travel tech insights

5 Surprising Statistics Behind the Rise of Mobile Bookings

A recent report from the travel industry advocacy group EyeforTravel asked 183 respondents across all omareas of the global travel industry landscape about what facet of the travel industry keeps them up most nights. It’s an interesting question, especially given how volatile and variant-rich today’s travel industry can be taken into account the sheer volume of suppliers and network partners. Even so, the overwhelming response to this question was the need to stay ahead of technology and keep pace with the development of new digital platforms or methods of doing business. And this is especially true for mobile bookings and ability of today’s traveler to source, research, and complete bookings on devices no bigger than the palm of their hand.

In fact, EyeforTravel’s May 2016 survey and resulting report identified a number of interesting statistics regarding the continued development of mobile technology that can be applied to travel agents, tour operators, product and service providers, and even consumers.

Topics: Mobile Technology Mobile Apps Mobile Bookings Mobile Travel 2017

5 Ways Online Travel Agencies Can Increase Bookings

It’s a trend you see all too frequently in today’s global travel industry: a traveler lands at an online travel agency’s website with the intent to complete a booking, but then leaves the site empty-handed. This can happen for any number of reasons, but the result is the same regardless: the traveler is unfulfilled by their digital interaction with the OTA, and the OTA misses an opportunity to forge a potentially long-term relationship with the customer.

It’s a problem many OTAs face in today’s travel industry, especially as online and mobile capabilities become cheaper to source and easier to deploy. The expectation that an OTA will operate a robust online travel booking platform is also putting pressure on OTAs to leverage fast, powerful web-based resources travelers can access 24/7 across any number of applications or contexts, be it laptops, smartphones, mobile devices, and more.

Topics: online travel agency Mobile Bookings online travel OTAs Travel bookings

Why Mobile Payments Are Finally the Next Big Thing in Travel

For the last few years, mobile payments have been predicted to be the next big thing in the travel  industry. Analysts and industry insiders have long speculated the disruption mobile payment technology will have on the way travelers shop and complete online bookings, as well as the way travel companies and OTAs use mobile technology to reach as many customers as possible. But recent advancements in mobile technology, specifically in affordability and availability, are making it possible for mobile payments to actually take hold sooner rather than later in today's travel industry. 

Topics: Mobile Technology travel trends Mobile Bookings Mobile App Mobile Travel Mobile payments

How Travel Agencies should Master Mobile Bookings: The Do’s and Don’ts

According to a recent study by research group eMarketer, about 51 percent of travelers who complete bookings in 2016 will do so via a mobile device - primarily a smartphone or tablet. This figure represents an 8 percent increase from the year prior and reinforces what many in the travel industry have been saying for years now: Mobile bookings have arrived as a major player in how customers book and experience travel.

The more you dig into the numbers, the more startling the picture becomes about just how impactful mobile bookings are and how crucial it is for travel companies to embrace this technology. For example, out of more than 48 million customers who book travel arrangements in the United States in 2016, it’s estimated roughly 38 million will use a smartphone to do so. This represents a massive customer base without taking into account the number of smartphone users on a global scale.

Topics: Travel App Mobile Device Mobile Bookings Mobile App Mobile Travel

Mobile Bookings by the Numbers

It’s no secret mobile bookings are a major force in today’s travel industry. Travelers - particularly  millennials and digital natives - are more tech savvy and connected than ever before, and they’re using mobile capabilities to research, book, and review travel experiences at unprecedented levels.

According to the travel industry research group Phocuswright, the online travel market in the United States has seen revenues surge to more than $166 billion since 2012 - in addition, roughly 45 percent of domestic travel spending will come from online travel commerce. Both of these staggering statistics are in large part driven by mobile capabilities and how travel companies leverage their mobile platforms to reach customers and engage with travelers.

In fact, these statistics are just two of many that support the mobile narrative unfolding across the travel and tourism industry. The figures behind the rise of mobile booking technology and the impact this development has and will continue to have on how travel companies and customers interact is one of the more interesting and revealing aspects in today’s travel landscape.

Topics: Mobile Technology travel trends Mobile Bookings Mobile App Mobile Travel