Burda vs Byrdie

Travel Spending Rises as Consumers Prioritize Experiences

A new report highlights a shift in consumer behavior where travel is prioritized over material goods, driven by rising living costs and economic uncertainty. Data shows that 49% of Gen Z and Millennials took at least two longer trips in 2025, and over half of Gen Z plan to increase their travel budget in 2026. German summer travel spending is expected to rise by 2.4%. The trend extends to luxury, where experiences like travel and events grow faster than traditional luxury goods. For travel brands, the implication is to create desire through high-quality editorial content and visuals, making experiences tangible to consumers. The article is based on a study by Burda Verlag.

• 49% of Gen Z and Millennials took at least two longer trips in 2025.
• Over half of Gen Z plan a higher travel budget for 2026.
• German summer travel spending expected to rise by 2.4% in 2026.

Travel Affiliate Marketing 2026: Why Last Click No Longer Suffices

MAI xpose360 has released a whitepaper arguing that affiliate marketing in the travel sector must move beyond last-click attribution. As travel customer journeys become more complex, bookings often result from multiple touchpoints including search engines, social media, creators, comparison portals, blogs, and AI-based search systems. According to the MAI xpose360 Affiliate-Marketing-Trendreport 2026, 71% of surveyed advertisers rank affiliate among their strongest sales channels. However, a survey of nine travel advertisers shows incrementality is often only estimated rather than precisely measured. An analysis of about 5,000 'Best Product' prompts reveals that affiliate and product review pages are highly visible in AI-generated answers. The report recommends measuring assisted conversions and incrementality, managing publishers by function, monitoring AI visibility, providing publishers with better data, and integrating creators into affiliate programs.

• MAI xpose360 published the whitepaper 'Travel – Affiliate-Marketing: Mehr als der letzte Klick'.
• 71% of surveyed advertisers in the MAI xpose360 Affiliate-Marketing-Trendreport 2026 count affiliate marketing among their strongest revenue channels.
• A survey of nine travel advertisers found that incrementality is considered but often based on estimates.

Burda Media Realigns Its Organisation

Burda Media is launching a comprehensive transformation, aligning the organisation with the demands of a media landscape increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.