An interesting academic study has come into my hands on the Most searched tourist activities on the internet from the United States. This study analyzes searches, search intent, satisfaction with results, how the search was performed, etc. In general, Valuable information for planning the SEO strategy of destinations and companies in the tourism sector.
The study was conducted in the US with 10,000 users. The only criticism is that it does not use very recent data (that is what academic research has) and works with data from 2008 and 2009, which on the Internet is an eternity. Even so, the results are interesting and I think they are still applicable at the beginning of 2013.
One of the most significant tables, and one that I think may be most useful, is the one that analyses the type of tourist activity most searched for on the Internet (Table 1 of the study).
Types of planning of tourist activities carried out online through a search engine:
| Searching for information about a specific destination | 76.2 % |
| Search for hotel prices or other similar establishments | 68.6% |
| Search for airline prices and schedules | 62.2% |
| Search for maps and directions to a destination | 55% |
| Search for things to do at the destination | 52.6% |
| Search for travel discounts and promotions | 45.3% |
| Searches for potential destinations to visit | 42.6% |
| Searches for places to eat or leisure activities at the destination | 41.8% |
| Search for car rental prices | 35.9% |
| Searching a local calendar to see events at your destination | 33.4% |
| Search for travel packages at resorts | 25.3% |
| Search for stores and places to buy | 23.5% |
| Searches related to cruises | 22.8% |
| Searches for websites that distribute free travel catalogues | 15.1% |
| 800 Number Searches (for information) | 8.4% |
This information can be useful, for example, for a hotel website. If we know that 52.3% of searches are related to things to do in a destination, we can create a section on our website with this information, and title it "what to do in ... (name of destination)". If 41.8% are looking for places to eat in a specific destination, we can do the same: create a section on our website where we offer this information. In short, it is about making "content marketing» That is, creating content that complements our own and that serves to attract search engine visits to our website.
Returning to the article in question, it also indicates that searches tend to be longer, but the authors do not see a correlation between long searches and satisfaction with the results obtained. Both those who perform long searches and those who perform short ones are equally satisfied with the results obtained: approximately 44%.
On the other hand, the study analyses which word they use in the first position when carrying out a search (see table 8 of the document). For searches related to hotels, it is usually the name of the hotel or directly its website; for tourist attractions, it is usually part of the slogan of their advertising; for destinations it is the name of the destination or the name of the magazine in which they have seen it mentioned; for routes it is very equal, it is both the name, the slogan and the website; on the other hand, to search for a means of transport, the name of an intermediary (an intermediation portal) is usually used.
The entire document can be downloaded from this link: A Framework of Search Engine Use for Travel Planning
I warn those who are not used to dealing with academic documentation that it is a bit hard to read because it is full of citations and methodological clarifications, which are necessary to give it academic validity and rigor in carrying out the research. Fortunately, you can go to the data tables and carry out your own analysis directly.
I hope you find it useful.
