+27 (0)79 505 8841
WB Consulting - Crafting Successful Brands
  • Home
  • About us
    • Resumes >
      • Wilna Beukes
      • Natalie Sokolich
  • Services
    • Website Design
    • Email Marketing and Newsletter Management
  • Clients
  • Contact
    • Newsletter subscribe
  • Blog

How today’s leisure traveler market is changing

12/7/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
The digital age is upon us and we have to learn to embrace all the tools that are on offer - before, during and after  our guest' trip. Wilna 

Travelport released the findings of an international survey providing insight into how digital leisure travellers plan and book their trips: from the frequency of their holidays to how they go about researching and planning their journey.

The study also explored their use of technology and social media and how travel agents can rise to the challenge of their evolving needs throughout their trips. Travelport estimates that the market for global intermediary leisure travel is expected to be worth $672bn by 2015.

Investigating the varying opinions and preferences of the ‘digital natives,’ (those under 35) and the ‘digital immigrants,’ (those 36-45), key findings from the survey include:

- The need to stay connected and a heavy dependence on smartphones: 87% of those aged 35 and under, and 80% of those 36-45, owned or planned to purchase a smartphone in the next six months. This increased access to the internet anytime, anywhere, is changing the expectations, demands and behaviours of leisure travellers.

- Higher levels of interest in accessing travel and destination information before a trip: treating the smartphone as a “personal assistant.” 60% of the ‘digital natives’, for example, consider a smartphone to be their ‘personal travel assistant or companion’ enabling interaction to take place at any time. Both groups prefer to access pre-travel information via mobile technology, rather than through traditional devices. This indicates the importance of travel itineraries that can be integrated with other apps, and formats that are easily read on mobile devices.

- Despite using their technology-savvy to research and book trips themselves, both groups of leisure travellers reported they are becoming increasingly confused with the amount of information on the web and were more likely to engage with a travel agent for complex trips. 

The research also takes a look at how leisure travel agencies are servicing their travellers in terms of contact before and after the trip and the services they sell and concludes that opportunities to better service their ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’ customers exist. While travel agents are often actively involved in the run up to a leisure traveller’s journey, only one in two, continue involvement after a traveller boards their flight. Yet the survey revealed growing interest from mobile users in receiving more promotional offers on hotels, dining offers, airport information and recommendations while they were away. In fact, 41% of travellers indicated they wanted to receive more relevant offers.

Travelport conducted parallel studies with over 2,500 leisure travellers and 1,000 travel agencies in eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, UAE, UK and US. The research was conducted in mid 2012 through an online survey email invitation to leisure agencies, and by the use of a third party panel company to consumers.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Wilna's Blog

    Staying relevant, delighting guests & crafting successful brands excites me.

    Here is a collection of articles that have interested me - definitely not all written by me, but all personally read and found by me!

    I hope you find them informative too!

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Brand
    Humour
    Leadership
    Marketing
    Motivational
    Namibian Insights
    Online Bookings
    Online Trends
    Self Improvement
    Service
    Social Networks
    Time Management
    Travel Agents
    Travel Trends

    Picture
    Thought Salad! 
     our monthly newsletter. 
    Subscribe HERE

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011


Home
Services

About us
Contact 

Resumes
Clients
Web Design
Blog

Photos used under Creative Commons from Martin Cathrae, Andrew Stawarz, laura padgett, Dave Dugdale