2025
9
UK Loyalty in Travel Consumer Report 2025
2025-01-14T14:01:47+00:00
REP76C80B8E_EA6C_4CBB_844B_20CB2D34EEB3
2195
178719
[{"name":"Travel","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/travel"}]
Report
en_GB
35% of UK travellers are members of one or more travel loyalty programs, while a further 27% express interest in joining one. To convert this interest into membership, it is…
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UK Loyalty in Travel Consumer Report 2025

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35% of UK travellers are members of one or more travel loyalty programs, while a further 27% express interest in joining one. To convert this interest into membership, it is crucial that travel companies raise awareness of programs, make it quick and easy to sign up to them and offer attainable benefits to occasional travellers.

Environmental pressures are challenging companies to rethink programs that reward frequent travel behaviour. Brands can for example offer rewards for travellers who make greener choices or trial subscription services that offer similar benefits to both frequent and occasional travellers.

Improving customer service and the ease of booking are both crucial for encouraging repeat bookings. AI is playing an important role in these areas, for example by empowering staff with tools to handle inquiries swiftly, and by making booking processes more user-friendly and hyper personalised.

This report looks at the following areas:

  • Factors that encourage travellers to rebook with a travel company, including ease of booking and the impact on the environment
  • How loyal customers are to different types of travel companies and which travel brands excel in customer loyalty
  • Participation and interest in travel loyalty schemes and the most preferred rewards
  • Attitudes towards travel loyalty schemes and consumer interest in subscription models
  • Barriers to participating in travel loyalty schemes, including consumers’ perceptions that they do not travel frequently enough to benefit

Offering personalised incentives can boost participation in travel loyalty programs and help brands to retain more customers.

Marloes De Vries, Travel Analyst

Market Definitions

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

This Report examines the behaviours and attitudes of UK adults concerning loyalty within the travel market, with a special focus on travel loyalty schemes. The Report includes trips in the UK or abroad that include at least one overnight stay for any purpose including holidays and business trips.

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • Opportunities for loyalty in travel
    • Three opportunities to enhance loyalty in travel
    • Market dynamics and outlook
    • Consumers are expected to continue to spend cautiously
    • Graph 1: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
    • External factors impacting loyalty in travel
    • What consumers want and why
    • Customer service and easy booking processes are key drivers of repeat bookings
    • Graph 2: incentives to stimulate repeat bookings, 2024
    • Travel loyalty programs have the potential to significantly expand their user base
    • Graph 3: participation and interest in travel loyalty schemes, 2024
    • Airlines have the largest number of members in the UK
    • Graph 4: share of members in travel loyalty schemes of all customers, by type of travel company, 2024
    • Rewards personalisation is key to responding to individual preferences
    • Graph 5: preferred rewards of travel loyalty/reward schemes, by age, 2024
    • Increasing awareness and visibility of loyalty programs can convince many to join
    • Graph 6: reasons for not being a member of a travel loyalty program, by interest in participating, 2024
    • Younger and frequent travellers important target group of subscription services
    • Graph 7: share of respondents who find travel subscriptions more appealing than travel loyalty/reward schemes, by age, 2024
    • Innovation and marketing
    • AI innovations to improve the customer experience
    • There is no standard formula for having a loyal customer base
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Market drivers
    • Consumers are expected to continue to spend cautiously
    • Graph 8: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
    • Ageing population offers opportunities for growth
    • Graph 9: population projections, by age, 2030 and % change compared to 2023
    • Impact consumer choices through social media presence
    • Need to address consumer doubts on environmental influence
    • Breaking down global changes into actionable steps
    • Frequent flyer programs need to be reconsidered due to environmental pressures
  3. WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY

