Audience Engagement Digital Publishing
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Travel and recreation soar post-pandemic: Digital readership trends

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Travel and recreation publications have seen the biggest jumps in readership, closely followed by home renovation and lifestyle.

Readly, the digital subscription service that lets customers have unlimited access to 5,000 magazine titles worldwide, has released the latest readership trends across its platform. Unsurprisingly, for many major Northern Hemisphere economies which have emerged out of lockdown and are now enjoying summer, travel and recreation publications have seen the biggest jumps in readership, closely followed by home renovation and lifestyle.

Travel articles within newspapers and specialist travel magazines are proving especially popular as consumers pore over the titles to find the perfect staycation destination as well as to adapt to changes in the international travel traffic light system. 

According to Chris Couchman, Head of Content at Readly, the readership bumps have been boosted by consumers saving money during lockdown which they are now looking to spend on themselves. He says, “With some households amassing excess cash savings during the pandemic, the reading insights suggest that home improvements, luxury treats, and cars could also prove a popular choice for post lockdown spending.”

Top Category Readership Increases on Readly UK
(April-June 2021 vs April-June 2020)

  1. Travel (+42%)
  2. Home renovation (+33%) 
  3. Luxury (+30%)
  4. Boats & Watersports (+28%)
  5. Cars & Motoring (+25%)
  6. Sport (+24)
  7. Airplanes and Transport (+24%)
  8. Lifestyle (+23%)
  9. Fashion & beauty (+21%)
  10. Interior Design & Architecture (+20%)

We’ve seen the biggest surge of readership for travel magazines – from consumers planning and executing the perfect staycation, to staying nimble and responding to changing restrictions to travel abroad. Magazines and newspapers are a hugely popular path to planning holidays – offering insight and inspiration for destinations and activities. 

Chris Couchman, Head of Content, Readly

According to Readly, the top five UK travel searches within the UK are rail/train; caravan/motorhome; camping; coast; Scotland. Other popular searches include the word ‘boat’, Wales, Cornwall, France and Lake District.

For the U.S., figures disclosed by Readly today show broadly similar readership trends, although in marked contrast to the UK, the biggest readership jumps have been seen in craft, collecting, DIY and hobbies.

  1. Hobbies & Collecting (+80%)
  2. Craft and DIY (+72%)
  3. Sport (+57%)
  4. Travel (+45%)
  5. Celebrity & Entertainment (+33%)
  6. Home renovation (+24%)
  7. Music (+23%)
  8. TV, Film & Cinema (+36%)
  9. Luxury (+35%)
  10. Boats & watersports (+26%)