In recent years, the excitement surrounding “Travel Tuesday” has noticeably dwindled. What was once a day dedicated to incredible travel deals and wanderlust-inducing discounts has become overshadowed by the extended shopping extravaganzas of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
NB: This is an article from three&six, one of our Expert Partners
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To understand why this shift has occurred, we must delve into the history of Travel Tuesday and examine how it has lost its luster due to the prolonged shopping sales of its retail counterparts.
The Birth of Travel Tuesday
Travel Tuesday, also known as “Travel Deal Tuesday,” emerged as a marketing ploy in 2017, aimed at enticing travelers to book their next adventure. It typically falls on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, which is just a few days after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The holiday season presented a perfect opportunity for the travel industry to offer enticing discounts and prompt consumers to plan their vacations for the upcoming year.
The concept was simple but effective. Airlines, hotel chains, and travel agencies offered exclusive deals and discounts on flights, accommodations, and vacation packages for 24 hours. This allowed travelers to score remarkable bargains on everything from dream destinations to last-minute getaways. The anticipation and excitement surrounding Travel Tuesday quickly gained momentum, and it became a day many looked forward to with anticipation.
The Shift: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Evolve
However, in recent years, Travel Tuesday has experienced a decrease in its popularity and influence. This change can be attributed to the way Black Friday and Cyber Monday have evolved and expanded their offerings.
These two shopping events have transcended their traditional one-day nature and now span a whole “Black Friday-Cyber Monday” weekend, and in some cases, even longer.
The travel industry’s competition with retail giants means that they need to find new and creative ways to capture consumers’ attention. As a result, airlines and travel companies started releasing their deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, thus extending the discount period. This shift allowed travelers to explore more options and gave them ample time to plan their getaways.
The Benefits of Extended Shopping Sales
The prolonged Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have brought several benefits that have outshone Travel Tuesday. Here’s why consumers may favor these extended shopping events:
- More time to decide: Travel planning is often a more complex process compared to shopping for consumer goods. Extending the sales period allows travelers to carefully consider their options, research destinations, and make informed choices.
- Broader range of deals: With extended sales, travel companies have the opportunity to offer a wider variety of deals, catering to different types of travelers and their preferences.
- Spreading out expenses: As the shopping deals extend over a longer period, travelers can better manage their budgets and plan vacations that are more in line with their financial goals.
In addition to the consumer benefits, hotels implementing special sales through paid channels also enjoy the perk of extended time for their digital marketing campaigns to ramp up and create more impressions. This can be especially helpful if hotels are utilizing a bidding strategy or channel that requires a “learning phase”.
Black Friday 2023 Observations
Although there are no established benchmarks or guidelines for crafting the perfect cyber sale promotion for a hotel, here’s a snapshot of the trends that we’re seeing in 2023 within our own agency data.
- Average Launch Date: November 17th, 2023
- Average Discount Percentage: Up to 28%
- Average Minimum Length of Stay: 2 Nights
In contrast to the previous year, this year’s average start date is a few days later than in 2022, which was November 13th. The discount percentage has also decreased year-over-year with an average discount of up to 31% off during Cyber sales in 2022.
Conclusion
The success of Travel Deal Tuesday remains uncertain, whether it faced a challenge in capturing consumer interest or if the overshadowing presence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday proved to be too much.
What is clear is that the landscape of holiday shopping events is constantly evolving with consumer behavior and expectations each year. Businesses have adapted to this shift by offering enticing deals over an extended period, creating a win-win situation for travelers and the travel industry.
