Globally, travel was ranked as the number one most enjoyable activity
Travelport recently revealed a new survey that highlighted excitement to travel in 2022. According to Travelport, travel is the most eagerly anticipated thing to do in 2022. In a study commissioned by Travelport and conducted by Toluna Research, thousands of respondents from seven different countries said they’d even be willing to give up some of their favourite things for six months or longer in order to travel.
Image Source: Travelport
However, not every aspect of the travel experience received the same level of enthusiasm. A notable experience gap emerged between the high degree of enjoyment respondents get from going on holiday and the frustration they experienced when booking that very same trip.
- 43% of US respondents, the largest travel region, do not find booking travel enjoyable
- But 95% of that same group enjoy the experience of being on holiday
Globally, travel was ranked as the number one most enjoyable activity, but when it came to shopping for travel, the industry dropped to the number four spot, trailing the worlds of clothing, restaurants and electronics. A quarter of Gen Z respondents agreed on the complexity of searching, comparing and booking travel offers just isn’t fun, according to the report.
Image Source: Travelport
On average, travellers visit a whopping 38 different websites before booking their trip. 45% of respondents would prefer to book an entire trip through one website, one that offers a choice of airlines, hotels, car hire companies, and extras. In particular, the youngest generation of travellers wants agencies to step up their retailing game. 50% of Gen Z would prefer to book an entire trip through one website. Other industries have steamed ahead in terms of simplicity and innovation, evolving with their consumers’ sophisticated expectations, and shifting perceptions over time. Study respondents found the travel industry to be an outlier, perceiving it to be even less innovative than the finance industry.
“While the last two+ years have been a significant challenge, the global travel industry recovered more than 50% of its gross activity by the end of 2021. Should this trend continue along the same trajectory, it could reach an 85% recovery by the end of this year. The pent-up desire to travel is strong. Our latest survey findings clearly demonstrate this, highlighting how many indulgences people are willing to sacrifice in order to travel again. Shopping for travel is complicated, which is why Travelport has made simplifying the complex travel ecosystem its mission. With demand for travel rebounding at its strongest pace since the pandemic began, it’s imperative that the industry listens to its customers. Now is the time for us to fix travel retail, putting consumer convenience, digital experience, and breadth of choice above all. By restoring clarity, confidence, and fun to travel shopping, we can grow trust, generate repeat business and inspire true loyalty – the benchmark of successful modern retailing,” said Jen Catto, Chief Marketing Officer, Travelport.
“Comparing travel products is unfortunately seen as more akin to evaluating mortgage or car insurance options. That’s why, on average, travellers visit a whopping 38 sites before booking a trip. The verdict is: nontransparent = more complicated = less fun. Poor comparison options also add to the feeling of ‘hidden costs, which erodes trust — and 60% of customers think travel isn’t upfront enough,” says the report.
Image Source: Travelport
Travel agencies know their unique value in the retailing challenge. And they’re ready to build on that value by modernizing the way they sell. 87% are in favour of modern digital retailing to improve the customer experience.
The study was conducted by Toluna Research, polling more than 2,000 respondents from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
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