# The Path to Purchase: Uncovering How Travelers Plan and Book Online

**Publisher:** Expedia Group  
**Published:** n/a  
**Category:** Travel tech  
**Type:** Study  
**Access:** Free PDF  
**Official source:** https://partner.expediagroup.com/en-us/resources/research-insights/path-to-purchase  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/expedia-group-s-path-to-purchase-study-on-traveler-behaviors-key-findings-and-me

## At a glance
- 59% of hotel guests complete bookings on mobile website or app, signalling shift to mobile-first booking behaviour.
- Vacation rental guests spend 511 minutes consuming travel content before booking, representing substantial research investment.
- 80% of air bookers prioritise booking with loyalty programme brands, showing loyalty programme influence on airline selection.

## What the report covers
Expedia Group's study examines how travellers plan and book trips online across seven geographic markets. Conducted with Luth Research, the research surveyed 5,713 travellers and analysed a 70,000+ digital data panel to map the complete path to purchase: inspiration, research and planning, and booking. The study reveals how content consumption, booking channels, and loyalty influence traveller decisions across hotels, vacation rentals, and airlines.

## Key findings
The traveller's path to purchase comprises three distinct phases: inspiration, research and planning, and booking. Expedia Group's research reveals that how people plan and book trips has evolved, along with the types of content influencing their decisions. The report identifies where travellers draw inspiration, which resources they use to gather information, and the factors determining their final booking choice.

Mobile channels dominate hotel booking behaviour. According to the report, 59% of hotel guests book using a mobile website or app, reflecting the critical importance of mobile optimisation for hospitality providers seeking to convert online shoppers.

Content consumption precedes booking decisions. Vacation rental guests spend 511 minutes consuming travel content before completing a booking, according to the survey. This extended research phase suggests travellers require substantial information and comparison before committing to vacation rental purchases.

Loyalty programme membership significantly influences airline booking decisions. The research finds that 80% of air bookers consider it important to book with a brand where they hold loyalty membership status, highlighting the role of loyalty retention in airline distribution strategy.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel bookings via mobile website or app | 59% | Observed; survey respondents across seven countries, 2023 |
| Time vacation rental guests spend consuming travel content before booking | 511 minutes | Observed; survey respondents across seven countries, 2023 |
| Air bookers prioritising booking with loyalty programme brands | 80% | Observed; survey respondents across seven countries, 2023 |
| Survey respondents across participating countries | 5,713 | Survey base; seven geographic markets, 2023 |
| Geographic markets included in study | 7 | Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — Understanding where travellers draw inspiration and which content influences decisions enables DMOs to optimize marketing spend and content strategy. The study reveals destination influence opportunities across the inspiration phase, allowing marketing teams to identify high-impact touchpoints before research begins.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Mobile booking dominance (59% of hotel guests) demands investment in mobile user experience and checkout optimisation. Hospitality providers must also recognise that content consumption and loyalty significantly influence booking decisions, requiring integrated approaches to guest engagement and retention.

**Travel tech & distribution** — The research clarifies booking channel preferences and the extended research phase across accommodation types. Travel-tech platforms must optimise for mobile, provide robust content and comparison tools, and integrate loyalty programme functionality to capture and convert travellers throughout their extended decision journey.

## Methodology and limits
Expedia Group commissioned custom research with Luth Research across seven countries. The study surveyed 5,713 traveller respondents and analysed a digital data panel of 70,000+ travellers. The methodology combines survey responses with digital behaviour tracking to map the complete purchase journey across hotels, vacation rentals, and airlines. This brief is based on the publicly available summary; the full report contains detailed country and industry snapshots.

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© Expedia Group for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://partner.expediagroup.com/en-us/resources/research-insights/path-to-purchase