Mobile usage is on the rise throughout the entire traveller journey, according to the TripBarometer Connected Traveller report released today by TripAdvisor. The report defines Connected Travellers as those who have used a smartphone to plan or book a trip and provides in-depth insight into their habits and behaviours.

Key amongst the findings: forty five percent of Connected Travellers usually use their smartphones to book activities for a trip, almost three quarters of Connected Travellers (72%) use their smartphones to look for restaurants while on vacation and a third of Connected Travellers (34%) want their accommodation to offer mobile check-in.

The report is part of the larger TripBarometer study, conducted on behalf of TripAdvisor by independent research firm Ipsos and reporting on more than 44,000 global responses from travellers and the hotel sector.

“The TripBarometer: Connected Traveller report uncovers key emerging trends amongst a growing segment of travellers,” said Adam Medros, SVP of Product, TripAdvisor. “While booking travel via mobile is ultimately on the rise for all travellers, for the Connected Traveller smartphones are the essential travel companion.  Through travel apps, Connected Travellers are finding their way around, looking for places to eat or things to do and reading reviews.  They are also more likely to see their smartphones as a booking device, both before a trip and while in-destination.”

Mobile bookings on the rise:

Mobile apps are becoming more popular as a booking channel – according to the report, the amount of people using mobile apps to book their accommodation has doubled year over year. In 2014, four percent of TripBarometer respondents booked their accommodation using a mobile app channel – that proportion has risen to eight percent this year. Those who book via mobile app channels are habitual users, with one in four (24%) saying they usually book this way.

The trend towards greater smartphone adoption in travel booking is even more apparent when looking at device usage among the Connected Traveller group. Connected Travellers are twice as likely as global travellers to book accommodation via a mobile device, while 45 percent of Connected Travellers say they use their smartphone to book activities for their trip compared to only 28 percent of global travellers.

Smartphones have become the essential trip companion

Connected Travellers are more likely to want their smartphones with them on vacation to organize their trip more efficiently (44%) and book accommodation on the go (37%). They are also more likely than the average traveller to use their smartphone for travel research while in their destination: 72 percent of Connected Travellers use their mobile to look for restaurants, 67 percent use it to find things to do and 64 percent use it to read reviews.

Connected Travellers: where they’re based and where they’re going

South America has the highest proportion of Connected Travellers with 57 percent of TripBarometer respondents from the region falling into the Connected Traveller segment. The Middle East (55%) and Asia (49%) follow close behind. However, looking at individual countries, Thailand and China lead the trend, with 65 percent of Thai and Chinese TripBarometer respondents identified as Connected Travellers.

Just under half of UK travellers (44%) fall in to the Connected Traveller group, while over half (53%) of all global travellers planning a visit to the UK in the next 12 months are Connected Travellers.

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¹Methodology: The TripBarometer study, by TripAdvisor, is based upon an online survey conducted from 16 January to 2 February 2015, conducted by Ipsos, a global research firm. A total of 44,277 interviews were completed in 32 markets, spanning 7 regions. The sample is made up of 34,016 consumers who are TripAdvisor website users and Ipsos online panelists who chose to take part in the survey and have researched their travel plans online in the last year; and 10,261 representatives from accommodation properties who use TripAdvisor free marketing services, making it the world’s largest combined accommodation and traveller survey. The consumer survey data is weighted to represent the known profile of the global online population, to keep in line with previous waves of TripBarometer. Equal weighting is also applied at country level for the business survey.