Skift-McKinsey Study: Travel Booking Journey Shifts From Linear to Orbital
Skift and McKinsey's seventh annual research collaboration, based on a study of 1,000 consumers and traveler diaries, found the booking journey has transformed from a linear path to an orbit that expands, contracts, and continues well past the transaction. McKinsey partner Constantin said touch points from intention to booking grew from roughly 45 in 2018 to an estimated 65 now. More than 50% of travelers change their minds and rebook after the initial booking, with about 40% seeking better prices and 30% driven by fear of making the wrong choice. More than 70% of travelers use AI for research and comparison, but fewer than 16% are comfortable booking through an AI tool. IHG is rolling out…
Impact and considerations
Companies still allocating marketing spend around a linear purchase path are investing against a model that no longer describes traveler behavior. More touch points, with one in three steps moving travelers away from a decision, raise conversion costs and drop-off risk. Widespread AI research paired with low booking t…
Key points
- Skift and McKinsey's seventh annual study, based on 1,000 consumers and traveler diaries, found the booking journey shifted from linear to orbital, continuing past the transaction.
- Constantin said touch points from intention to booking grew from roughly 45 in 2018 to an estimated 65 now, though she called the figure slightly arbitrary as the journey's start and end are hard to pinpoint.
- More than 50% of travelers change their minds and rebook after the initial booking; about 40% seek better prices and 30% fear making the wrong choice.
- More than 70% of travelers use AI for research and comparison, but fewer than 16% are comfortable booking through an AI tool.
- IHG is rolling out a modern hotel content platform this year to ensure machine-readable, high-quality property content surfaces on its own channels and through third parties.
- Priceline's Penny agent keeps the context and optionality of the entire trip in one place; platforms that remember past searches hold a structural advantage.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Skift
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 25 Sept 2026, 22:20
- Page published
- 25 Sept 2026, 22:53
- Last updated
- 25 Sept 2026, 22:20
- Original links
- Skift Feed：How Travel Search, Discovery, and Booking Are Being Rewritten (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 25 Sept 2026, 22:20