Having experienced an all-time high in the past decade, with 2018 recording the highest international tourist arrival, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the sector is now undeniably faced with big challenges and uncomfortable changes following the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the same, there are still rising tourism trends that can help tour operators, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), and other industry suppliers to revamp their businesses and experience success as we get into the new normal.

From experiential and transformative travel to automation and Bleisure trips, there are new opportunities companies should focus on.

In this article, we’ll go through the top tourism trends right now and highlight how leisure businesses can stay on top of their game and rebuild tourism for the future. 

1. Bleisure Travel

Bleisure travel is a growing tourism trend where people extend their business travel to leisure activities. Experts predict it will continue to grow in the mobile workforce. Although business travel has started to make its comeback in 2021, bleisure is believed to be its future. 

A 2018 study revealed that 60% of U.S. business trips incorporated leisure elements, an increase from 43% in 2016.

These business-leisure trips can either be pre-planned, whereby clients schedule their vacation within the same period of a job-related trip. Companies may also offer their workers some tourist experiences during work trips. 

On the other hand, this can come as an afterthought. Once the meetings, professional conferences, and other work engagements are over, business travelers may decide to extend their stay and explore their destination.

There is also a growing trend among millennials known as the “digital nomad” phenomenon. This is whereby online workers and freelancers adopt the lifestyle of traveling as they work.

As a tour operator, you can take advantage of this growing trend by creating offers that entice business travelers to extend their stay for leisure. For example, you can sell team retreat packages combined with perks like photos, videos, and transportation. 

Having wifi and chargers in buses and accommodation (for multi-day tours) can also entice digital nomads and other travelers looking to stay connected for work.

2. Automation

Gone are the days when booking a trip required clients to make a phone call, speak directly to a service provider, or walk into the supplier’s office for face-to-face negotiation. 

Digitization has led to a rise in online bookings. Not only has this made advertising cheaper for travel companies, but also customers are enjoying and increasingly prefer the convenience it offers.

Tour and activities companies have also progressively adopted technology and online booking. In 2019, 71% of operators surveyed were using reservation technology in their businesses, a marked increase from just 25% in 2010. More to that, these companies experienced faster growth plus higher profitability. 

Booking systems help tour & activity providers automate their processes and be more effective by adopting cutting-edge technologies. Long gone are the days when you are using spreadsheets, pen and paper to manage your reservations: booking systems do it all automatically, save your time and money. For example, Regiondo booking system has won European travel market by providing seamless reservation experience, flexibility and innovations to businesses of any size.

As we approach the post-COVID period, automation in the sector is bound to continue rising. The increasing digitalization of tourism also generates new business opportunities and promotes the sustainable development of the sector. So as you work on getting back to profitability, take advantage of this tourism trend, and set up the right technology in order to increase your chances of faster recovery.

3. Mobile Bookings

Another important aspect when it comes to digitization is mobile bookings. 

Operators report that 2 in 5 online bookings are made on mobile devices. These smartphone shoppers are also more valuable to your business because of the following reasons:

• They spend 50% more on tours and activities per trip.
• They average 2.9 tours per trip.
• They are twice as likely to leave online reviews.

Source: Arival Travel

4. Personalization

According to Think with Google, 57% of travelers believe that companies should personalize their buying experience and base it on their behaviors, personal preferences, and past choices.

Personalization is also important when it comes to the actual tour or activity. By offering flexible experiences that can be tailored to a traveler’s needs, you stand a chance of better satisfying your clients, and that can lead to repeat visits. Your priority should, therefore, be on offering customer-oriented services.

It starts right from the time they see your advert on social media or your website. The messaging should resonate with what the client prefers. Travel and tour suggestions can be offered according to, for instance, what the customer has been browsing on the internet. This is possible to set up using specialized marketing tools and ad platforms like Google and Facebook.

You are better placed by factoring this into your company’s digital marketing strategy. How do you get started? Reach out and speak to your customers to learn about their preferences, characteristics, behavior, and individual needs.

All in all, staying on top of this tourism trend can be the distinction that will make your company stand out from competitors and gain back profitability faster.

5. Tech-Empowered Travel

We already talked about automation and mobile bookings as some of the future trends in the tourism sector. But existing and emerging technologies will continue to influence travel in many other ways. 

A recent Amadeus survey states that technology and innovation seem to be key in building traveler confidence and they will increase willingness to travel in the next 12 months.

Technologies proved to be crucial in the post-pandemic world where international tourists need to present Digital COVID Certificates or fill out travel documentation. What is more, people need instant access to information and help when being abroad.

In the coming year, tech innovations will continue to bring ease to the travel experience. The top five technologies that would increase confidence to travel in the next 12 months are:

• Mobile applications that provide on-trip notifications and alerts (44%)
• Self-service check-in (41%)
• Contactless mobile payments, e.g., Apple Pay (41%)
• Automated and flexible cancellation policies (40%)
• Mobile boarding (40%)

In addition to supporting people throughout their journey, technologies made innovative solutions possible. Virtual tours, experiences, and classes gained significant popularity during the lockdowns, and thanks to tech innovation, many businesses survived the crisis.

The first step for technology-empowered travel experience is a website. However, to make sure your customers can easily find you in the search engines, it is important to care about your SEO metrics. Try our free SEO Grader tool to learn how your website performs and get free recommendations on how you can improve it.

6. Sustainable Tourism

Following the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference and the launch of The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action, countries are urged to accelerate climate action in tourism. So encouraging sustainable tourism practices and environmental initiatives is of utmost importance for the resilience of the sector. 

The UNWTO Secretary-general has warned that the “climate emergency is a bigger threat than Covid”. As international travelers become aware of this crisis, they come to believe that people need to take action now and make sustainable travel choices in order to save the planet and preserve it for future generations.

More travelers are adopting this mindset hence making their travel decisions with the environment in mind. 

But it’s important to note that sustainability is not only about the environment. It’s also about making a positive impact on cultures, economies, and the people at the destinations that clients visit.

In the post-COVID-19 era, sustainability will be a continuous trend in travel and tourism. If you play your part in upholding sustainability, you can earn the trust and loyalty of the generation of travelers who are spearheading this trend.

7. Active Ecotourism

Active Ecotourism is another trend that has emerged in response to the calls for more sustainable and thoughtful tourism. It encourages combining the passion for travel with direct involvement in conservation and supporting the local environment.

According to a recent Amadeus survey on rebuilding travel, people consider cost-effective sustainable travel a priority.

37% of travelers surveyed think opportunities for travelers to be involved in the preservation of tourist destinations will help the industry to become more sustainable in the long term.

According to Evolve’s 2022 travel forecasts, 58% of people will be more interested in exploring the outdoors and practicing relevant activities including hiking, biking, and kayaking. Mountain/rural escapes and waterfront getaways are expected to be popular vacation experiences in 2022.

Covid-19 has drawn our attention to the negative impact of travel on the global environment and initiated a promise for ‘coming back better’. So the tourism industry will continue this trend by promoting sustainable outdoor travel and ecotourism in the post-pandemic era.

