When they say “pent-up travel demand” they mean it, as consumer use of airline booking apps and websites rose by double digits in the second quarter of 2022, signaling both a strong desire to travel despite inflation, and the increasing digital transformation of how travel is purchased.
For the study “How The World Does Digital: The Impact Of Payments On Digital Transformation,” PYMNTS surveyed over 15,000 consumers across 11 leading world economies finding, among other fascinating facts, that consumers are booking with online tools in droves.
Digital transformation across all 37 activities we track increased 2.7% overall, with travel-related activities including airfare purchases, hotels/rentals and local transportation showing the biggest gains in Q2, even as inflationary headwinds and canceled flights dogged the system.
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The 16% rise in use of digital tools to book airfare and accommodations online across all 11 countries we studied was evident as consumers reported more engagement with travel platforms including Airbnb and Homestay in Q2, among a slew of other digital solutions.
“That increase in digital transformation also prompted more consumers to use a variety of local transportation and mobility apps,” the study stated, “where we noted a 15% increase in the use of apps to book and pay for train, bus and taxi rides and a 12% increase in the use of apps to book micromobility rides.”
It also shows the unstoppable urge to travel even with airfares and accommodations getting more expensive in Q2, as inflation flirts with the possibility of recession by the end of the year.
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