The development of technology is transforming the ways business is conducted and customer habits in all industries. Travel industry is among those most affected by this transformation. The changing customer preferences not only change the purchasing behaviors, but also the holiday plans and travel expectations.
All the companies engaged in the travel industry must follow the changes closely and know about the customer trends. Especially the online travel agencies (OTA) should shape their marketing strategies according to the trends and reinforce them with short- and long-term plans.
When it comes to this, many travel agencies care only about the next year’s customer expectations and short-term changes in the industry, while agencies foreseeing the long-term need to stand out in the competition. As HotelRunner, we have covered the upcoming 5 years and insights, which are of close interest to the entire travel and tourism industry, and in particular to online travel agencies.
Global population is aging
It is expected that people aged at and over 65 will constitute a major part (700 million) of the world’s population by 2020. In this respect, it is estimated that in 5 years of time people over 65 will constitute the 1/4 of Japan’s population; 1/5 of the population of Germany, France and England; 1/6 of the population of USA, Canada and Australia.
The ever-aging world population indicates that people now care more about their well-being and consider anywhere in the world -not just those in close proximity- as alternatives, since they are healthy enough to travel and have a holiday.
Customized service request
The varying services, increasing options and the individualistic lifestyle, which is especially rising in the Western societies, lead consumers to take the advantage of customized products & services. Beginning with CRM (Customer Relations Management), the process leads brands to customization in marketing. However, brands gain an advantage in the competition when they set a strategy for customer preferences, indivualism and customization although social media platforms might seem to rise in our era, in which companies focus on mass communication again.
Therefore, you should tailor your OTA’s marketing activities in accordance with the expectations of your existing and potential customers.
Health tourism
The boosted prosperity and economic sufficiency globally encourages people to live longer and more healthily. At this point, the number of people spending their holiday for treatment is increasing. Especially, Turkey has recently been one of the most popular countries for health tourism.
Turkey is among the first preferences of international patients as it offers cost-effectiveness, holiday opportunities and a quality technological infrastructure. Since Turkey’s potential in healthy tourism increases, national health tourism targets are also growing accordingly. Research shows that more tourists are expected to visit Turkey to meet their treatment needs by 2023.
Online travel agencies are directly affected by this transformation and trends in the travel industry. The HotelRunner platform helps you tailor your OTA in accordance with all these trends. Create your account now to survive in the accommodation industry with a robust and secure infrastructure by tapping into HotelRunner‘s advanced online marketing features to increase your bookings.