8. Transformative Travel

This is a new tourism trend that’s quickly gaining popularity. Transformative travel is about not just traveling for leisure but also aiming to make a difference in both the lives of others and oneself. 

Volunteering trips are an example of the experiences that have gained popularity from this trend. Travelers vacation and also set aside time to volunteer at their travel destinations. 

When it comes to making a difference in their own lives, clients can opt to go for wellness holidays where they retreat and either join a yoga class, relax at a nature-filled destination, or attend some apprenticeship classes to learn a new skill. 

Because of this trend, there is also a notable change in the travelers’ diet. Instead of indulging in unhealthy meals, those who’ve joined the organic food movement prefer places that offer highly nutritious and organic foods.

One of the main aims of transformative travel is to be involved in something that’s significant and adds purpose to the trip. Booking.com shares that 68% of global travelers would consider participating in cultural exchanges to learn a new skill, followed by a volunteering trip (54%) and international work placements (52%).

Based on this trend, tour operators can focus on offering unique and purposeful activities along with their usual products and services.

9. Experience Tourism

Experience tourism is on the rise. This trend is about having a once-in-a-lifetime experience or gaining an emotional connection with cultures and nature. 

As travelers get tired or bored of cookie-cutter vacations in touristy hot spots, they begin looking for an authentic experience in their travel destination. They can easily go for a brand that will allow them to mingle with the locals and experience the culture of the people.

Harris Group did a study that revealed that 72% of millennials prefer spending more money on unique experiences rather than on material things.

So, if you can offer these experiences, then you’re well on your way to acquiring this increasing breed of clients. One of the most popular experiences is food sampling. Food tourism enables travelers to enjoy different local cuisines, maybe even learn how to cook some of the recipes, and interact with the people’s traditions in the process.

Another way clients want to experience their destinations is by staying with local families rather than in hotels. This gives them a chance to interact even closer with the locals and see their way of life.

10. Wellness Travel

These are travelers looking for an enriching experience with the primary purpose of achieving, promoting, or maintaining the best health and sense of well-being and balance in life.

But don’t think wellness travel is limited to resorts and spas. Almost any business can take advantage of this trend.

Think of how you can market your business offers as a way to contribute to wellness tourism by developing and promoting communities and showing how both tourists and locals can benefit.

For example, a helicopter tour, paragliding flight, or whatever fun adventure your company offers, is a chance for personal growth by conquering fears or expanding horizons. Your existing offers may give the chance for people to empower themselves by learning a new skill set which also encourages personal growth.

11. Longer Trips

With international travel returning to some degree, tourists are starting to dream about extended long-distance trips again. While countries are advocating for less air travel, this trend will allow people to travel less but better.

According to Evolve’s 2022 travel forecasts, the average trip will likely be longer in length (5-7 nights in 2022, compared to an average of 3.8 nights in both 2020 and 2021).

Longer trips will be increasing in demand as a result of the many work-from-home opportunities too. A study by Envoy finds that the hybrid work model gives employees more flexibility to get work done when they’re most productive.

So those who work remotely are more likely to plan extended stays in 2022 and beyond.

12. Staycation

Staycation is another trend that gained popularity during the pandemic. It represents a holiday spent in one’s home country or home rather than abroad. Often involves day trips for exploring local attractions and activities. This type of vacation is ideal for people who are feeling the need of escaping out of their homes but want to avoid the ongoing Covid-19 regulations.

New research suggests that the trend will continue into 2022 despite the easing of international travel restrictions. This is because tourists want to support their local markets well as feel secure and safe in their holiday environment.

So small tour/activity businesses and accommodation providers can rest assured that there will be a constant stream of visitors during the years to come.

Conclusion

As a tour operator or DMO, it’s best to keep an eye on these tourism trends and begin strategizing. These include:

• The merging of business and leisure travels
• Increasing automation
• Mobile bookings
• Personalization of trips
• Tech-Empowered Travel
• Active ecotourism
• A focus on sustainable tourism
• Transformative travel
• Experience tourism
• Wellness travel
• Longer trips
• Staycations

Have a plan of how to meet the needs of your clients and take advantage of these trends. This can be the much-needed headstart to help you emerge above your competition as you seek to recover from the consequences of the pandemic.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post 12 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2022 and Beyond appeared first on Regiondo.

Having experienced an all-time high in the past decade, with 2018 recording the highest international tourist arrival, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the sector is now undeniably faced with big challenges and uncomfortable changes in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the same, there are still rising tourism trends that can help tour operators, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), and other industry suppliers to revamp their businesses and experience success as we get into the new normal.

From experiential and transformative travel to automation and Bleisure trips, there are new opportunities companies should focus on.

In this article, we’ll go through the top tourism trends right now and highlight how leisure businesses can stay on top of their game and recover during the post-COVID period.

1. Bleisure Travel

Bleisure travel is a growing tourism trend where people traveling for work or business include some leisure time at their destination.

A 2018 study revealed that 60% of U.S. business trips incorporated leisure elements, an increase from 43% in 2016.

These business-leisure trips can either be pre-planned, whereby clients schedule their vacation within the same period of a job-related trip. Companies may also offer their workers some tourist experiences during work trips.

On the other hand, this can come as an afterthought. Once the meetings, professional conferences, and other work engagements are over, business travelers may decide to extend their stay and explore their destination.

There is also a growing trend among millennials known as the “digital nomad” phenomenon. This is whereby online workers and freelancers adopt a lifestyle of traveling as they work.

As a tour operator, you can take advantage of this growing trend by creating offers that entice business travelers to extend their stay for leisure. For example, you can sell team retreat packages combined with perks like photos, videos, and transportation.

Having wifi and chargers in buses and accommodation (for multi-day tours) can also entice digital nomads and other travelers looking to stay connected for work.

2. Automation

Gone are the days when booking a trip required clients to make a phone call, speak directly to a service provider, or walk into the supplier’s office for face-to-face negotiation.

Digitization has led to a rise in online bookings. Not only has this made advertising cheaper for travel companies, but also customers are enjoying and increasingly prefer the convenience it offers.

Tour and activities companies have also progressively adopted technology and online booking. In 2019, 71% of operators surveyed were using reservation technology in their businesses, a marked increase from just 25% in 2010. More to that, these companies experienced faster growth plus higher profitability.

Booking systems help tour & activity providers automate their processes and be more effective by adopting cutting-edge technologies. Long gone are the days when you are using spreadsheets, pen and paper to manage your reservations: booking systems do it all automatically, save your time and money. For example, Regiondo booking system has won European travel market by providing seamless reservation experience, flexibility and innovations to businesses of any size.

As we slowly approach the post-COVID period, automation in the sector is bound to continue rising. So as you work on getting back to profitability, take advantage of this tourism trend, and set up the right technology in order to increase your chances of faster recovery.

3. Mobile Bookings

Another important aspect when it comes to digitization is mobile bookings.

