Travel providers are falling short of travellers’ expectations and failing to deliver on their top priorities, according to a recent survey.
Research carried out by Expedia Partner Solutions found more than a quarter of travellers said they wish providers would focus more on customer service, with this area coming second only to more competitive offers and promotions (28 per cent) on their list of priorities.
The B2B brand of Expedia surveyed 25,000 travellers from 35 countries for its latest report, “Global traveler expectations: How to deliver on what travelers really want”.
Quality and relevance of accommodation content was also cited as a deal breaker for frequent travellers, with 31 per cent of those who take more than ten trips a year giving this the highest rating of importance within the booking experience. Thirty-four per cent of this subset gave the same level of priority to the quality of the content they see, including the images and descriptions accompanying a listing.
Interestingly, travellers from emerging markets ranked ease of website navigation as key, with 35 per cent of those from Africa giving it ten out of ten for importance. For the Middle East, this was 30 per cent and for APAC it was 27 per cent. However, only 24 per cent of respondents globally said their travel providers were doing an ‘excellent’ job in this area.
Surprisingly, there is a regional divide when it comes to competitive pricing; 26 per cent of Europeans and 32 per cent of North Americans ranked this as the most important element of a positive booking experience, but pricing failed to make the top three for travellers in Latin America, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Isabelle Pinson, VP of marketing at Expedia Partner Solutions, commented: “Our research report highlights a disconnect between what travellers most value in a travel provider and what these businesses are delivering. It is crucial that travel providers really understand what drives traveller choices and behaviours because those providers that fine-tune their offering to really match their travellers’ needs are sure to gain a competitive edge and build loyalty.
“While this report highlights that there are some universal expectations among global travellers that providers need to be aware of, importantly, there are also key differences in priorities, depending on which region travellers are from, how often they travel and the purpose of their trip. Therefore, it’s crucial that travel providers understand the needs of their specific audience to deliver on traveller expectations.”
Download the full report here