According to a recent report by Criteo, mobile devices accounted for 27% of travel bookings worldwide in Q1 2016 and in the US, it was actually 29% and this doesn’t event include sales coming from mobile apps, taking only smartphones and tablets into account.

In fact, apps generated 57% of mobile bookings in Q1 2016, up from 40% in Q3 2015 according to a different report by Fuel agency.

Yet when we talk about mobile, it’s interesting to note how smartphones and tablets can be different when it comes to booking behaviors, specially when looking at different products such as hotels, packages or air transportation.

Another interesting finding from this report is the confirmation that last-minute bookings are now most-definitely taking place via mobile, and most-definitely coming from online travel agencies (OTA).

We have been seeing this trend for the past two to three years now, but it’s clear that travel bookings are now a multi-channel process that needs to take mobile into account, specially smartphones if you are an OTA or hotel supplier looking for last-minute sales.

A Hot Summer On Facebook Too!

Of course, when we refer to travel marketing and mobile, it’s impossible not to mention social media. Consider for example that more than 83% of Facebook active users access their account from a mobile device, which represents more than 1B (billion) active users per day!

Facebook recently shared some insightful takeaways based on last Summer (May to September 2015), which can help shed some light on what to expect this year, specially with big events like the Summer Olympics in Rio or even the Euro soccer cup in France.

No surprise, videos are still a big focus and should be expected to remain so for a while. Read also: Facebook Videos: The Heat Is (Still) On!

What is surprising is the fact that #Running was the most popular hashtag in the U.S. during the summer of 2015, ahead of other hashtags such as Beach, Parties, Parks and Forests, and Movies. I guess we sure love to brag about our running feats, small and big!

Original article

Frederic Gonzalo

Senior marketing and communications expert & speaker with more than 20 years of expertise in the travel and hospitality industry. Consulting since early 2012, I provide strategic planning, social media & mobile development counseling to small and medium businesses alike.

Reach me at frederic@gonzomarketing.biz