Operators report that 2 in 5 online bookings are made on mobile devices. These smartphone shoppers are also more valuable to your business because of the following reasons:

• They spend 50% more on tours and activities per trip.
• They average 2.9 tours per trip.
• They are twice as likely to leave online reviews.

Source: Arival Travel

Website speed and mobile friendliness are also some of the most essential rankings that influence your SEO performance. You can try our free SEO grader to check if your travel website loads and works well on smartphones and tablets.

4. Personalization

According to Think with Google, 57% of travelers believe that companies should personalize their buying experience and base it on their behaviors, personal preferences, and past choices.

Personalization is also important when it comes to the actual tour or activity. By offering flexible experiences that can be tailored to a traveler’s needs, you stand a chance of better satisfying your clients, and that can lead to repeat visits. Your priority should, therefore, be on offering customer-oriented services.

It starts right from the time they see your advert on social media or your website. The messaging should resonate with what the client prefers. Travel and tour suggestions can be offered according to, for instance, what the customer has been browsing on the internet. This is possible to set up using specialized marketing tools and ad platforms like Google and Facebook.

You are better placed by factoring this in your company’s digital marketing strategy. How do you get started? Reach out and speak to your customers to learn about their preferences, characteristics, behavior, and individual needs.

All in all, staying on top of this tourism trend can be the distinction that will make your company stand out from competitors and gain back profitability faster.

5. Sustainable Tourism

Research by Booking.com reveals that 72% of tourists believe that people need to take action now and make sustainable travel choices in order to save the planet and preserve it for future generations.

More travelers are adopting this mindset hence making their travel decisions with the environment in mind.

Carbon offsetting, for example, is becoming more popular by the day especially since travelers want to help mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.

Tour companies can also support this mission by making small but significant adjustments. You can do away with single-use plastics or opt to only use solar for all your energy needs.

But it’s important to note that sustainability is not only about the environment. It’s also about making a positive impact on cultures, economies, and the people at the destinations that clients visit.

In the face of COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable tourism is most likely going to grow. If you play your part in upholding sustainability, you can earn the trust and loyalty of the generation of travelers who are spearheading this trend.

6. Transformative Travel

This is a new tourism trend that’s quickly gaining popularity. Transformative travel is about not just traveling for leisure but also aiming to make a difference in both the lives of others and oneself.

Volunteering trips are an example of the experiences that have gained popularity from this trend. Travelers vacation and also set aside time to volunteer at their travel destinations.

When it comes to making a difference in their own lives, clients can opt to go for wellness holidays where they retreat and either join a yoga class, relax at a nature-filled destination, or attend some apprenticeship classes to learn a new skill.

Because of this trend, there is also a notable change in the travelers’ diet. Instead of indulging in unhealthy meals, those who’ve joined the organic food movement prefer places that offer highly nutritious and organic foods.

One of the main aims for transformative travel is to be involved in something that’s significant and adds purpose to the trip. Booking.com shares that 68% of global travelers would consider participating in cultural exchanges to learn a new skill, followed by a volunteering trip (54%) and international work placements (52%).

Based on this trend, tour operators can focus on offering unique and purposeful activities along with their usual products and services.

7. Experience Tourism

Experience tourism is on the rise. This trend is about having a once-in-a-lifetime experience or gaining an emotional connection with cultures and nature.

As travelers get tired or bored of cookie-cutter vacations in touristy hot spots, they begin looking for an authentic experience in their travel destination. They can easily go for a brand that will allow them to mingle with the locals and experience the culture of the people.

Harris Group did a study that revealed that 72% of millennials prefer spending more money on unique experiences rather than on material things.

So, if you can offer these experiences, then you’re well on your way to acquiring this increasing breed of clients. One of the most popular experiences is food sampling. Food tourism enables travelers to enjoy different local cuisines, maybe even learn how to cook some of the recipes and interact with the people’s traditions in the process.

Another way clients want to experience their destinations is by staying with local families rather than in hotels. This gives them a chance to interact even closer with the locals and see their way of life.

8. Solo Travel

Solo traveling is a wonderful and self-rewarding experience that forces you to grow and leaves you feeling stronger and more confident.

But more people are aiming to travel solo for different reasons. Some may want the freedom to do whatever they want, whenever they want, rather than be ‘’tied down’’ to a group of friends, family, or a partner. And some may be traveling alone for their own personal growth, and seeking something deeper from their solo adventure.

More solo travelers are also opting for professionally guided tours, which is good news for tour and activity operators. Many travelers are wanting to maximize their ‘’me-time.’’

Take advantage of this by having special offers to cater to these solo adventurers. Maybe you can offer them a more personal experience with one-on-one tours, or one-on-one cooking classes.

Traveling solo can be uplifting, eye-opening, and fun, but sometimes lonely. You can also think of offers for two people where you have the opportunity to pair them with a stranger that may become their new best friend. These travelers also enjoy meeting new people and often make long-lasting friendships during their travels because approaching someone who is alone is much easier than approaching a group. Safety is also a high concern for solo travelers.

Be sure to stress that your offers are trustworthy and reliable. The idea of being scammed or even worse while on a trip is never fun for any type of traveler.

9. Wellness Travel

These are travelers looking for an enriching experience with the primary purpose of achieving, promoting, or maintaining the best health and sense of well-being and balance in life.

But don’t think wellness travel is limited to resorts and spas. Almost any business can take advantage of this trend.

Think of how you can market your business offers as a way to contribute to wellness tourism by developing and promoting communities and show how both tourists and locals can benefit.

For example, a helicopter tour, paragliding flight, or whatever fun adventure your company offers, is a chance for personal growth by conquering fears or expanding horizons. Your existing offers may give the chance for people to empower themselves by learning a new skill set which also encourages personal growth.

Conclusion

As a tour operator or DMO, it’s best to keep an eye on these tourism trends and begin strategizing. These include:

• The merging of business and leisure travels
• Increasing automation
• Mobile bookings
• Personalization of trips
• A focus on sustainable tourism
• Transformative travel
• Experience tourism
• Solo travel
• Wellness travel

Have a plan of how to meet the needs of your clients and take advantage of these trends. This can be the much-needed headstart to help you emerge above your competition as you seek to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond appeared first on Regiondo.

What Is Experiential Purchasing?

Experiential purchasing, whether a new kitchen floor or a trip to an exotic destination, is about a lot more than merely buying goods or services. Experiential purchases differ from material purchases in both objective and results. “[E]xperiential purchases serve the purpose of acquiring a life experience while material purchases serve the purpose of acquiring an object. Research has demonstrated that experiential purchases are associated with more happiness than material purchases.”

Really, the fact is nothing new, but the awareness and marketing of it in some areas are. This shift can be attributed to a wider affluence and the greater interconnectedness of our digital era. (But if you recall older ads for cars, clothes, and perfumes, you’ll see that some agencies have been on top of this phenomenon for a long time.) Just consider that kitchen floor.

