Travel Plans in the Digital Landscape -- Tech Trends Powered by The State of the American Traveler 2024

The Latest on Technology Trends among U.S. Travelers 

Technology Trends Powered by Future Partners' The State of the American Traveler Study closely examines how technology is used among travelers to plan their trips, as well as the role that tech plays in helping marketers reach travelers effectively. We explored the current role of digital influencers in travel planning and inspiration and examined travelers’ usage of artificial intelligence, online video, travel apps, and virtual reality headsets. Future Partners, alongside Miles Partnership, are excited to share the latest insights into technology trends among U.S.-based travelers, in our continued shared endeavor to keep the travel industry informed on new developments within the travel and media landscapes.  

Want to watch the presentation? Click here.

Digital Influencers and the Generational Divide 

 In what emerges as a trend throughout this year’s data around tech and travel planning, the use of digital influencers to help plan trips is sharply divided between younger and older generations. One in three Gen Z travelers say they have turned to a digital influence in the past year to plan their travel, compared to just 6.1 percent of Baby Boomer travelers.  

Podcasts Continue to Be a Stalwart in the Digital Media Landscape 

 Travelers continue to tune into podcasts. A third of total American travelers (32.9%) say they regularly listen to podcasts, making this a key media channel to reach audiences. Of those podcast listeners, their top genres are of the more light-hearted or wellness-oriented varieties, with entertainment/pop culture taking the top spot, followed by health/fitness and comedy. Half of podcast listeners typically use YouTube (50.1%) to tune in, followed closely by Spotify (46.0%), while just under one-third are using Apple Podcasts (30.3%). 

Travelers Often Use Online Video for Travel Planning, While Travel Apps Lag Slightly Behind 

 When it comes to travel planning, online videos continue to be widely used, with over one-third of American travelers (37.0%) reporting that they have used this digital resource to plan travel in the past 12 months. When asked how frequently they use online video for travel planning, over four in ten said they use it to some degree of regularity (40.9%).   

In comparison, travel apps are slightly less likely to be used for planning purposes, with a quarter of American travelers (26.8%) reported using a travel-related app to help them plan a trip in the past year. Of these travelers, more than half have used an online travel agency and/or a hotel app. Over four in ten reported using an airline app, while a third said they used a recommendations app such as TripAdvisor or Yelp.  

Stagnation in the Adoption of AI Tools and Virtual Reality Headsets 

 Currently, just over one in ten travelers (11.3%) have used an Artificial Intelligence tool to plan any trips in the past 12 months. There has been little movement on this metric since the start of 2024.  

In a similar vein, the adoption of virtual reality headsets has yet to take off, with only 15 percent of American travelers saying they currently own this type of tech. As seen with AI tools, this metric has not changed significantly in the past six years of tracking. However, when asked if they would be interested in using a virtual reality headset if there were good content available to research leisure destinations, more than one in three (37.1%) said they would be interested.  

For further insights into the technology segment, such as what kind of media they are consuming and destinations they are interested in visiting, email our research team at info@futurepartners.com. Don’t hesitate to ask about many of our other traveler segments!  

If you would like to watch the recorded presentation of findings, click here to visit Miles Partnership page.

Check out The State of the American Traveler to learn more!