Travel Trends for the London 2012 Olympics

Amadeus and Forward Data SL, a market research and consulting company, have unveiled a range of travel data trends, based on actual global air reservations, which details the impact of the London 2012 Olympics.

With approximately 150 days to go before the Games, the findings seem to confirm most people’s expectations that travel volumes into London will significantly increase during the Games-time period. Importantly, the research demonstrates the global impact of the Games as other European cities, connected to London via high speed rail, see increased traffic, while long-haul routes experience heightened volumes.

Key findings from the research include:

In-bound traffic boosts travel to London during Games-time

Analysis of all in-bound air travel reservations for London reveals a massive spike in arrivals (143% increase compared to the same day 2011) on 26 July, the day before the opening of the Games. When the period of analysis is broadened to include the four days before the event, scheduled future arrivals show an overall increase of 31% when compared to the previous year.

 US and German travellers show an early appetite for the Games

US citizens have taken the lead in early bookings with analysis showing a 82% surge in bookings to London as early as August 2011 when compared to the same period last year. Currently, US citizens represent 17% of scheduled arrivals but German travellers are in hot pursuit, representing 11% of scheduled arrivals during the period of analysis. When considered in relative terms, Estonia is recording the largest increase in visitors to London with a fourteen-fold increase in arrivals during the Games.

Long-haul routes in Latin America and the Caribbean increase volumes

In addition, the traditionally successful Olympic nations of Jamaica (fourfold increase) and Brazil (threefold increase) show the largest relative growth in scheduled arrivals for long-haul travel.

European high speed cities benefit from the Games

Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris are all linked to London by high speed rail and all three cities have registered surges in arrivals during the period of the Games. During the three week period of the Olympics, future scheduled arrivals in Brussels are up 49% compared to 2011; Amsterdam 28%; and Paris 5%. These figures suggest that travellers are increasingly adopting high-speed rail links in conjunction with air travel in order to reach London.

Londoners show appetite to stay in the city to experience the Games

Analysis of scheduled departures from all London airports shows that Londoners are 11% more likely to stay in the city during the Olympics period than they did in 2011. This finding suggests that contrary to popular opinion, Londoners are not flocking en mass to rent out their homes and to travel abroad. Instead, it seems that the vast majority of Londoners are keen to play an active role in the event.

Holger Taubmann, SVP Distribution at Amadeus said, “Increasingly, companies are relying on hard data to make business decisions. This data provides valuable insights to ensure all players in the travel industry are ready and able to maximise the opportunities come Games-time. For instance, it could help airlines make decisions on the benefits of increasing the capacity and frequency on a given route to meet travellers’ demands, or consider targeting customers with air-rail combined trip offers.”

Olivier Jager, CEO of Forward Data added, “Real time monitoring of Air Reservation information offers unprecedented insider’s view on travel decisions that are still in the making, thus allowing smart marketers to adjust strategies and impact future trends.”

The forecast is based on actual statistical aggregated air booking data currently available and covers the period from 23 July though to 12 August 2012. This analysis is the first in a series of forecast reports examining how the London 2012 Olympics is affecting global travel trends.

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