As Americans plan their summer vacations a new study for the RAB by Provoke Insights finds that 39% of radio listeners are planning a domestic trip this year. Additionally, 22% of radio listeners in the U.S. have booked a stay at a hotel, while 16% have purchased an airline ticket and another 2% booked a cruise.
In a study that is available for RAB Members HERE, Provoke Insights found that 69% of radio listeners who travel tend to pay more for sustainably sourced items. The majority are also married (61%), while 27% have made major home improvements in the last three months and 23% have bought or leased a car.
“They are a rich audience travel agencies and tourism boards should try to reach,” Stephanie Heracleous, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB writes in a blog post detailing some of the findings. “Taking advantage of how radio can help drive business for travel agents and bring awareness to new places to see can give listeners an extra push to plan their summer vacations.”
In its overview of its “Travel and Radio Report,” Provoke Insights says “Radio listeners are significantly less worried about the potential risks of traveling due to COVID. Radio fans are slightly more likely to put down cash for a vacation when booking a hotel stay and buying plane tickets.”
Research shows that 41% of non-radio listeners are less worried about COVID-19 when it comes to vacationing, while 34% of radio listeners share the same concern.
Domestic vacations are the favored destination for radio listeners with 24% of radio listeners saying they went on a domestic vacation within the last three months, compared to 16% of non-radio listeners. International travel indexes are low for both cells, with 5% of non-radio listeners saying they have traveled internationally recently, compared to 4% of radio listeners.
Looking ahead, 39% of radio listeners are planning a domestic vacation within the next three months, versus 28% of non-radio listeners. The percentage is the same for both groups (7%) who plan an international vacation within the next three months.
The study also found that radio listeners are loyal to airline brands, with 57% of radio listeners saying so compared to 43% of non-radio listeners. However, only 32% of radio listeners show brand loyalty to hotel brands, compared to 38% of non-radio listeners.
Provoke Insights found that 50% of those polled searched online for more information after hearing a radio advertisement. Additionally, 27% spoke to others about the ad; 19% bought the product; 14% asked a smart speaker device for more information, wrote down a promo code for later use, or followed the brand on social media.
Station loyalty also played into the findings with 23% of radio listeners saying they followed a radio station on social media; 12% entered a radio station contest and 5% attended a radio station event.
Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65 for its Travel and Radio Report. The study was in-field from March 1-10.