Global Traveller Survey report reveals positive intention to travel despite impact of the global economy

22nd November 2023

New ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report provides key insights into the evolution of traveller behaviours and expectations

ACI World today at Airports Innovate releases the newest edition of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Global Traveller Survey report revealing positive intention to travel despite impact of the global economy.

For the fourth year, ACI World’s Airport Service Quality’s (ASQ) expertise in market research has been leveraged for the ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey (GTS) report to engage the views of over 4,000 travellers from 30 countries who have travelled by air at least once in the past 12 months.

The GTS report provides key insights into the evolution of traveller behaviours and expectations and contributes to the advancement of airport experience excellence by exploring current and emerging travel trends, as well as monitoring the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry.

Main findings:

  • Globally, 54% of respondents travelling for leisure and personal reasons reported that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year.
  • While travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence is found on the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviours in the past 12 months or on their forecasted behaviours for the next 12 months.
  • Indeed, travellers have never been more eager to travel. 56% of respondents are planning to travel within the next three months, compared to 51% the same time last year.

Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General at ACI World, said: “This year’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveller behaviours and expectations. The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, they have never been more eager to travel. While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies.”

Top consumer trends influencing traveller behaviours and preferences

  • Automation: 58% of travellers favour technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration processes.
  • Personalization of travel experience: 74% of travellers would use an app that pushes personalized information to make their journey more fluid.
  • Emotional engagement: passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport.
  • Remote and hybrid work: the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip.
  • Sustainability: 72% of travellers expect to see a green environment at airports and 43% of respondents have heard of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

Completion of the GTS report was made possible through the support of IDEMIA as the Platinum Advisory Partner; KONE, Plaza Premium Group, and NACO as Premium Sponsors; and Boingo as a Standard Sponsor.

About ACI 

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, is a federated organization comprising ACI World, ACI Africa, ACI Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, ACI EUROPE, ACI Latin America and the Caribbean and ACI North America. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2023, ACI serves 712 members, operating 1925 airports in 171 countries.