The start of a new year has traditionally been prime time for marketing holidays. Travel brands are advertising on public transport and sending brochures in the post, while travel influencers share enticing content on social media. However, the start of the year may not be the best time for brands to push those special deals – as new research shows that consumer attitudes to travel booking are shifting.
Epsilon surveyed 2,000 UK consumers to find out what customers are really driven by when booking their holidays. It turns out that January sales are less important to shoppers and social influencers are not as influential as you might expect.
The research sheds light on changing expectations and reveals the latest trends in how consumers approach travel planning, budgeting and inspiration. Here are the key learnings and what they mean for travel brands, as well as those beyond the travel industry.
Social media influencers are losing their edge
Travel influencers may dominate platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, but despite the popularity of their feeds, they play less of a role in fueling consumers’ wanderlust.
Only 11 percent of consumers plan to rely on influencer recommendations for their 2025 trips. Even among travelers aged 18-24, less than a quarter are swayed by content they have seen on social media.
Interestingly, these observations tally with CX Network’s Global State of CX research for 2025, where only one percent of the surveyed practitioners considered social media engagement and social media shopping to be a top three CX trend – despite 21 percent expecting customers to use social media to research products and services.
One reason for this disconnect? A lack of affordability and transparency. Nearly two-thirds of consumers felt that influencer-promoted holidays were distinctly outside of their budget, sometimes by significant sums.
Additionally, just under a quarter shared their criticisms that recommendations on social media lacked transparency around cost, making them feel unattainable.
For brands, this is a wake-up call that aspirational content must be achievable, too, or audiences will feel excluded.
Inspiration comes from many sources
If influencers play less of a role, where do travelers find inspiration for their next holiday?
Epsilon’s survey found that consumers engage with a broad mix of sources – both traditional and digital – that influence travel booking. Among the most popular were travel agents (20 percent) and TripAdvisor (20 percent), emphasizing how consumers value personalised guidance and real user recommendations.
Similarly, Reddit (11 percent) matches the sway of social influencers (11 percent), showing that anonymous, unfiltered advice resonates just as much as curated content.
Traditional media continues to outperform some digital tools, with TV adverts (14 percent), and travel magazines and articles (17 percent) proving more popular than mobile travel planning apps (12 percent).
Niche sources like AI-driven recommendations are gaining traction with 25-34-year-olds, although this audience also continues to value traditional mediums like direct mail – proving the value of an approach that is truly omnichannel.
This isn’t to say you need to be active on every channel, for every consumer. The key for brands is working out which channels matter most for their audience while combining personal connections, storytelling and trusted content. Loyalty will be increasingly important to capture valuable word-of-mouth recommendations from happy customers, too.
Don’t just focus on January deals
The first Saturday after the Christmas and New Year period is known as Sunshine Saturday and has traditionally been a peak holiday booking day. According to Nationwide, January 2024 saw nearly 2.2 million transactions. However, Epsilon’s survey found that just 7 percent of respondents typically book in January. Instead, four in ten travelers said when they book depends on the specifics of the trip. And spontaneous travel is on the rise, with a quarter booking last-minute.
This means holiday adverts are not just for January. The opportunity for travel brands throughout the rest of the year is enormous – and it’s time to adapt marketing strategies accordingly. While seasonal campaigns remain important, businesses must maintain a constant presence and be ready to engage with customers at any time.
Consumers are cost-conscious and looking for new experiences
There is a growing demand for independent, flexible travel, with cost-conscious travelers seeking new experiences. Among those embracing new ways to travel, 33 percent of survey respondents said they are planning to opt for cost-effective versions of the trips they see online and 24 percent are considering lesser-known destinations. On top of that, nearly a third prioritize activities or experiences over accommodation alone, while 19 percent embrace solo adventures.
This illustrates an increasing desire for more flexibility and highlights the need for personalised offerings that can cater to varied traveler preferences. Travel brands will need to embrace personalisation and adopt diverse channel strategies to meet these evolving customer expectations.
A need for better CX
Finally, Epsilon’s survey revealed a range of issues with the customer experience when booking holidays. Respondents felt they were having to spend too much time on unexpected tasks, such as hunting for discounts (39 percent) and cross-referencing hotel or flight options (26 percent).
A significant number struggled with finding the right activities (17 percent) or securing travel insurance (14 percent).
There’s a clear opportunity to improve the CX and further streamline these processes, for example, by offering comprehensive booking engines, better search tools and pre-packaged activity recommendations.
From the decline of influencer-driven content to the rise of omnichannel inspiration and spontaneous bookings, these findings indicate how travelers are becoming increasingly independent and savvy. Consumers want brands to understand their needs, respect their budgets and deliver experiences that resonate long after their holiday is over. The travel industry will have to continue to adapt to these changing customer expectations – and other industries can learn from these trends, too.