When you have a new kitchen floor installed, you are not simply purchasing 253 brand-new, shiny floor tiles and their installation. You are, rather, interested in the benefits and the experience it provides. You have, for example, a beautiful new kitchen that makes you feel good every morning when you go in to fix breakfast, and you have a kitchen you are now proud to show off to family and friends. Basically, it makes your life better.

And it’s much the same with experience tourism.

The Rise of Experience Tourism

In 2015, spending on leisure travel and tourism “accounted for 76.6% of total global travel and tourism” and is expected to grow “more quickly than business travel spending over the next 10 years.” In addition, “the compound annual growth rate for the leisure segment is projected to grow at 4.2% compared to a 3.7% compound annual rate for the business travel segment.” Although factors such as greater disposable income and easier credit access have contributed to this growth, “the experiential consumer trend is a key factor.’’

For the majority of leisure travelers now, it’s all about the journey, not only the destination. Travelers want to connect with a place on an emotional level, and, as a result, it becomes much more than settling for a busy trip packed with a full itinerary in all the touristy hot spots. “For many, travel is seen as a way of understanding and appreciating alternative ways of life, learning new things about cultural and natural landscapes, and even as a means of self-discovery.”

Experience tourism is becoming the norm because consumers would rather spend their money on experiences and not on things. The emphasis now is on “seeking out activities that appeal to niche personal interests” rather than on “checking must-see sites and monuments off the to-do list.”

The Take-Away

Booking and travel agencies today simply must offer more than a product. They must offer and promote life-enriching experiences –language lessons and cooking classes, riding the rapids, trekking to remote locations, swimming with sharks. The travel industry is evolving to meet and capitalize on this experiential purchasing trend, known as experience tourism. At Regiondo, a premier provider of booking software, we can provide the experiential travel booking options that are so vital to success today.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About

The post The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry appeared first on Regiondo.

This article shares the latest travel figures from some of the most reliable sources and recent studies. It is mainly exploring the practices and behavioral trends of European tourists. We are covering various aspects that aim to help you see the full picture.

Calling all travel business owners and entrepreneurs, have a read through and get some useful insight into the travel industry. We promise taking it into account will make a difference in your business!

General Travel Statistics

Global Market Forecast

According to a recent study, the global online travel market was worth more than $629 billion in 2017 and is predicted to reach $818bn by 2020. 

This confirms the industry growth path that investors and owners are currently predicting. It is definitely a good time for those looking to start a business or expand their existing one.

Don’t forget to take into account all the crucial events and challenges taking place. A good example is the impact of the collapse of Thomas Cook – the oldest travel agency in the world. This is massively affecting business owners in the hotel and leisure sector so make sure you keep yourself updated with the latest news.  

The European Market

The majority of Europeans travel outside of their country and prefer to travel across Europe because trips are easier to plan and budget-friendly.

(© https://info.advertising.expedia.com/)

There’s also a tendency towards a concentration as one-third of all bed places in the EU-28 were in France and Italy.

Tourism Expenditure

German residents are spending the most on travel in comparison with all other European tourists. They were the biggest EU spenders on international travel in 2017 and also top-ranked for choosing a destination a long way ahead in time.

Digital Statistics

Website Expectations

Recent reports reveal that consumers are more likely to book with travel websites that offer a personalized experience. 90% of travelers worldwide say they expect a personalized experience when they book their travel. Adding digital tour guides or other relevant materials is a great way to make your website stand out from the crowd.

Make sure you provide shorter but relevant content, accompanied by powerful visual imagery. Since modern users are mainly looking for a website that loads quickly and is easy to navigate, you need to keep yours on point in order to increase the average session duration.

Device Usage

When it comes to travel, customer experience goes through various stages from research and planning, though the trip itself, to leaving a review and posting photos on social media.  Of course, not all these activities could be completed on a single device. A 2017 study released by Expedia Media Solutions found that desktop/laptop devices were used the most as follows:

• 75% of respondents use laptops for inspiration.
• 82% of respondents use laptops for research.
• 87% of respondents use laptops for making a booking.

Smartphones were the dominant device type used at the time of the trip and tablet was the least popular option during the entire travel experience. The same study reveals that the most common multi-device activities were:

• Looking up maps/directions – 37% of respondents.
• Finding restaurants – 36% of respondents.
• Researching destinations – 36% of respondents.
• Looking for attractions – 35% of respondents.
• Finding hotels – 34% of respondents.

Make sure your website is optimized, in terms of speed and content, for all types of devices. It should allow the same range of activities and functions on each of them to ensure good engagement and avoid a high bounce rate.

Online Bookings

According to ADI (Adobe Digital Insights), travel industry market research — 41% of the business and 60% of leisure travel arrangements are nowadays made online.

Above 57% of all reservations in the sphere of traveling are made online. Nowadays we have the opportunity to review a great range of deals on the web. It is interesting that yet 84% of consumers book travel through online travel sites like Expedia.com or Kayak and prefer them to own research.

Booking.com combined insights from over 163 million verified guest reviews with independently conducted research on 21,500 travelers across 29 countries to find that 82% of travel bookings in 2018 were completed via a website or mobile app, without human interaction.

This means you need good booking software that is comprehensive and user-friendly for a smooth customer experience.

Travel Industry Trends

Chatbots

Over 55% of consumers like communicating with chatbots because they respond immediately to most queries. If you are struggling to keep on top of live chat messages or receive tons of inquiries in your out of office hours, chatbots are definitely something that you need. There are a number of chatbot apps, and some even offer a free plan that might suit your requirements.

Eco-friendly Hotels

Interest in eco-friendly hotels has been rising consistently over the past couple of years. Modern travelers are dramatically changing their accommodation choices and are looking to minimize their carbon footprint. Camping and glamping are both becoming popular options for an escape from modern life and switching off from technology, especially among young people.

Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms, checks more than 200 websites every day. To mark Earth Day on 22 April, it has released findings from its annual sustainable travel report. It reveals that 72% of travelers believe that people need to act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet for future generations.

Asking for Reviews

Reviews are the first thing potential customers will find with a basic online search. According to an article by Salecycle, 80% of customers who received a request left a review. In comparison, 22% wrote a review without being asked. That’s why you should definitely approach your customers and ask them to share some feedback online. And there’s no better way to ask for and get a review than to do it in person.

Business Trips

The latest Bleisure Traveler Trends research from Expedia Group Media Solutions reveals that 60% of business trips are extended for personal travel. The segment is on the rise, and there’s a significant opportunity to reach and attract this valuable audience.

Wrapping Up

Knowing all the current trends in the leisure and tourism sector will help you to develop your custom strategy for business growth. Make the most of the market by taking into account what matters most to travelers. Keep on top of competitors by strengthening the areas where they are weaker. Being aware and making use of the numbers that matter is the key to embed innovations in your services. They will make a difference in the future and lead you to progress.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About in 2020 appeared first on Regiondo.

