Social Media, Smartphones & Tablets Now Essential Travel Tools for U.S. Travelers, According to New TripAdvisor Survey of Mobile & Social Trends

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Nov 18, 2013, 11:16 ET

TripBarometer Mobile & Social Survey Finds 85% Bring Their Smartphones on Vacation; 61% Report Using Social Media While Traveling

Nearly One Half of U.S. Travelers Cite #FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as Reason to Stay Connected

NEWTON, Mass., Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^® , the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of its TripBarometer Mobile and Social trends survey which revealed that U.S. travelers are staying online even as they unwind on vacation.

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The TripBarometer survey polled travelers from 22 different countries around the world¹ on mobile and social trends. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. travelers (61%) report using social media while on vacation. Forty-six percent (46%) of that group—nearly half of the travelers who use social media—cited a fear of missing out on news from their friends and families as a reason for staying connected.

TripAdvisor's TripBarometer survey also found that mobile devices are an essential part of the travel experience for U.S. respondents, and that travelers are nearly twice more likely to use smartphones than tablets during their travels: 85 percent (85%) of American travelers reported using smartphones while on holiday, while just 46 percent (46%) reported using tablets.

The survey results showed that U.S. travelers' use of social media and mobile devices while on vacation was comparable to the global average for the 22 countries polled. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of global travelers reported using a smartphone while on holiday, compared to 44 percent (44%) who reported using a tablet while on a trip. Sixty-one percent (61%) of global travelers reported using social media on vacation.

Hooked on Mobile

Calling (74%) and texting (63%) remain the primary reasons why U.S. travelers use smartphones when traveling. In addition to voice and text communication, 32 percent (32%) browse the Internet on their smartphones, and 27 percent (27%) surf the net on tablets. Here is how American travelers are using their digital devices online:

Purpose	U.S. travelers report using their mobile devices while traveling for many purposes:
	Smartphone users:	Tablet users:
Looking for restaurants	44%	22%
Accessing social media	35%	18%
Looking for things to do	35%	23%
Sharing on social media	33%	15%
Reading reviews	31%	24%
Looking for hotels	23%	18%

Staying Connected to Avoid #FOMO: Fear of Missing Out

Sixty-one percent (61%) of U.S. respondents report using social media while on vacation. When asked why they use social media services while traveling, 46 percent (46%) said they don't want to miss out on any of their friends' or families' news while away, and 10 percent (10%) want to make their friends jealous with their travel updates.

Global travelers are more socially engaged:

Purpose	Travelers report using social media on vacation for the following reasons:
	Global	U.S.
To contact people cheaply	53%	42%
To get recommendations while traveling	38%	32%
To get overall news	32%	20%
To update social networks on a daily basis	28%	21%

Other findings:

Shutting Out the World

Of the 15 percent (15%) of U.S. travelers who do not use a smartphone on vacation, 42 percent (42%) like to forget the rest of the world while away, 33 percent (33%) feel roaming fees are too expensive, and 29 percent (29%) believe it costs too much to make calls or send text messages.

Apps a Popular Planning Tool

Beyond scanning the web, U.S. travelers report that they rely on apps for organizing their trips. TripAdvisor's TripBarometer survey found that the top five types of apps that U.S. consumers use for travel planning are:

Travel inspiration (TripAdvisor City Guides)
Weather
Hotel or accommodation
Airline
Activity

Hoteliers Migrate to Mobile

More travel industry professionals will leverage technology to engage consumers in 2014, as 53 percent (53%) of global hoteliers and 46 percent (46%) of U.S. hoteliers plan to expand their mobile offerings. That's up from 36 percent (36%) of worldwide hoteliers and 37 percent (37%) of American hoteliers who say they prioritized mobile marketing this year.

The top mobile offerings U.S. travelers are looking for from a travel business:

Mobile-friendly website
Ability to book
Special offers

"The TripAdvisor TripBarometer shows that travelers feel the need for constant connectivity on the go with mobile devices, but smartphones are clearly ahead of tablets when it comes to the travel essentials," said Desiree Fish, Vice President of Global Communications for TripAdvisor. "While mobile devices serve a very practical purpose while traveling, the 'fear of missing out' reveals an emotional connection we have with social media that can't be ignored even when on vacation."

To view TripBarometer infographics, please visit: http://tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/n2006/tripbarometer-mobile-social-survey-finds-85-us-travelers-bring-their-smartphones-vacation-61-report

¹Methodology: The research was commissioned by TripAdvisor and conducted by Edelman Berland, an independent market research firm, conducted via online survey in June and July 2013. Survey respondents were 10,469 accommodation business owners and 19,692 18+ adults who have booked travel online and taken at least one trip in the past year. Respondents were from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 21 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.