The 2011 summer time has finally come. What does it mean? The answer is simple: it is the highest time to start thinking about well-earned holidays. Despite the current challenges, such as the effects of earthquakes and tsunami in Japan and other countries or volcanic eruptions in Iceland, which resulted in closing the European airspace, the year 2011 brings positive trends for the travel industry. According to World Tourist Organization the number of international tourist arrivals increased by 4.5 percentage points between January and February 2011 as compared to the same period of 2010. Moreover, this tendency is expected to be continued. Tourism growth was present in almost all regions of the world.
Chart 1. International Tourist Arrivals; source: UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, June 2011
Almost… because political problems have effectively frightened travellers away from choosing such travel destinations as the Middle East or North Africa. The indicator of International Tourist Arrivals has visibly decreased in these regions as compared to the same period of the previous year. Asia and the Pacific noted a growth of 5 percentage points, which was in line with the world average, though not meeting the earlier expectations.
Trends in travelling to destinations less popular than the ones mentioned above, were studied by Gemius and its partner, Active Pharma, the company which specializes in pharmaceutical marketing. In this year, the project was conducted for the second time and, as before, raised a lot of interest amidst both industry specialists and the travellers, The aim of the study was to verify the profile and preferences of those who have already visited or are planning to visit less popular regions of the globe.
According to the gemiusPharma report, Africa and Asia have invariably been the preferred places visited during last three years. This trend won’t probably change soon, because both of these travel destinations – Africa and Asia – are mentioned in holiday plans for the next year by more than 30 percent of the surveyed persons. Despite Africa and Asia sound like quite exotic destinations, many of the Polish travellers do no decide to “step off the beaten track” and prefer organized holidays. Less adventurous travellers prefer to leave the organization of their holidays to professionals, thus being more likely to visit the most typically tourist and well-known destinations. The top picks amidst the well-known destinations are Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Chart 2. Planned journey destinations – continents; source: gemiusPharma report “Travellers online 2011”
Preparation for a journey requires a good source of information on the local conditions and travel possibilities in a selected country, so as the dream holidays do not bring disappointment. Family, friends, media or travel agencies – which of these sources is the best way of obtaining essential knowledge required for the trip? According to the ”Survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tourism” prepared by European Commission almost no change is seen when comparing the 2009, 2010 and 2011 results and still recommendations from friends and colleagues seem to be perceived as the most trustworthy. Nevertheless, the importance of the internet in this area has increased from 38 percent in 2009 to 45 percent in 2011. Friends’ recommendations and the virtual world are overlapping in the social media, where generating negative or positive buzz about a given place is as simple as it has never been before. There is no doubt that the internet will strengthen its power as the source of travel-related information, because not only travellers, but also the businesses operate are more and more actively on the Web .
What is more the blessing of mobile internet, brings the travel guides literally at our fingertips. The latest research by eMarketer, conducted in United States, predicts that 25 million U.S. mobile users will search for travel information on their mobile devices before making a trip in 2011 and nearly 12 million will use the mobile channel for booking. Mobile has dramatically altered the travel experience, said Noah Elkin, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report, “Mobile Travel Takes Off: Emerging Trends and Best Practices for Marketers.” From pre-trip planning to in-flight and on-property services to context- and location-aware destination information, mobile devices promise to transform every phase in the travel process, putting vital information—and new marketing opportunities—within hand’s reach. By 2012, 34 percent of smartphone users and 31 percent of mobile internet users in the U.S. will search for travel information via mobile. At the same time, 18 percent of smartphone users and 16 percent of mobile internet users are expected to book a journey the same way. It is just a matter of time when this overseas mobile travel trend will get popular in Europe.
Producers of mobile devices are not going to leave travel market on its own. They broaden their offer trying to keep travellers engaged in new technologies. TripIt – Travel Organizer is an example of a new possibility delivered to travel industry. This app designed for both iPhone and iPad, acts like a personal travel assistant who combines travel plans with maps, driving directions and is an irreplaceable device in searching for the cheapest flights and helpful in flight tickets booking.
The emerging mobile trend represents a new opportunity for marketers to connect with consumers before, during and after their trips. As clients integrate their mobile devices into their travel plans, marketers that want to keep pace must develop innovative approaches that fit their audience’s habits and preferences. It seems that the travel industry, just like any other, follows the latest trends and wants to face people’s demands. The world gets smaller, journeys are easier, so there is nothing to deliberate on – just grab your mobile and hit the road!