These tour companies are able to offer something that their customers may not have even known they wanted. Now they’re thriving! You’re doing well at your company, so you don’t want to take a huge risk, but you know that you can always do better. Creating a new tour for one segment of your market might be the way to do that. So what can you do to find your own niche?

Editor’s note: This is a guest contribution by Stephanie Fiero. Stephanie is the Marketing Manager for TourismTiger – the premier web design agency for tour and activity operators.

1. Add a unique element

Travelers are always looking for those Instagram moments. Everyone wants to have that perfect shot that makes their followers jealous. Give them that shot and something to tell their friends and family when they ask how the trip was. It’s great to say that you saw the Sagrada Familia, but seeing Civil War sites will give your clients the interesting stories they’re after.

2. Offer authentic, local experiences

How many times have you heard “I want to see the ‘real’ New York, where the locals are?” Probably a lot. I’m not a tour guide, and even I’m tired of hearing that one! Your tour groups most likely don’t want to accompany you to your grocery store, but they might be interested in the cafe next door or the graffiti down the street.

Recommended read: Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend

3. Help your customers get the best of both worlds

Yes, your clients are looking for a local experience. But no one goes to Agra and doesn’t see the Taj Mahal. Tourists came to your area for a reason. Make sure that they get to see the tourist side as well.

For example, look at the company Trabant Berlin. They offer tours to well-known areas of Berlin, but they do it in a different way so that their clients get the best of both worlds: seeing what they’re there to see and having a unique experience.

4. Make the most of your location when designing your tour

You could have the most innovative and unique tour in your area and still be struggling with sales if no one wants your tour. It’s great to do a street art tour in a place like Valparaiso, which is covered in great art. It doesn’t work as well if you’re in a more rural location.

5. Analyze your market to find service gaps

A genius idea will help you to make more sales–if your market isn’t overrun by other tour companies with the same idea. Before investing too much time into an idea, check out the market. Google your competitors to see if they’re already offering that tour. Talk to your customers and see if they’d be interested in it.

Recommended read: How to Conduct Market Research for Tour and Activity Companies

Conclusion

So there you have it, five ways to offer an innovative tourism experience to your clients. You can use these tips to modify your existing tours or to find new tours to offer. Either way, if you gauge your market correctly, you’ll be sure to see increased profits.

You might also like:

• 10 Ideas to Help Differentiate Your Tours in 2021
• Four Ways to Promote Your Tours to an International Audience
• 10 Tourism Marketing Campaigns that Work Despite Difficult Times

The post 5 Ways to Create an Innovative Tourism Experience appeared first on Regiondo.

While virtual reality in many ways and for a long time was confined to games, movies, and other sources of entertainment it has also gained a growing following among destination and activity marketers. It lends itself as a great tool to showcase destinations and activities in a never before seen way.

It’s fairly inexpensive, with prices for production and equipment coming down to consumer levels, it’s new and it’s a fresh take. It’s the perfect combination for the experiential aspect of destination and activity marketing.

With Google, Facebook, Samsung, and others pushing the technology, it’s no longer a novelty. VR and AR products are developing into a mainstream consumer product with sales expected to hit 24 million units in 2018 and half a billion by 2025. It’s a channel for destinations and tour operators to use that is here to stay and one that will be in demand.

The technology has evolved and there are now two distinct applications:

1. Virtual reality
2. Augmented reality

While similar, the two have specific uses. The latter has a more direct application for a marketer. However, the former is also worth covering as it can add value to any operator or destination utilizing its potential in the right way.

AR vs. VR

So, wherein lay the difference?

Augmented Reality, or AR, does just that, augments the reality, adding a digital level to a real-life experience. Mostly when the users are at a location or destination and often as a part of a tour or activity through an app in the user’s phone.

AR is commonly used as a tool to add a layer of information to the users through instructions, text, audio or video as they pass certain objects in a set area (museums are a great example where AR has seen widespread adoption) or a geographical destination (perfect as a compliment to city guides that want to add a bit of extra value).

For example, Poppr, a VR agency, has extended ordinary marketing material (a catalog) with AR – bringing the traveler even closer to their destination in mind.

WELC Map takes it further, extending an ordinary paper tour map with in-depth multimedia with the help of AR, showcasing each destination even further.

Blippar creates a digital city map app that does something similar to WELC, but here they also integrate navigation as part of the experience.

AR can also be used for gamification as a tool to add an element of play in the real world. Gamification makes use of competition or elements of competition that compel us, humans, to follow instructions. A great example is Pokemon Go where the hunt for rare Pokemon’s drove the masses out onto the streets.

For operators and destination marketers, it’s a great tool to add an immersive experience to any tour or package. For example, if you run a tour, it can be used to add a small element like doing a quest, finding treasures or collecting virtual items – creating a whole new dimension to an otherwise regular tour.

Provider Nexto offers tailored in-app quests, quizzes, and challenges for destinations, utilizing AR to create a new experience through storytelling.

Virtual Reality in Travel Marketing

What about virtual reality (VR)? What’s all the fuss about?

In short, by using VR, a traveler has the ability to stand on the beach one minute and move to the top of a skyscraper in a matter of minutes without leaving the comforts of their home. All it takes is a pair of $30 VR glasses.

A simple example are these kangaroos, courtesy of Australia.com, which highlight just one of the locations you can experience if you choose to visit Australia.

The implications are obvious for the traveler in an early stage of their customer journey. Even with any corner of the world just a few hours away, there are lots of questions that travelers have about their prospective destination or activity. Many of them can be answered with the help of VR.

VR lets you engage travelers even before they have been to your destination or experienced your activity. It’s a direct channel where destinations and operators can showcase bits and pieces of their offering to potential customers from the comfort of their sofa – and in great detail.

As content production costs fall and sales of equipment for VR increase, destinations and activity operators gain new opportunities to put themselves in front of potential travelers. As with any marketing activity, content created needs to be compelling and authentic – in this case, creatively showcasing the unique experiences that are offered without creating a virtual replacement.

The point of all this? Engage the traveler, moving them further down the funnel. To turn buzz into bookings. A true try-before-you-buy experience.

Another example of VR directly used in the experience economy is through the growth of “Escape rooms” providers that have adopted VR as part of their offering. Similar to how tour operators use AR to extend the experience, VR can be used to add a totally new layer of interaction, design, and quirkiness to the escape room experience.

An exciting example is how US fast-food chain KFC used an escape room type VR to actually educate their new employees.

Let’s have a look at a few more noteworthy campaigns where destinations have used VR to add value to the traveler.

Canadian ski-resort Whistler has created a virtual tour of its city, where we can have a look around and get an insight into what’s on offer in this small little village.

Visit Dubai has done a similar thing across the whole of Dubai with the help of famous runner Mo Farah.

And finally, we have Los Angeles which has created a citywide VR tour of key attractions to preview before a visit.

This article is written by Mikael Uusitalo, founder of adventure travel marketplace Thrillism.com (https://www.thrillism.com). Mikael has also worked for 10+ years in digital marketing and growth. Mikael loves the Alps, deep powder and racing fast on bikes without breaks.

