Booking, travel trends for 2018 and beyond
At the Phocuswright Conference, a travel industry meeting held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., blockchain and artificial intelligence were touted as the flying cars and robot maids of the future.
But the present looked alluring, too, with attention heaped on alternative lodging, beaches, tours and hurricane recovery. The annual event held in December, now in its 24th year, explored the innovations and interests helping to expand the travel universe. Among the forward-thinkers: some of the biggest names in travel (Priceline, Kayak, Google and TripAdvisor, among others), as well as many startups (Beachy, TWIP, Luxtripper) wishing upon a star to become the next Airbnb or Uber. Here are some of the top trends to keep an eye — or booking finger — on.
Online booking sites expanding into tours, excursions
“Until just a few years ago, this content was very difficult to find and book online,” said Douglas Quinby, senior vice president of research at Phocuswright, a travel industry research firm. “Now all of the big players — Airbnb, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and others — are investing heavily in the space.”
Call it ‘Keeping Up with Airbnb’
Major hotel booking sites are adding alternative lodgings, such as private accommodations, hostels and B&Bs, to their traditional properties. “More and more travelers are less concerned with hotels vs. homes vs. hostels and more concerned with location, price and quality,” Quinby said. Searches on Expedia, Booking.com and Tripping.com result in a grab bag of possibilities, and Trivago recently started featuring HomeAway vacation rentals.
Everyone wants a piece of China
However, the travel companies don’t want to just penetrate this emerging market; they want to adopt the country’s progressive mobile practices.
“China is far ahead of the rest of the world in mobile travel trends,” Quinby said. Chinese travelers research and book trips on their phones, he said, and “the apps, payment services and other features are more advanced and widely accepted.”
Beach bum’s best friend
For beachgoers who care as much about the scene as the sand, a startup called Beach-Inspector.com has come to the rescue. The Berlin-based company, which won Brand USA’s Marketing Innovation Award, provides comprehensive reviews of more than 1,500 beaches in 50 destinations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The site covers the condition of the beaches plus essentials such as parking, water sports, food, atmosphere and demographics. The founders plan to add U.S. beaches next year. Inspectors wanted.
Machine learning
Booking by voice command — “Alexa, teleport me to Fiji!” — is still a work in progress, but “machine learning,” a cousin of artificial intelligence, has arrived.
“Increasingly your favourite travel brands will know what you want before you ask for it,” Quinby said. Creepy or cool? You decide.
Hotel discounts and perks
Hotels are trying to woo travelers away from online travel agencies and toward loyalty programs. To entice guests, they are dangling discounted rates and perks such as free WiFi. The courting must be working: the number of U.S. hotel guests who belong to a frequent-stay program jumped from 37 per cent two years ago to 63 per cent, according to Phocuswright.