Look, Book, Share: The Changing Landscape May 2016

How it used to be done and how it is now done

Coming up… Findings from Visit Jersey research into what consumers expect from a destination or accommodation provider website Findings from Tourism Economics research into the impact of TripAdvisor What influences the destination choice of Europeans and how they book their trips Propensity of Brits to make online travel purchases VisitBritain research into the pull of offering free wifi

The holiday planning process For ‘domestic’ trips consumers research multiple websites TripAdvisor is commonly used to check accommodation lives up to expectations ‘Value’ plays a key role in decision-making and accommodation recognised as one of the major elements of holiday expenditure Rarely do consumers book the first price they see Consumers will often consult the official website of the hotel or guest house

Expectations for a DMO website Potential visitors rarely seek out a DMO website deliberately but many find it following a Google search It is expected that the DMO website will ‘market’ the destination but also provide ‘practical’ information Potential visitors don’t necessarily expect to be able to book, but do want to be able to click through to the website of the attraction / accommodation / carrier website being showcased

Consumers value images and videos Potential visitors respond well to a DMO, or other travel related website, that clearly shows ‘people like them’ Expertly composed and well-planned images make users want to visit the destination and makes them feel the destination wants them to come The most traction is gained by images that are ‘hi-res’ but also where thought has been given to composition Photos which show little depth, detail or care do little to inspire potential visitors Your car park ought not be your most appealing visual asset

Accommodation imagery expectations Again expect hi-res images with thought having been given to composition Expect at least three images; exterior, public area and guest room Immediate suspicion arose in the minds of consumers where establishments showed either only ‘inside’ or only ‘outside’ images

Maps Maps can be a real enabler for potential visitors as it allows them to understand ‘where’ the place of accommodation is relative to other holiday activities

Browsing and booking accommodation When ‘looking’ users want quick access to key information and to find options… –Within easy reach of local activities that interested them –Within their budget –Which met their needs (self-catering, dog-friendly, hotel etc) To make a decision users want top-line information: –Imagery –Facilities –Guest reviews –Price range and availability

Browsing and booking accommodation Most indicated that they would be unlikely to book through a DMO website Keen to look at a range of sites to see where the best deal was available Many prefer to book directly with the accommodation establishment Strong expectation that an establishment would have its own website

Research into the impact of TripAdvisor Conducted by Tourism Economics Since its launch in 2000 TripAdvisor has contributed significantly to the growth of the global travel and tourism marketplace Reviews give consumers confidence in their decisions when planning and booking It is estimated that 13% of international trips and 8% of domestic trips were influenced by TripAdvisor content in 2014 There were 22 million extra trips, 352 million extra nights and $64bn extra expenditure, directly generated by TripAdvisor in 2014

Research into the impact of TripAdvisor The number of trips taken to a particular destination increases as the content such as photos, reviews, listings and information for that destination grows The content provides useful, and free, feedback to businesses that can be used to improve services and generate more customers Businesses that provide thoughtful Management Responses to the reviews and feedback they receive perform better on the site than do those that don’t Content gives travellers the confidence to choose a property based solely on reviews, ratings and photos from other travellers, this particularly benefits independent, smaller businesses

TripAdvisor – top tips Make a good first impression – information should be complete and up-to-date and include photos, operating hours etc Content drives business – every customer is a potential reviewer, which will generate new content Management responses adds content too – providing a personal response to reviews can have a big impact on revenue and on reputation

TripAdvisor – trends for 2016 Travellers will seek ‘new’ experiences Travellers will spend more ‘because it is worth it’ Culture and special offers can often influence destination choice, but one-in-five travellers claim to have visited a destination because they saw it in films or tv programmes Air conditioning and access to wifi are key criteria for many global travellers Hoteliers are more confident globally and expect room rates to rise A key area of investment for hotel owners is online reputation management

Most important information source

How holidays were booked in 2015

GB online purchase of ‘travel’ products in 2015

Pull of free wifi - % ‘very likely to’…

David Edwards Head of Research and Insights Visit Jersey