The post Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities appeared first on Regiondo.

Between 2015 and 2017, solo travel bookings have increased by 42% (TravelDailyNews).

In addition, a survey by MMGY Global reveals that a quarter of their respondents plan to travel solo in the future.

So it looks like the solo travel market is on the rise and doesn’t seem like slowing down. Check out this trend report from Google:

The search term “solo travel” has increased in popularity every year since 2009.

So why do people want to travel alone these days?

According to a survey of female solo travelers, 46% said that the feeling of freedom and independence drives their decision to travel alone. Another 22% said they don’t want to wait around for other people, while 15% of respondents claim that solo travel is a way to challenge themselves and gain confidence.

Of course, the reasons will vary from person to person but the trend is clear – solo travel is soaring in popularity. And with that, so does spending by solo travelers.

Most spend between $500 and $1,500 a week, with 24% spending more than $1,500 weekly on their trip (Solo Traveler World).

As the market grows in double digits, this is a good time to evaluate if your offers are optimized for solo travelers.

To find out, we need to look at the solo travel market in more detail.

Next, we’ll look at several ways tour and activity operators can make the most of the solo travel trend.

Ready? Let’s go.

The solo travel market

It’s hard to profile solo travelers because they come from a variety of backgrounds in terms of age, income, and nationality. However, there are some patterns we can identify.

The majority of solo travelers tend to be women over 55, usually with high income levels (Travel Agent Central).

Solo travelers breakdown by age (survey by Solo Traveler World).

That said, a considerable part of solo travelers consists of millennials, characterized by increased use and familiarity with digital technologies.

When it comes to things to do, most solo travelers opt for seeing the top sights but they also look for uncommon experiences. This means that offering a mix of alternative tours and traditional routes can be a winning strategy for attracting solo travelers.

Solo travelers’ preferences (survey by Solo Traveler World).

And while they travel alone, solo travelers often want to meet new people, whether it’s locals or other tourists. This is why offering group tours for solo travelers can be, paradoxically, a very good move.

Matching solo traveler needs

Now that we know more about the solo travel market, it’s to think about your offers. How can you make sure your tour or activity meets solo travelers’ needs? This is what we’ll look at next.

Group tours for solo travelers

As we can see from the table above, solo travelers are actively looking for new social contacts. And one of the best ways to meet new people is by attending a guided group tour with other people.

In fact, guided tours grew among solo travelers from 21% to 46% between 2013 and 2015 (PATA).

You can also organize a guided tour for solo travelers or just make it clear that it’s solo-traveler friendly. For example, some multi-day tours have visitors sit at different tables so they can meet new people every time they have lunch or dinner.

To create a new offer with Regiondo, read our support article on the topic. 

Create a video with solo traveler tips

People tend to feel fear or at least discomfort before traveling alone for the first time to a new destination. This is why they are likely to research about it online, especially looking for safety tips and experiences that are solo traveler-friendly.

If you’re already using video for your marketing (which you should), it can be relatively easy to create a YouTube clip with your best tips for solo travelers.

For example, you can check out this video which has over 400,000 views and provides advice for solo travelers.

Add a dedicated page on your website for solo travelers

If someone is browsing for offers, a dedicated page on your website for solo travelers can make a big difference in their decision. 

You can include things like special offers, tips for local experiences, and directions for solo traveler meetups in your city.

This will make your website stand out from the rest and feel like your tour or activity is specifically tailored for solo travelers.

Offer to take photos

Adding photos as part of your offers or as a freebie is a great idea to improve the experience of solo travelers. Yes, it’s a good idea for all of your customers. But remember that solo travelers likely don’t have someone to take photos of them so it adds even more value for them.

Conclusion

From all the available data, it seems like solo travel is growing and here to stay.

By knowing the solo travel market, you’re better prepared to capitalize on the trend and serve customer needs.

While it’s hard to put a label on solo travelers, we know they are mostly female and usually part of the baby boomer or millennial generations.

We also know they look for uncommon experiences and want to meet new people during trips. This can help you create new offers around solo travelers and win a bigger part of this market.

Things like special deals, group tours, and personalizing your website can work well for attracting solo travelers and making sure they leave your tour or activity happy.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it appeared first on Regiondo.

People are looking for unusual parts and move away from the crowded attractions that everyone knows about. They want to feel the atmosphere, the vibe of a city, so they can create a truly memorable experience.

After all, that’s the big idea behind companies like Airbnb.

And we’ve known this for a while. It’s no secret that people are hungry for customized local experiences.

A quick search on Google Trends to measure the popularity of the term “like a local” returns the following graph:

So the trend is clearly growing and looks like it’s here to stay.

However, tour businesses still largely focus on popular attractions, giving way to emerging competitors that take advantage of the opportunity.

For example, this social enterprise trains homeless people to become tour guides so they can show the “hidden” parts of a city to willing tourists.

And there are dozens of specialized websites that connect travelers with local tour guides (which we’ll explore later).  

So the demand for these unconventional tours is there. Now, how can you as a tour operator make the most of it? This is the topic that we’ll cover today.

Ready? Let’s go.

1. Optimize your offers for people who want to travel like a local

Step one is to tailor at least one tour for the “travel like a local” market. This means designing a route that explores the niche and less popular places to hang out. But you also need to take other details into account.

Depending on your situation, there are several things to keep in mind here:

• Food & Drink – people often want to make friends with locals, not tourists. So avoid the international bars and restaurants in favor of places where natives hang out. This is also a chance to experience the local cuisine and national drinks.
• Sightseeing – instead of going to the famous attractions everyone knows about, why not take people to explore the “hidden gems” around your city? To get inspiration, try the USE-IT maps where you can find niche local attractions for modern travelers.
• Shopping – the big brands are available everywhere. But your local shops for traditional clothing and accessories aren’t. If people want a shopping break, try to show them the places where traditional garments are sold – that’s something that will remind them of their stay in your country for years to come.
• Accommodation– if you organize hotel reservations for your tour, you can try and rent a home instead. This will showcase some of the local interior practices and appeal to the “travel like a local” market.  
• Customs and phrases – in addition to your standard reading materials, you can include some relevant customs about how people interact with each other. It’s also a good idea to add common phrases like “hello”, “thank you” and so on.  
• Seasonality – unconventional tourists often travel during low season. So you should take into account the weather conditions and related details when designing your offers.
• Free time – if the tour permits, allow a good amount of free time for people to explore and wander around as they wish.

2. Update your website and marketing collateral

Now that you have a relevant tour, it’s time to include it in your marketing.

Start with your key distribution channels – whether it’s your website, social media profiles, sales agents, print materials, review platforms, or any advertising you do.

When the time is right, blast out an email to your list so they know you’ve added a new offer.

In addition, consider creating a launch event with an official start date and prizes. You can get some more inspiration for launching a new tour in our article about how to start a tour company.

