Travel Daze, a travel conference focused on disruption, debuted in Sydney earlier this week.
Held at The Belvoir Street Theatre on Monday 30 November, the conference focused on the ways that the travel industry can adapt to the changing habits of consumers.
Highlights included a presentation from Lisa Akeroyd, the managing director of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, about millennial travellers. She said that by 2020, there will be a 27 per cent rise in international travel in this category.
In order to capture this market successfully, Akeroyd said that there are eight keys.
Give them an amazing mobile experience that delivers quality and consistency across all platforms. You can’t just have a great website; if you’re going to engage in Facebook and Instagram, that had better be great too.
Engage with them online in their preferred way and understand that in order for them to continue to engage with your brand, they need some in return (ie perks, freebies, discounts, etc).
Keep them connected to the internet via the WiFi on planes, in the airport, cabs and in hotels.
Understand how they think. They don’t make the distinction between work and life. It’s all just life so make sure they can work and play no matter where they are.
Do what’s right. Millennials are socially and environmentally conscious so they want to hear about the good things your company is doing to make the world a better place.
Understand the sharing economy. AirBnB is a $25 billion business that doesn’t own a single property. Uber is a $50 billion business that doesn’t own a single car. Things have changed and millennials want to be part of it.
Reward their loyalty. If you have a millennials (short) attention span, make sure they feel appreciated so they keep coming back.
Consider wellness. This is key. Millennials will be making decisions based on whether there are Paleo meals available, running concierges in their hotels, where the nearest yoga studio is that takes walk-ins.
Tony Carter, the managing director of Amadeus IT Pacific, followed Akeroyd with the details of the new travel tribes. The thinking is the old school demography is dead and that marketers need to think in terms of psychographics.
Carter said that there are seven tribes of modern traveller and that a single individual can belong to any or all of the tribes, depending on the situation.
Reward hunters work hard and want to spend their down time in luxury.
Cultural purists want to experience the real culture of a destination and will seek out local accommodation and book activities once they’re on the ground. The avoid pre-packaged trips.
Social capital seekers want the value that social media adulation brings to their life. In future, there will be travel agencies that promote their products via social media only.
Ethical travellers make decisions based on the environment, politics and whether the companies they engage with are doing good things in the world.
Obligation meeters are people who have to travel for a purpose (ie. business, weddings, etc). The key to making these travellers happy is minimising disruption to their plans and managing it if and when it occurs.
Simplicity searchers want everything done for them. They will provide a tonne of information up front so that when they show up, everything is organised to perfection.
