VOYAGE VOYAGE

A banner year for travel is well and truly under way. John Perney on the notable trends for 2023, according to Global Hotel Alliance

ALondon family of four’s excitement grows by the day as their 10-day spring sojourn to Japan draws closer. Two years after the pandemic’s peak, the family is itching to continent-hop; to become immersed in the tastes and treasures of Tokyo and to unearth the imperial charms of Kyoto – a day trip to the shrines and temples of the Nikko Unesco World Heritage Site notwithstanding.

They aren’t alone. Across the world and around the planet, the appetite to travel has never been keener, a point underscored by the results of the latest survey of Global Hotel Alliance Discovery loyalty programme members.

“Our survey paints a very positive picture for leisure travel in 2023, with our members signalling an overwhelming desire to globetrot, try new experiences and connect with family and friends, building on the momentum of this past year,” says GHA executive vice president Kristi Gole.

Japan is the preferred country to visit in 2023, according to GHA’s survey. After a miserable 2021 (remember those postponed Olympics with no spectators?), it is dealing with a tourism deluge. The number of foreigners forecast to visit in 2023 is 21.1 million, a 450% increase over last year. But while our London-based family will travel across many time zones to the Land of the Rising Sun, most GHA members plan to travel mostly within their own regions.

When it comes to hotel and accommodation choices, location, price and loyalty programme emerged from the survey as the top three factors this year. Room upgrades, discounts and other perks – all of which are core benefits of GHA Discovery – were cited by members as crucial to enriching their overall hotel experience.

“The results are particularly encouraging against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty,” says Gole. “Members are telling us that value for money and loyalty programme benefits are now most influencing their hotel booking decisions.”

Prior to arrival, however, the actual act of travelling ranks especially high in 2023. Discovery members, of which there are some 22 million, are longing for leisure escapes, with some planning as many as six trips this year. Asia emerged as the vacation spot of choice for those based in Australia and the UK. The US, Oceania and Thailand were also popular choices, and regional travel was a regular survey response as well.

Tellingly, the opportunity to “see and experience new things” is a primary motivator, as is the chance to embark on those ‘never before’ journeys with family and friends, oftentimes to conurbations, though some indicated their intention to visit – and relax – at beach locales.

And once that destination is reached, whether travellers are pounding the pavements or getting sand between their toes, they are increasingly taking comfort knowing that their Discovery perks are not only following along but accumulating for use in a future getaway. “The reimagination of GHA Discovery, launched a year ago, becomes even more relevant,” Gole says, “with our new digital rewards currency, Discovery Dollars, adding more value to each stay.”

And, in one more survey highlight, respondents across all regions increasingly prefer GHA’s booking platform to research accommodations for their next leisure or business journey, even more than online travel agents or hotel brand websites. The loyalty programme comes a close second as the preferred way to book, after a hotel’s direct website.

As Gole suggests, perhaps this comes as no surprise. “This not only reflects the user-friendliness of the GHA Discovery mobile app and website,” she says, “but GHA’s extraordinary collection of 40-plus independent hotel brands with more than 800 properties in 100 countries across the globe, all in one stop.”

For more information or to join the programme for free, visit ghadiscovery.com or download the GHA DISCOVERY mobile app.