Summer travel insights from Montrose Travel

What are the top factors fueling your desire to get away with family this summer? According to a recently released survey of travel agency members from Ensemble Travel Group in the U.S. and Canada – including Montrose Travel, among Ensemble’s top 25 agencies – consumers are looking for reduced price and travel costs, while still accomplishing a sense of togetherness.     Significant growth has been reported in the multi-generational travel segment as consumers request family getaways that extend beyond the immediate and incorporate grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. While “desire to spend quality time together as a family” was the No. 1 factor that influenced the purchasing decisions of Ensemble agency members’ family travel clients this summer, “taking advantage of special pricing” was also among the top responses in this category.

“We can help families of all shapes and sizes find a vacation they can afford through our travel expertise and connections to hard-to-get rates and offers,” said Pat Ford, Personal Vacation Planner at Montrose Travel. “Regardless of the prevailing economy, when it comes to what is most important to travelers, especially those travelling with extended family, spending quality time together ranks highest with best value not far behind.”

When asked about travel spend per booking, 41% of the Ensemble survey respondents said their family travel bookings ranged from $5,000 to $9,999, with another 27% falling in the $10,000 to $19,999 range, and another 16% from $20,000 to $29,999. Eleven percent reported the average family travel booking at more than $40,000. Another 5% answered either under $5,000 or between $30,000-$39,999.

In other survey results, all-inclusive resorts were the most popular type of summer vacation for the family and multigenerational markets, followed closely by cruises. The majority of family travel bookings are for seven to 10 days, with most popular land destinations including Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Mexico, Hawaii, and the Dominican Republic.

The findings are part of “Ensemble Insights: 2013 Summer Family Travel,” a new survey by the organization that analyzes booking trends and activity of a cross section of its North American membership during the peak travel season of June through August. For this survey, “family travel” was defined as parent(s) with children ages 18 and younger traveling together during the three-month period. The survey reflects input from more than 250 Ensemble Travel Group travel agents, managers, and owners in the U.S. and Canada, representing a cross-section of business models and customer databases.