'Tis the season for travel companies to deliver some of the most important trips of the year. But according to new research from Google, 88 percent of travel marketers recognize that some areas of their business are not ready to meet customer demands this holiday season.

It begs the question: what do travel marketers say they need in order to bridge the gap? When asked, more respondents valued "insights delivered from trusted partners" over "having an increased marketing budget." Unsurprisingly, much of this insights gap relates to changing travel restrictions, health and safety measures, and meeting new traveller demands for sustainable travel choices.

The reality is that travellers' priorities today have changed dramatically from those of 2019 and earlier. In APAC, "health and safety procedures" is the single most crucial factor influencing holiday travel—beating "price, deals and discounts." In the US, price is still key, but "health and safety procedures" tied with "flexibility and availability" for second place.

The good news is that 36 percent of people worldwide are now participating in some form of travel activity, and travellers say they feel safer now than they did in January 2021—the perceived risk of vacationing is down 17 percent in that period. This means the industry can get back to doing what it does best at this time of year—reuniting travellers with their loved ones. In fact, 60 percent of trips originating in North America and EMEA this holiday season will be international.

Leading travel companies will reap rewards this season from satisfying customer demands for information, flexibility and safety. If you're a travel company looking to guide your customers seamlessly and securely through the COVID-19 travel landscape, sherpa° can help provide the information they need and the documentation they require. For a personalized demo, contact us today