Travel sector struggling to have conversations online

Posted on | October 20, 2009 | 6 Comments

A few million of us each year leave our busy schedules behind and go and enjoy a holiday. Internet savvy users troll through sites like SkyScanner and Kayak to find ‘Cheap Holidays’ or ‘Popular Holidays’ on various websites. Often value for money and good booking experience plays an important role for us when purchasing these holidays. Experts believe this is a sharp contrast to the past, where bookings were more of a personal affair and customers trusted the travel agent to find the best deals.

Holidaymakers now expect the travel companies to suggest a package which best fits their schedule. From a travel company’s perspective, if they are going to stand out by the quality of their advice, the credibility has to be there – people have to trust you as a reliable source of information. One way of earning the reputation is to generate a constant interaction with customers. Easier said than done perhaps, although with the wide ranging social media platforms now available, possible in ways that it wasn’t in the past. In terms of responsiveness, users that post questions need timely responses. Travel companies have to engage them else they will solve their problem another way – possibly on a competitor’s site.

Reality of Travel Online

During a recent study conducted by eDigitalResearch, it was revealed that that the online travel industry as a whole has some way to go in order to compete with ‘best in breed’ companies for website engagement. Travel companies are sliding down the Hitwise list of the top 100 performing websites in the UK, with Thomson Holidays as the exception. A lot needs to be done to gear up the travel industry to have direct conversations with customers online. According to a survey conducted by YouGov, 31% of internet-using adults in the UK expect to plan and book next year’s holiday online. A further 36% plan to conduct most of their planning online, while only 4% will avoid the internet for travel purposes in 2008.

So the major question is how to get customers engaged. The answer is not simple. It requires a creative strategy that will start with the company’s own site and then extend onto other platforms around the internet. The method of delivery and the message given depends a on the target audience. A nice example of creative engagement within their own site is Virgin Atlantic’s vtravelled.com which showcases destinations through personal insights, photography and editorial. This enables users to receive recommendations from like minded people and the brand helps them to plan their journey and make the bookings.

If you work with a travel company and aren’t yet thinking about how to talk to your customers online, perhaps now is the time?

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