    • Trips taken
    • Over eight in 10 consumers embarked on a holiday or business trip in the past year
    • Graph 10: trips taken in the last 12 months by travel purpose and destination, 2024
    • Corporate, young and affluent travellers travel more frequently
    • Graph 11: frequency of trips taken in the last 12 months, by travel purpose and destination, 2024
    • Incentives to stimulate repeat bookings
    • Hotels and airlines have to fight hardest for loyalty
    • Graph 12: level of loyalty, by type of travel company, 2024
    • Customer service and easy booking processes are key drivers of repeat bookings
    • Speed, personalisation and improving the mobile experience are making booking trips easier
    • Flexible payment options will appeal to younger and less affluent travellers
    • Graph 13: incentives to stimulate repeat bookings, by age, 2024
    • Trust, simplicity and affordability can enhance the appeal of sustainable holidays
    • Brands that offer both good customer service and flexible cancellation appeal to a wide customer base
    • Participation and interest in travel loyalty schemes
    • Travel loyalty programs have the potential to significantly expand their user base
    • Profile of members of travel loyalty programs
    • Older generation less convinced about travel loyalty programs
    • Graph 14: participation vs interest in travel loyalty schemes, by age, 2024
    • Airline loyalty programs have the largest number of UK members
    • Graph 15: participation in travel loyalty schemes, by type of travel company, 2024
    • Camping and caravan specialists are lagging behind when it comes to loyalty program usage
    • Graph 16: share of members in travel loyalty schemes of all customers, by type of travel company, 2024
    • Schemes are competing with each other
    • Graph 17: loyalty to airlines by membership profile, 2024
    • Preferred rewards
    • Most preferred rewards are price-related
    • Rewards personalisation is key to responding to individual preferences
    • Graph 18: preferred rewards of travel loyalty/reward schemes, by age, 2024
    • Rewards that offer increased flexibility appeal to corporate travellers
    • Graph 19: preferred rewards of travel loyalty/reward schemes, by purpose of trips, 2024
    • Option to donate points can alleviate guilt
    • More effort needed to keep frequent travellers engaged
    • Travel loyalty schemes – attitudes and behaviours
    • Personalisation is key
    • AI will help offer a more personalised experience
    • Consumers value choice and flexibility
    • Graph 20: attitudes towards travel loyalty schemes, 2024
    • Partnerships enhance value
    • Rewarding greener choices can help bridge the gap between travellers’ priorities and actual behaviours
    • Graph 21: interest in joining a ‘green’ travel loyalty scheme, 2024
    • Younger and frequent travellers important target group of subscription services
    • Graph 22: share who find travel subscriptions more appealing than travel loyalty/reward schemes, by age, 2024
    • Value is central to subscription services
    • Barriers to participating in travel loyalty schemes
    • Nearly two thirds of travellers do not participate in travel loyalty programs
    • Many do not participate in a travel loyalty program due to low travel frequency
    • Graph 23: reasons for not being a member of a travel loyalty program, 2024
    • Many of those who feel they do not travel enough take one to two trips per year
    • Graph 24: frequency of trips taken in the last 12 months, by interest in travel loyalty programs, 2024
    • Quick and straightforward registration process important to appeal to the youngest generation
    • Graph 25: reasons for not being a member of a travel loyalty program, by age, 2024
    • Increasing awareness and visibility of loyalty programs can convince many to join
    • Graph 26: reasons for not being a member of a travel loyalty program, by interest in participating, 2024
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS

    • Brand loyalty metrics and partnership opportunities
    • British Airways has a loyal customer base
    • Graph 27: share of repeat customers among Snoop’s cohort for selected airlines, 2024
    • Airbnb aims to boost loyalty through personalised travel app
    • Graph 28: share of repeat customers among Snoop’s cohort for selected accommodation providers, 2024
    • Marriott and Hilton’s loyalty programs each have 200 million members globally
    • Graph 29: Overview of some of the largest loyalty programs by number of members, 2024*
    • Hilton promotes once-in-a-lifetime experiences that members get access to
    • Potential partnerships for brands targeting a younger audience
    • Potential partnerships for brands targeting an older demographic
    • Changes in loyalty programs require a cautious approach
    • Launch activity and innovation
    • AI innovations to improve the customer experience
    • Brands expand opportunities for members to earn and spend rewards
    • Multiple brands offer ethical rewards
    • Influencing trade
    • Brands are looking to appeal through subscription models
  5. APPENDIX

    • Supplementary data
    • Duration and spend on overseas holidays by age
    • Report scope and definitions
    • Market definition
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • Consumer research methodology
    • TURF analysis
    • Snoop SpendMapper methodology

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