3. Meet demand in the right places

Okay, so now you have a tailored offer and your customers know about it. But in many cases, people who want to travel like a local purchase from specialized websites for local tour guides. In order to meet demand at the right time and place, consider getting listed on these alternative platforms.

Here are some places to start with:

• Showaround
• Withlocals
• Vayable
• Travel Local
• Embark.org
• City Unscripted
• Tours By Locals
• Like A Local
• Rent-a-Guide
• Shiroube
• Who’s My Guide

In addition, you can find more places to list your tours in our dedicated article about the top online travel agencies.

Conclusion

Whether it’s just a trend or here to stay, the “travel like a local” movement is a big opportunity for tour companies.

To take advantage of it, it’s important to design a route with all the necessary attributes relevant to this market.

Next, add your new offer to your main distribution channels like your website and social media accounts.

Finally, meet demand at marketplaces such as Rent-a-guide and Tours By Locals. These specialized websites will get you in front of the right new customers quickly.

While it seems simple, you will need to put in a lot of effort and planning to make this a success. But knowing these three steps is a good start to preparing your business for this growing market segment.

You might also like:

• The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend appeared first on Regiondo.

This trend presents a new opportunity for tour and activity providers. The growing bleisure segment largely consists of both millennials and more experienced travelers. Both groups have their own purchasing habits, different from the typical tourist.

By reaching them at the right place and time with special offers, you gain an advantage over competitors. In addition, the opportunity to boost your referrals and positive reviews online can have a long-term impact on your business.

In this post, we’ll suggest the best ways to reach bleisure travelers and tailor your deals for them. But first, we need to look at what exactly bleisure is and what characterizes bleisure travelers. This way, we’ll get a better understanding of the trend.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

What is bleisure?

Bleisure is a mix between “business” and “leisure”. It means combining work trips with fun activities while abroad. In simple terms, bleisure mixes business travel with entertainment.

This travel style is getting more common according to studies. Consider this data quoted by Forbes:

• 78% of millennials intentionally add personal time on a business trip (source: Chase)
• 57% of companies have a policy for young employees to extend business trips with vacation time (source: AMEX Global Business Travel)
• 74% of frequent business travelers wish their corporate travel policy included a budget for entertainment (source: Swapnil Shinde, Co-Founder and CEO of Mezi)

And while normal business trips last 2 days on average, bleisure travels can often be 6 days long or more.

Not only do the stats back it up, but many companies see considerable effects from bleisure travel on their bottom line. For example, travel agency CheapOair reports over 20% annual revenue growth in bleisure travel for the last 3 years straight.

There are many reasons bleisure travel is on the rise. To start with, it’s beneficial for employee satisfaction and it costs next to nothing for employers. Tickets are often cheaper when you stay over Saturday. This means companies don’t spend much extra while improving staff morale and attracting better talent. In fact, Booking.com suggests that 30% of people would accept a job with a lower salary if it offers more business trips.

Aside from offering cheaper plane tickets, airlines, and travel agents encourage bleisure through their sales and marketing. This is no surprise – they also get extra revenue through referral fees and longer stays.

In addition, more and more companies are ditching the office and work remotely, making it easier to work and travel for fun at the same time. This is magnified by freelancers and indie entrepreneurs who travel almost full-time, also known as “digital nomads”.

If that’s not enough to prove bleisure is a thing, consider apparel startup Par en Par which creates clothing specifically for bleisure travelers.

Who are bleisure travelers?

According to the CWT survey, bleisure travel is common among millennials aged 25-34. However, the second largest group are middle managers aged 36-54 with average annual incomes close to $80,000. They most often come from the tech industry and represent a lucrative segment overall.

Sometimes it could be a full team retreat where all employees in a company meet in a single location for a few days or weeks of work and fun. Bleisure travelers are typically male, with a US study suggesting that men take more work-related trips (70% male vs 30% female). For a full profile of bleisure travelers, you can also check out this research summary by Altexsoft.

Reaching bleisure travelers

As you can see, bleisure presents a new, lucrative, and growing market segment to target. Considering bleisure travelers in your offerings and marketing communication can give you an advantage over competitors. Not just in terms of revenue, but also valuable referrals and online reviews leading to a long-term benefit for your business.

So how do you capitalize on this opportunity? By knowing who bleisure travelers are and what they want, you can reach them at the right time and place with high-value, tailor-made offers. Following are some of the best ways to target bleisure travelers based on their profile and purchasing habits.

Travel agents and related businesses

You can advertise on travel agent networks so bleisure travelers see your offer while booking a trip. You can also partner up with related businesses like co-working spaces, transport, and even restaurants. This way you can delight your bleisure customers while getting referrals and new business relationships.

Did you know Regiondo partners with 150+ travel agents so you can get your offer in front of millions of people each month? Try our booking software for free and see what you can achieve with such a vast distribution network.

Content marketing

You can also create special content offers for bleisure travelers. What are the things they need to know about your city? What are the best places to stay? The coffeeshops with the fastest wi-fi? The most convenient office spaces? If you pop-up in Google while they do their research, it’s more likely that they’ll try your tour or activity and even get on your email list. This leads to the next good way to reach bleisure travelers:

Email newsletters

If you do your research well, you can find a number of companies with dedicated bleisure policies for their employees. You might even find out if they have a client in your location that they visit often. This is especially relevant if you’re based in a large financial or business center. Find out which companies allow and encourage their employees to mix business trips with some fun. Then offer them a special newsletter with discounted packages. You might just get a spotlight feature every time someone in the company is coming your way.

Networking events

You can also stay on top of relevant networking events and promote them in exchange for a mention as a sponsor. And if you have the capacity, why not organize an event yourself? This way you can raise awareness among both local businesses and international travelers.

If you’re in a location that’s popular with digital nomads, you can create a special event that can result in substantial referrals later. There are many digital nomad online groups where people exchange recommendations for places around the world.

Partnerships

You can also partner up with some loyalty programs, even credit cards if you’re lucky. Frequent travelers will often amass points so they might as well spend them on your tour or activity.

Highly targeted advertising

You can advertise on specialized blogs for bleisure, such as the Tagalong Traveler. Other channels are Facebook and especially LinkedIn, which allows you to reach people with specific job titles. Professional groups and forums online can also be a good way to get your tour or activity in front of a relevant bleisure audience.

Adjusting your offers for bleisure travel

Now that you know how to reach bleisure travelers, what are the offers that they are most receptive to?

Special discounts

Being millennials and digital nomads, bleisure travelers are often price sensitive. Adding juicy discounts and coupons can be a great way to entice them to come along and try out what you have to offer. If you’ve already set up your online shop with Regiondo, here’s a guide to creating your first discount code.

Group packages and +1 offers

The more experienced group of bleisure travelers often bring a partner or even their whole family along. For them, as well as for team retreats, it’s a good idea to set up fun group packages that come with perks like transportation, photos, and videos. Many corporations will appreciate the ability to share photos and videos of their fun retreat on their social channels – hassle free. This might even get you a few backlinks and social mentions!

