Google Report: Growth in searches for international travel doubled in 2022

Social media feeds are filled with travel pictures. Friends, family, colleagues, everyone is travelling and most of them are travelling abroad. Aren’t they? Naturally online searches for holidays have gone up. Google Year In Search 2022 report says there has been over 80 percent increase in queries for international trips as demand for travel surpassed 2019’s pre-pandemic levels across most of APAC.

Search interest in Thailand trips increased by 90 percent, while search interest in Europe trips grew by over 50 percent. 83 percent respondents in the research said they want to travel as much as possible in the near future.

As people look forward to getting back to traveling, searches for cheap flights have seen a surge of 60 percent. At the same time, Indians are also looking to pamper themselves with search interest for luxury hotels growing by 40 percent. Equally keen to reconnect with their immediate surroundings, search interest in ‘local guide program’ also saw a growth of over 90 percent during the year.

Moving on from travel, as per the report Indians are tapping into Search to strike a balanced blend of online convenience and real-world experiences. People are turning to digital services like electronic payments and instant delivery to simplify their everyday lives, and free up time for in-person activities and long-awaited indulgences such as travel, live concerts, and dining out. Searches for travel, financial and economic literacy, self-care and professional growth, witnessed a marked increase over the previous year, signaling people’s focus on evolving their identities towards their distinct individual preferences and needs.

The Year in Search report also talks about people’s enhancing financial acumen. Increasingly discerning value, consumers are searching for assurances that their choices will deliver quality and reliability at the correct cost. People are enhancing their financial and economic awareness with search interest for ‘fuel price rise hike’ by 150 plus percent and ‘inflation’ growing by 50 percent.

Additionally, people have become increasingly alert to opportunities for professional growth, career pivots, and harmonizing work and life, with a growing interest in ‘salary negotiation’ which grew by 60 percent, ‘upskilling’ by 30 percent, and ‘career change’, up by 20 percent. Searches for terms like ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’ saw a significant growth of 1030 percent and percent.

Consistent from last year, people’s interest in sustainability grew 40 percent with searches aiming to combine environment consciousness with cost savings. People are discovering that purchases which support sustainability can help them be savvier about their spending. In addition to search interest in ‘organic products’ doubling, ‘affordable and clean energy’ queries also increased by 140 percent, and people explored ‘things that can be recycled’ with a growth in this query rising 20 percent.

Roma Datta Chobey, senior director-digital first businesses, Google India, said, “This year’s report points to people emerging from a period of disruption determined to claim control of their lives. As people become increasingly proficient in merging the ease of digital with the magic of experientiality into a continuum, businesses too need to re-envision their channel strategies and minimize frictions between their online and in-store presence."

"As purchase patterns continue to evolve, people are also optimizing their spending towards brands they can trust and that share their concerns for the environment. ‘Green brands’ have an exciting opportunity to strengthen their credibility by sharing information about their contributions towards sustainability," Chobey added.