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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