. city breaks uk14. london breaks15. new york city breaks

Destination1. london theatre breaks2. theatre breaks3. golf breaks uk4. theatre breaks london5. golf breaks ireland6. golf breaks scotland7. theatre breaks

manchester8. hotel theatre breaks9. uk golf breaks10. golf breaks spain11. golf breaks england12. london theatre breaks

rail13. theatre breaks

edinburgh14. disneyland paris breaks15. Golf break

Activity

Internal Source: top 15 generic short breaks queries by breaks travel category, Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, Jan - Apr 2016, all devices*Activity breaks are defined as queries relating to golf, theatre or theme park breaks*Destination breaks are defined as queries relating to destination specific or city breaks*Spa breaks are defined as queries relating to spa breaks or weekends*Other breaks are defined as queries relating to non-destination specific or non activity specific breaks, often themed e.g. romantic breaks, luxury breaks

InternationalDomestic


Trains: 4%


Internal Source: Top destinations domestic to and outside of the UK by search volume looking at user queries related to Short Breaks, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK, All devices, Nov 2016

Top trending short breaks destinations in November 2016

London AmsterdamEngland New York

Edinburgh ParisYork Ireland

Cornwall BarcelonaManchester DublinBirmingham Iceland

Belfast VeniceGlasgow Berlin

Blackpool Spain

Brand & Endorsements CTA Delivery Incentives

Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality™ º collect � same day delivery �official � shop � home delivery �Brand Term � get � next day delivery �recommended º buy � free p&p º® º view � free delivery �as seen on tv � compare º free returns ºnumber 1 � call º free shipping �© � find � enquire � see º check º

How to read an ad copy heat map

� Strong impact, rarely usedº Strong impact, sometimes used

� Strong impact, but used often� Fair impact, rarely usedº Fair impact, sometimes used� Fair impact, but used often� Limited impact, but rarely usedº Limited impact, but sometimes

used� Limited impact, but used often

Individual Tokens

Ad quality explanations

Top Tip: The greener and fuller the circle, the more likely your ad will stand out

How well tokens impact your ad

quality

How many other

advertisers are actively using

the token

We’ve looked at two dimensions in Bing Ads:1 2

. .

Generic Short Breaks SearchesAd Copy Analysis

Internal source: Ad quality analysis is based on the performance of specific tokens within ad copy that showed for generic Short Breaks searches. Nov 2015 – Nov 2016, across devices on Bing, Yahoo & AOL sites in the UK

Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality Token Ad Quality

enquire + Save % destinations unique experiences

browse & value flight + hotel leading

order ! from [£] packages transfers included

call {param2: save package top 5

now {param1: Up to % Off () night easy

book {keyword: (£)pp flexible best

get cheapest atol protected choice

find massive savings luxury deals

visit £()pp () nights exclusive

view lowest safe ideal

hurry cheap premium offers

discover huge savings secure unbeatable

research affordable simple

compare value for money brilliant

check best price range

search discount sale

USPCTA Dynamic Inclusion & Special Symbols

Pricing and value perception drivers User Needs

Capturing the short breaks opportunity - Summary

Budget: ensure there’s room in your budget to capture the Jan – Apr surge in search volumeTiming: Start bidding early as search volume is highest in Jan despite spring bank holidays occurring later in April & May Mobile: invest in mobile campaigns and a mobile experience (31% of searches coming from mobile and tablet devices during the seasonal peak)Demographics: review your demographic bid modifiers (over 60% of short breaks searches came from women and those aged 35-65)Capturing the audience: go for top position and leverage Bing trending keywords and ad copy heat maps. And up your visual appeal! Opt into Sitelink, Call, Review and App extensionsFollow the trends: capitalise on trending destinations on the Bing Network

uk short breaks insights

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