Travel is Heating Up! 40% of Americans Plan to Take More Trips in 2024
Americans just love taking summer family vacations. Kids are out of school, and it’s time to enjoy beautiful weather in most of the country. These positioning strategy marketing examples explore five dimensions of vacation experiences.
First, let’s get a good understanding of how many American families plan on traveling in 2024. Forbes Advisor research reports:
- 40% of Americans plan to travel more in 2024
- In 2023, Americans took an average of 2.1 trips
- Doing the math, Americans on average are hoping to take about 3 trips this year
We can get more specific about family vacations. The Family Travel Association 2023 Survey of 1,227 respondents reports:
“In our sample, 81% of parents are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months. Of the remaining 19%, 5% are undecided and 14% are unlikely or very unlikely to travel.”
Survey participants have these factors in common:
- 82% are married
- At least 64% earn over $100,000
- 57% are aged 40-59
- 52% have one child
It’s important to understand that the Family Travel Association (FTA) respondents are likely to be affluent, closer to middle age and parents of one or two children.
Ok! We’ve covered that Americans have a lot of travel plans this year. To help brands better understand positioning strategy marketing in the complex travel industry, let’s look at examples in five different areas of travel:
- Vacation Planning
- Destinations
- Type of vacation
- Mode of travel
- Type of accommodation
Planning the Summer Family Vacation
Positioning strategy marketing efforts need to reach the vacation planner. FTA’s research indicates that 38% of parents have used a travel advisor in the last three years, and over 70% of parents and grandparents say they would be willing to work with a travel advisor. This reporting shows a shift favoring travel agents (perhaps modern parents have had opportunity to become overwhelmed with the options and frustrations of coordinating summer family vacations on their own, using apps like Tripadvisor).
The popularity of multi-generational summer family vacations are also on the rise. A significant 55% of parents reported planning a multi-generational trip in the coming year. This could include parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles—or other family/friend combinations. For positioning strategy marketing, brands should recognize that an individual vacation planner may be responsible for a large number of travelers and the large budget that entails. There’s also opportunity to win consumer loyalty by facilitating collaboration among traveling adults.
Positioning Strategy Marketing by Destination
Local tourism boards are always trying to lure tourists to their destinations, and they put significant resources into marketing. For an overview of popular destinations, I Google-searched “summer family vacations.”
Here’s how nine destinations are putting positioning strategy marketing into practice.
| Destination | Positioning Strategy | Positioning Strategy Marketing for Families |
| San Diego | Where Good Vibes and Awesomeness Shine Day and Night | — Includes a family-centric website portal — Emphasizes the city as “Rated One of the Top Family Destinations in America” — Promotes the San Diego Zoo, Coronado Island, LEGOLAND California and SeaWorld San Diego — Offers family resources, such as “9 Kid-Approved Parks” |
| Grand Canyon National Park | Go Grand | — Promotes Junior Ranger program — Uses social media accounts to educate followers on park history and local culture — Planning guides help with lodging, maps and safety updates |
| Orlando | Unbelievably Real | — Emphasizes the area’s theme parks, especially Walt Disney World, “This is the place where dreams become real” — Reminds families “Here, winter doesn’t exist” — Promotes sweepstakes and offers |
| Outer Banks | America’s First Beach | — Highlights destination as an escape from city life — Features photos and videos of wildlife — Promotes local small businesses |
| Cape Cod | Truly Yours | — “Kid-Friendly Cape Cod” campaign — Suggested 5-day itinerary for families |
| Gatlinburg | The Mountains are Calling | — “Things to Do with Kids” campaign — Resources for families, like “7 Kid-Friendly Activities to Enjoy this Summer in Gatlinburg” |
| Myrtle Beach | You Belong at the Beach | — Although there wasn’t family-specific marketing for summer, there was this resource: “Best Of Myrtle Beach: Five Day, Family-Friendly Spring Break Itinerary” |
| Portugal | Visit Portugal | — An English-language family travel portal that leads with, “Portugal is a friendly, safe country, with a mild climate and an excellent cuisine, ideal to tour with the family.” — Highlights attractions like castles, museums, zoos, beaches and theme parks — Promotes activities like donkey rides in natural parks — Gives resources for learning more about Portugal cities and regions |
| Yellowstone National Park | The World’s First National Park | — Promotes Kids & Youth activities, like Junior Ranger program and Young Scientist program — Emphasizes safe behaviors, like maintaining distance from wildlife — Active social media immerses families into what they can experience in the park |
Interestingly, Google mostly returned domestic US destinations. However, international travel for families is on the rise. Overall, 76% of Americans have visited at least one other country, and 46% of traveling families are planning a multi-day international trip (up from 19% in 2021).
