Our latest report NYC Tourist Study - Planning for 2019 explores New York City tourists’ plans for 2019. The report provides insights into tourists’ NYC visit history, trip specifics, pre-planning, in-market planning, media usage, activity choice, spending, media habits, etc. across key tourist demographics. The full report is available now. Please contact us here if interested.
A lot of planning is done before tourists get to NYC, especially among parents. Of NYC travelers, 53% will plan all (12%) or most (41%) of their activities before arriving in NYC. A high 66% of those traveling with kids will plan all (17%) or most (49%) of their trip before leaving.
The below table outlines pre-market planning across US and international NYC tourists, and demonstrates similar trends across both groups.
Looking at the below table, those planning ahead will book Broadway shows (54%), attractions (44%), and museums (34%) with the greatest frequency, at a similar rate across international and US tourists. US tourists are slightly more inclined to make dinner reservations before leaving than international travelers (36% vs. 29%), while international tourists are much more inclined to book a bus or boat tours.
Pre-travel planning is dependent on search (62%) and travel websites (35%), mainly Google and Trip Advisor, while in-market research, is much more varied. Although search and travel websites are also key to in-market research, there are other critical channels, with 33% of tourists using travel apps, and 30% using local visitor magazines like City Guide to find activities.
The below table breaks out US and international tourists and what media they use in-market to decide on what to do. Outside of search, international tourists are more reliant on media across all of the main resources in order to figure out how to spend their time.
Knowing that a good portion of planning is done before tourists set foot in NYC, businesses need to adjust and ask some important questions: How critical is pre-booking to your business? If it’s high, make sure your search engine marketing is on point in your top feeder markets and your information on travel sites, like Trip Advisor, is up to date and your reviews aren’t negatively impacting sales. Are you a kid-centric experience? If so, note that parents traveling with kids tend to plan ahead at a significant rate. In-market planning revolves around many channels, not simply search and travel sites. If your budget permits, you should work to be in all major channels. No one has unlimited budget and knowing where to put your marketing dollars is critical. Our goal is to provide up to date actionable information to fine tune your spending, decrease waste, and increase sales.
The full report, NYC Tourist Study - Planning for 2019 is available now for purchase. Please contact us here if interested.
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