The travel industry is evolving fast and consumers are constantly seeking smarter ways to purchase. This value-driven behaviour highlights the growing importance and effectiveness of well-structured affiliate campaigns and partnerships.
According to a recent survey by Rakuten Advertising, most UK travellers plan to maintain or increase their travel budgets in 2025, with a strong interest in international travel.
The online survey, conducted in October 2024 with more than 500 UK consumers, aimed to provide deeper insights into how they discover, shop for and decide on travel purchases.
One of the key findings from the survey was how each demographic has its preferred habits when it comes to travel decisions and purchasing. “Every travel brand operates differently with its own success parameters and margins, so a one-size-fits-all approach to performance marketing doesn’t work,” explains Harry Johns, business director of travel for Rakuten Advertising.
“You need to have the right communications in place with your partners and an understanding of the nuances between airlines, cruises, hotel chains and train travel, for example. We have to make sure we have the strategy and publisher partners relevant for that brand.”
So, travel marketers must be agile, employing hyper-targeted strategies to reach the most profitable audience profiles and maximise ROI. Affiliate and partnership channels can be hugely effective for customer acquisitions across the whole of the consumer buying journey.
Johns adds: “Resourcing in the travel industry is typically flat. Networks like ours can offer agile support as we can ratchet up the service in busy periods and down in quieter periods. We offer an agency service underpinned by technology and we work with numerous travel brands so our thought leadership and expertise can help brands stay competitive and give you a strong strategic advantage.”
The buying cycle: plan, research, book
Booking trends and preferences vary across territories. UK travellers tend to plan earlier than their US counterparts and are typically more likely to book a trip up to six months in advance.
The biggest influence on travellers comes from friends and family recommendations, with 31% citing this as the top factor. Close behind are travel review sites, which influence 28% of travellers, followed by social media at 27%. While accommodation is often booked through aggregator platforms such as Booking.com, flights are typically booked directly on airline websites.
More than half (54%) say they spend less than a week researching their trip but a similar number say they like to plan with 53% booking their trips two or more months before departure.
There is a distinct generational difference in attitudes towards booking trips with 60% of 45-64 year-olds saying they book two to six months in advance, whereas 61% in the 18-24 range book less than a month ahead.
“Often, younger affluent travellers are impulsive in their booking, so a well-timed last minute discount from the right partner can capture these groups”, says Johns.
Influence: the importance of reviews and deals
Around one-third of those surveyed book accommodation through price comparison or travel deal sites, but fewer – about 20% – use these sites to book flights.
Review platforms such as TripAdvisor (63%) and Booking.com (58%) are the most trusted sources, ranking higher than social media. Even younger consumers, who are more likely to trust social media, still show a preference for review sites over social platforms.
Influencers also play a significant role: 38% of travellers have booked a trip based on an influencer’s recommendation or image link, with over half of these doing so two or three times. Wealthier travellers are particularly influenced, with 58% of those earning £100k+ trusting influencers, compared to one in three among lower-income groups.
In a market where most consumers feel travel costs have risen – particularly for airlines, influenced by oil prices – influencer campaigns are crucial for capturing impulsive buyers and generating ideas for long-term planners. Offers such as discounted insurance or car hire appeal to consumers, making these benefits an important consideration.
Cashback: loyalty and rewards programmes
It might seem counter-intuitive but travellers with HHIs of more than £100k (74%) are most likely to be interested in cashback and rewards programmes. The rationale is that this cohort travels more than others, so they’re better placed to benefit from those programmes. Rewards programmes also appeal most to younger travellers (18-44).
Overall, 67% say they use cashback and rewards programmes while more than half are interested in loyalty programmes. Most UK travellers said they plan to maintain or increase their travel budgets in 2025, with a strong interest in international travel. However, many are doing additional research to ensure they get the best value. In other words, they’re becoming more ‘deal savvy’, which provides opportunities for travel deals to help consumers keep costs low. But it also highlights the importance of travel brands being strategic about their affiliate programmes.
Case study: Icelandair
Icelandair is Iceland’s flagship airline and connects Europe and North America with a unique stopover programme, allowing travellers to explore the country’s volcanic beauty on transatlantic flights without additional cost.
Icelandair wanted a new digital marketing channel that would help them break into the North American market. They turned to Rakuten Advertising’s affiliate travel team to build a new affiliate programme from the ground up.
With access to high-performing publishers that are uniquely suited to the travel market, Icelandair was able to target its desired audience and easily track performance.
Icelandair has trialled loyalty partners and increased cashback rates for off-peak periods with remarkable results.
Since joining the Rakuten Advertising Network, Icelandair has achieved a notable increase in North American bookings and overall affiliate sales. This success stems from Icelandair’s proactive approach to testing and learning, the extensive reach of Rakuten Advertising’s global publisher network, and its travel-specific technology. The results since launch have been impressive.
Key results were:
Less than 30 days to launch the programme
48% sales increase QoQ
10%+ increase in clicks
Strategic advantage
Affiliate marketing is a versatile tool that allows advertisers to leverage data, enabling them to target the most profitable audience segments with the right message at the right time.
“Resourcing in the travel industry is typically flat,” says Johns. “Networks like ours can offer agile support as we can ratchet up the service in busy periods and down in quieter periods.
“We offer an agency service underpinned by technology and we work with numerous travel brands so our thought leadership and expertise can help brands stay competitive and give you a strong strategic advantage. We support brand-to-brand partnerships and big organisations tapping into first-party data.”
To learn more about effective partnership strategies, contact Rakuten Advertising .