Back to the basics

Of course, you also need to get the basics right which is valid for non-business travelers as well. Things like having your website and offers translated in major languages or at least English, as well as providing easy travel instructions are a must.

Conclusion

While bleisure travel is relatively new, it seems like it’s here to stay. The data and research so far indicate that the segment is growing and represents a good opportunity for tour and activity providers. As long as you reach bleisure travelers at the right time and place with the right offers, you should get a strong advantage and long-term profits from it.

You might also like:

• Travel Like a Local: How Tour Operators Can Make the Most of This Trend
• Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures
• Virtual Reality in Travel: 9 Applications for Tours, Destinations & Activities
• 9 Tourism Trends That Will Shape the Travel Industry in 2020 and Beyond
• The Rise of Solo Travel and How to Make the Most of it
• When Numbers Matter: The Travel Statistics You Need to Know About
• The Rise of Experience Tourism and What It Means for the Leisure Industry

The post The Rise of Bleisure Travel and How to Make the Most of it appeared first on Regiondo.

Let us look at the state of health tourism in the EU, where it is headed, who the key players are, and how it could impact your tour operation.

What is Health Tourism?

Health tourism is a form of tourism that consists of patients traveling to other countries to get medical treatment or assistance. It comprises all the services associated with tourism like transport, accommodation, and hospitality. Health tourism consists of medical tourism, wellness tourism (to enhance health), and spa tourism (spas that combine medical and health components). The three components are different but also overlap.

Wellness tourism, in particular, is a broad concept; and its meaning depends on culture and geography in the EU. For example, in southern Europe, wellness tourism is connected to the seaside, the Mediterranean diet, and the slower pace of life. In Scandinavia, the focus of wellness is on outdoor activities like walking and swimming. As you can see, the definition of wellness tourism is diverse across the EU and serves as proof of the overlap between wellness and spa tourism.

All in all, the definition of health tourism is not really clear, making it difficult to include it in tourism statistics. That consequently makes it tricky to measure the importance, growth, and impact of health tourism on the overall tourism industry and economy.

However, we do know that the market for health tourism has grown exponentially in recent years and has led to new forms of health tourism like fertility tourism and dental tourism.

But how much is the industry growing?

Health Tourism in the EU: Facts and Figures

Estimating the total size of the health tourism sector in the EU is difficult because of the limited and fragmented data out there; and also due to the overlapping definitions by different sources and countries.

Although we cannot accurately estimate the total size, the industry has grown substantially in the past decades as citizens of the EU travel from richer countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, and Ireland to seek affordable healthcare in other countries, primarily in Eastern Europe.

It has been growing at 12-15 percent annually, according to research from PwC.

Why is it growing so fast?

Until quite recently, the top health destinations for Europeans were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. However, since a new European Directive on Cross-Border Healthcare (which states that there should be free access to treatment in the community space for all EU citizens) in 2014, a new public-pay medical tourism market appeared. As a consequence, countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, and Latvia have become popular destinations for Western Europeans. According to the Polish Association of Medical Tourism, 488,000 of foreign patients came to Poland for medical treatment in 2014.

Health tourism today makes up about 5 percent of the tourism industry in the EU28 and contributes to about 0.3 percent of the EU economy. It in fact has a higher domestic share than traditional tourism does. Therefore, increasing the share of health tourism may lessen the seasonality of tourism, increase labor quality and sustainability.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons countries like Turkey are implementing policies to fuel the health tourism market. In Turkey, which has become a premier and popular destination for medical tourists looking for less complicated treatments, the government offers discounts for patients flying with Turkish Airlines. The government is also planning to introduce tax-free healthcare zones for foreign patients.

More and more governments and companies are offering cheap flights, open borders, and inclusive packages to further fuel this segment of the tourism market.

The Growth of Health Tourism

Let’s take a look at some key statistics from a June 2009 survey that was conducted by the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) to understand why the industry is growing so fast and why it is important for key stakeholders to prioritize health tourism directives:

• • 64% of patients that traveled for care didn’t have health insurance
  • Almost 83% of patients traveled with a companion
  • 33% of patients traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery
  • Almost 90% of patients or their companions engaged in tourism activities
  • Nearly 80% of the demand for medical travel is driven by cost savings
  • Medical tourists spend between €6,083 and €12,885 per medical travel trip
  • 48% of respondents would be interested in engaging in medical tourism again at some point in the future
  • The cost of medical treatment and quality were the most important factors in their decision to travel abroad for treatment
  • Out of 49 participants that had previously traveled overseas for medical treatment, 36% used a medical tourism facilitator

The following statistics from Eurostat and IPK International give us a general overview of the health tourism market in the EU:

• The total volume of health tourism in the EU is around 56 million domestic arrivals and 5.1 million international arrivals in 2014. (That figure is for health tourism with the main objectives of wellness, spa, and medical treatments.)
• Health tourism makes up 4.3 percent of all EU arrivals
• Germany, France, and Sweden are the main players in the health tourism industry in the EU
• Wellness tourism makes up 66-75 percent of EU health tourism
• Health tourism brings in €46.9 billion in revenue which represents 4.6 percent of overall tourism revenues and 0.33 percent of EU28 GDP
• More than 75 percent of EU health tourism revenues come from five countries: Sweden, France, Poland, Italy, and Germany
• Market reports indicate stability and an increase in health tourism
• Most medical health tourism clinics also serve local patients and use medical tourism as an additional revenue stream
• Health tourism may have several benefits to the labor market and the environment

Why Do People Travel for Healthcare?

Patients choose cross-border treatments for various reasons: The possibility of having access to certain treatments that are not available in their countries, the lower cost and higher quality of the treatments; and the opportunity to have a holiday to rest and recover in the destination country. Patients may even spend more time in a hotel that they would at a hospital during their medical trip. Depending on the procedure, they often spend a couple of nights at a hospital and spend the rest of the time in a hotel for recovery or doing physical therapy.

A European Commission survey shows that a large proportion of EU citizens, about 49 percent, is willing to travel for health care. That may be due to the EU directive on healthcare, which says that Member States must reimburse their citizens at the value that the care they receive would cost at home (in order to protect the financial sustainability of national healthcare systems).

However, this gives certain disadvantages to patients from poorer countries with less developed healthcare systems. For example, healthcare services cost substantially less money in Croatia than in Sweden. So a Croatian patient would have to pay out of pocket for the substantial difference in the cost of treatment if they seek medical treatment. Whereas, a patient from a wealthier Member State can seek treatment in Croatia or anywhere else without paying much out of pocket for their care. That scenario is particularly beneficial for wealthier member states as they make economic gains if the treatment is less expensive abroad.

Conclusion

Health tourism is undoubtedly growing at an exponential rate and healthcare and tourism providers are picking up on it. So are governments. National policies in certain countries, like Turkey, are enhancing the growth of health tourism. That is evidence that health tourism is an important strategy within the overall tourism planning.

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