Positioning Strategy Marketing by Type of Summer Family Vacation
There are many vacation types, but I’ll focus on one example brand from each of three different categories. All are popular options for summer family vacations.
| Vacation Type | Positioning Strategy | Positioning Strategy Marketing for Families |
| Amusement Park Example – Cedar Point | A Place Like No Other™ on the Lake Erie Shore | — An interactive itinerary planner helps with goals such as “Spending time with family” or “Having fun with my kids” — There are attraction types to appeal to all ages, including Family, Kids, Thrill and more — Some ticket packages are designed for families |
| Cruise Example – Disney Cruise Line | Where Magic Meets the Sea | — All marketing is family-centric, with content featuring families — Special focus is given to “Enchanting Family Entertainment,” “Dining for Every Taste,” and “Magical Worldwide Destinations.” — Guest segmentation includes Families, Adults, Kids and Tweens & Teens |
| All-Inclusive Resort Example – Beaches Resorts | Bringing Everyone Closer Together | — This all-inclusive resort brand is tailored for families and includes destinations in Turks & Caicos and Jamaica — Guest segmentation is divided into Parents, Teens, Tweens, Kids, Toddlers and Babies, with specific offerings and experiences for each — There is also positioning strategy marketing specifically for families with special needs |
Unlike with destinations, a vacation type can specialize in family travel. A city, beach or mountain range can’t be exclusively for families. But an inclusive resort company can offer two brands at different locations, like Beaches for families and Sandals for couples.
Positioning Strategy Marketing by Mode of Travel
Families have to get to their summer vacations somehow. FTA published this chart:
From my research, I chose three “family-friendly” brands from the airline, car rental and RV industries to examine.
| Mode of Travel | Positioning Strategy | Positioning Strategy Marketing for Families |
| Airline Example– Alaska Airlines | The Most Care in the Air Starts Here | — Children 13 and under are guaranteed to be seated with an accompanying adult — Car seats and strollers are checked for free — Provides resources for TSA guidelines on traveling with children — Fly for All app is designed for first-time-flyers (like kids) |
| Car Rental Example– SIXT | Rent The Car | — Sub-positioning strategy for families: “Space for All the Family” — Rental of vehicles that seat up to 15 (passenger vans) — Suggestions of its “Most Popular Family Cars” |
| RV Brand– Jayco | Get Away in a Jayco RV | — “Best RV for Your Family” resource guide — Instagram takeovers from family influencers with the hashtag #LetsJayco |
I need to acknowledge that of all vacation experiences, mode of travel is the least family-friendly. There’s a significant positioning strategy marketing opportunity for brands to “surprise and delight” families—and it wouldn’t take that much of an improvement to be impressive.
Positioning Strategy Marketing by Type of Accommodation
Hotels are still the most-widely used type of accommodation for families. Here’s a chart from FTA:
Let’s investigate the positioning strategy marketing for one brand of hotel, along with two other accommodation types.
| Type of Accommodation | Positioning Strategy | Positioning Strategy Marketing for Families |
| Hotel Example – Brookstreet Hotel | Ottawa’s Leading Luxury Hotel, Resort and Conference Center | — More than most hotels, this one makes it obvious that kids are welcome — Offers Family Getaway Packages — Amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, an arcade and mini golf |
| Resort Example – Great Wolf Lodge | Strengthen the Pack – A World of Fun All Under One Roof | — This resort is 100% focused on marketing to families — “Arrive as a family and leave as a pack at Great Wolf Lodge.” — Attractions include an indoor/outdoor water park, mini golf, family spa, climbing course, Magicquest — Family-friendly rooms are themed, with cave or tent options for kid sleeping areas |
| Campground Example – Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park | What sets a Jellystone Park vacation apart? How it brings families together. | — Built on the brand of Yogi Bear and friends, this campground is made for family fun — Attractions and activities vary by location and include water parks, pools, craft classes, lakes, rivers, gem mining, wagon rides, mini golf and more — All marketing content shows families spending quality time together in a colorful environment |
While it’s easy to find resorts and campgrounds that cater to families, this customer segment is left feeling unwelcome after seeing most hotel marketing efforts. Resorts certainly have more activities to keep kids happy, but that also comes with a higher price tag. There’s opportunity for a mid-range hotel brand to welcome families at a more comfortable price point.
Positioning strategy marketing requires a keen focus on delivering the brand promise in all campaigns. Exploring summer family vacations gave us an opportunity to assess examples from a variety of industries—and we can see that some brands are more adept than others at marketing execution.
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