ACI World has released the newest edition of its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Global Traveller Survey (GTS) report, revealing a positive intention to travel despite the state of the global economy.
ACI World engaged over 4,000 travelers from 30 countries who have traveled by air at least once in the past 12 months. The GTS report was created to provide key insights into the evolution of traveler behaviors and expectations and contribute to the advancement of airport experience excellence by exploring current and emerging travel trends, and monitor the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry.
According to the report, globally, 54% of respondents traveling for leisure and personal reasons said that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year. However, although travelers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence was found for the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviors in the past 12 months or on their forecast behaviors for the next 12 months. Indeed, travelers have reportedly never been more eager to travel. The researchers found that 56% of respondents are planning to travel within the next three months, compared with 51% at the same time last year.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general at ACI World, said, “This year’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveler behaviors and expectations. The findings show that while travelers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel. While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction, with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies.”
The report also found that the top consumer trends influencing traveler behaviors and preferences were automation, the personalization of travel experience, emotional engagement, remote and hybrid work, and sustainability. According to ACI, 58% of travelers favor technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration.
In terms of the personalization of the travel experience, 74% of travelers would use an app that pushes personalized information to make their journey more fluid. Additionally, passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport. Alongside these factors, the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip. Finally, 72% of travelers expect to see a green environment at airports and 43% of respondents have heard of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
To find out more about ACI’s latest developments, click here.