What will 2022 and 2023 look like from the point of view of Tourism?
Just a few months ago, it seemed that the pandemic was finally coming to an end and we were optimistic that 2022 would finally be the year of a complete restart, but first the Omicron variant and then the war has reduced the forecasts, which are still rosy.
What are the trends in Tourism Marketing in 2022-2023?
We have finally reached the point where holidays are once again feasible and unrestricted, and there is a great desire on everyone’s part to resume traveling with peace of mind. For tour operators, this is a critical moment because they have to regain their agility and adapt to the new needs and expectations of customers that have increased in these two years of forced stop, tourism companies should respond to these new demands:
1) Personalised offers and proposals for customers with high spending power
The travel ban due to the pandemic and the cancelled events have caused people to lose two years of their lives. Younger travellers see 2020 and 2021 as lost years, while older travellers fear that they will have missed the opportunity to travel before the ravages of age create difficulties in getting around.
Moreover, the pandemic has disproportionately affected household finances. While some families struggled to pay the rent, others had two years to put aside savings that would normally be spent on restaurants, entertainment, petrol and travel.
So, the answer is to adapt with personalised offers and the inclusion of packages or premium services for this target group of customers, trying to cut out, as in a high-class tailor’s shop, a tailor-made suit.
2) Mobile Booking is at the heart of the new tourist.
42% of tourists worldwide book a hotel or a flight with their smartphone, according to a report by Google.
The average tourist uses 4-5 apps during the booking and travel process. Most use maps, weather and airline apps. About half of the travellers in this report also appreciated the ability to chat with a customer service representative directly within the app. The average tourist has become so familiar with mobile that they often book their next holiday even while travelling.
So, the answer is that all booking sites must have a mobile version that is equal to or better than the desktop version, tested and tailored to the traveller’s habits, attention to bugs, accessibility and user experience.
3) Tik Tok to stimulate and plan your holiday
Tourist destinations can publish the most attractive panoramic views to entice tourists to plan a visit. Potential tourists can add the clip to their favourite videos or share it with potential fellow travellers at the click of a button. It’s a great platform to attract new audiences
Forbidden to think that Tik Tok is just for kids who haven’t yet entered the workforce to pay for travel, think again. The fastest growing segment of users of this social network is actually between 25 and 39 years old with a strong desire to go on holiday and travel!
The answer is: open your business‘ TikTok account now, publish, publish and publish again the content that would make users think “Wow I wish I were there”.
4) Internet of Thing for a more comfortable, peaceful and safe holiday
Travelling has also become more convenient and easier than before with the advent and development of IoT technology. This certainly benefits us travellers, but also travel companies and other operators in the travel and tourism industry. Smartphones offer an improved navigation process that starts right from the choice and/or booking of the trip and especially when entering hotels or B&Bs or airports with keyless technology has made the facilities much more accessible and secure.
With more than 7 billion IoT devices connected today and up to 15 billion by 2022 and 22 billion by 2025, the Internet of Things will greatly enhance our experience even during the holidays.
What to do: The tourism entrepreneur must study all possible installations of Internet of Things technology, starting from the moment of booking and continuing until the end of the stay or the end of the transfer of the tourism service, with the objective of extreme personalisation of the experience within the accommodation facility.
5) Virtual Reality for a more immersive holiday
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are two tools that satisfy those who are looking for an immersive taste of what you have to offer with the intention of stimulating a visit in person.
How to respond: The best virtual reality experiences are short and sweet with a narrative component. They should always be recorded in high quality. All the better to attract guests, if you don’t have the budget to produce a full virtual experience, reduce the size with a 360° tour of the hotel room. You can also take advantage of the live streaming trend by offering a 360° live video feed of your destination.
6) Study and plan a marketing strategy
It is as important as a business plan, and it is no coincidence that all the world’s top companies invest significant budgets and resources in the strategy.
How to respond: Rely on a company (be sure to check out Origin Outside) or a good marketing consultant; beware of those who offer you free marketing consultancy, this process requires time, professionalism and commitment with different figures, and it is not possible to do it for free if the alleged consultant does not have an ulterior motive which could be to sell you other services.
Luigi Molino aka Louis Molino is a popular Italian Marketing Consultant, popularizer in the world of digital communication writing for many international newspapers, CEO of Promediacom, an agency specializing in communication and marketing consulting for major Italian and European companies. Editor of books and online portals, 2018 Louis Braille Award in Italy, EMBA 2020 (European Marketing Business Awards 2020) cultivates a passion for his island of Capri, a strategic center and permanent observatory on tourism marketing.
