The travel industry saw a whole of changes in 2013; today we extrapolated the trends to predict upcoming travel industry trends in 2014.
Rise of the digital traveler: - The rapid proliferation of digital channels has empowered travelers to use online tools and mobile apps to find his way around town. We are rapidly witnessing the growth of a new breed of travelers who shun hand holding by the hospitality industry. It will be interesting to see how the industry evolves to fulfill the needs of the new age customers.
Curation gains prominence: - Travelers are getting bombarded by a huge amount of data and advertising and they are getting tired sifting through them to find what they want. As a consequence, many travel portals are adopting intelligent curation powered by big data and analytics. HotelTonight has adopted an interesting curation algorithm whereby it displays a set of same day deals for each market. For 2014, expect a whole lot more intelligence to creep into your search listings. As portals become more intelligent, they are expected to lure more travelers to book cheap air tickets online rather than through their agents.
Weightage to Visual: - The stratospheric rise of Instagram and photosharing on Facebook is a clear indication of the power of visual in the digital age. Over the past year, Visual Content Marketing has been fast gaining prominence; with even corporate brands like American Express utilizing imagery to communicate with their audience. Brands like Starwood are increasingly utilizing their customer's photos, videos and social network to create marketing collateral that are more likely to resonate with other potential customers in the same demographic.
The march of the Low Cost Carrier (LCC): - Low Cost Carriers (LCC) are expected to continue their glorious march onwards in decimating every other aviation sector. With the success of the sector, many more carriers like Norwegian, WoW Air and West Jet are set to enter the LCC sector; further increasing the competition. Expect international air tickets prices to plummet further in 2014.
Relaxed Visa Regulations: - Many nations around the world are realizing that visa fees and complicated processes is stunting inbound tourism. The realization has led to the introduction of visa on arrival by numerous Asian and European countries. Even traditionally closed countries like Russia, China and India are slowly seeing the benefits of easing their visa regulations. The changes could serve as a huge impact in driving tourism from previously untended sectors.
Rise of the digital traveler: - The rapid proliferation of digital channels has empowered travelers to use online tools and mobile apps to find his way around town. We are rapidly witnessing the growth of a new breed of travelers who shun hand holding by the hospitality industry. It will be interesting to see how the industry evolves to fulfill the needs of the new age customers.
Curation gains prominence: - Travelers are getting bombarded by a huge amount of data and advertising and they are getting tired sifting through them to find what they want. As a consequence, many travel portals are adopting intelligent curation powered by big data and analytics. HotelTonight has adopted an interesting curation algorithm whereby it displays a set of same day deals for each market. For 2014, expect a whole lot more intelligence to creep into your search listings. As portals become more intelligent, they are expected to lure more travelers to book cheap air tickets online rather than through their agents.
Weightage to Visual: - The stratospheric rise of Instagram and photosharing on Facebook is a clear indication of the power of visual in the digital age. Over the past year, Visual Content Marketing has been fast gaining prominence; with even corporate brands like American Express utilizing imagery to communicate with their audience. Brands like Starwood are increasingly utilizing their customer's photos, videos and social network to create marketing collateral that are more likely to resonate with other potential customers in the same demographic.
The march of the Low Cost Carrier (LCC): - Low Cost Carriers (LCC) are expected to continue their glorious march onwards in decimating every other aviation sector. With the success of the sector, many more carriers like Norwegian, WoW Air and West Jet are set to enter the LCC sector; further increasing the competition. Expect international air tickets prices to plummet further in 2014.
Relaxed Visa Regulations: - Many nations around the world are realizing that visa fees and complicated processes is stunting inbound tourism. The realization has led to the introduction of visa on arrival by numerous Asian and European countries. Even traditionally closed countries like Russia, China and India are slowly seeing the benefits of easing their visa regulations. The changes could serve as a huge impact in driving tourism from previously untended sectors.
