Today's tourists have radically changed the concept of travel. Their preferences have evolved and they are willing to embrace adventure, seeking to immerse themselves fully in each destination they visit. They want to enjoy constant learning, experience different cultures, and drink in each lifestyle.
The same applies when choosing accommodation that suits their needs; guests use hotels, rural houses, home rental services (such as Airbnb) or share rooms according to the new concept of collaborative economy. They want to feel "at home," and that homely feeling surpasses any luxury. Users want to rub shoulders with real hosts, stroll through neighborhoods, and meet the locals. To get around, they no longer use only traditional airlines, but also unapologetically opt for low-cost carriers, as the investment in travel has taken a back seat to a unique experience, full of richness and exclusivity at the destination.
Given this context, there is only one obvious question left to answer: HOW DOES THE NEW MODEL OF TOURIST ORGANIZE THEIR TRIPS?
1. Dreaming
Spaniards devote almost a fifth (18%) of their time to the first phase of the trip, that is, to planning it, to dreaming about their trip. Advertising by agencies, as well as the various information disseminated via email, magazines, newspapers, television, or cinema, have little influence on the new archetype. Interest in getting to know a place is the main reason that leads them to consider a particular destination (82%), as are recommendations from friends or family, which are also decisive (47%).
As for the company we like to travel with, Spanish travelers remain traditional, with 55% traveling as a couple and 46% with family, but trips with friends (27%) and solo or singles trips (9%) are emerging strongly and growing in popularity , and these types of travel are set to increase in the coming years.
2. Planning
Tourist destination websites are the most popular source of information for users (45%). However, we must pay attention to the rise of review websites (34%), as the testimonials of internet users who share their experiences on these platforms generate greater credibility, and this is where companies in the sector should focus all their efforts: reinforcing positive word of mouth by offering unforgettable experiences. Young adults aged between 24 and 34 from the Valencian Community are the most adept at this trend.
45% of tourists choose a date first and then look for a destination, compared to 44% who do exactly the opposite. In the 18-24 age group, 54% choose the destination first, a significant figure that indicates a change in trend among the millennial generation. Only 11% of Spaniards decide on their trip based on the offers available at the time.
Visiting a city (40%) is the most popular type of trip among Spaniards, followed by sun and beach tourism (37%). Only 16% of travelers choose the mountains or the countryside for their vacations.
3. Booking
Spanish travelers tend to book their vacations well in advance (73% more than a month in advance). This trend is particularly noticeable among those under 25, with 26% booking at least three months in advance.
Digital media is now the most common method for booking, with online agencies (33%) and direct contact with the company (45%) proving successful. However , traditional agencies continue to be very popular, with 22%, slightly up on the previous year as the preferred channel for Spanish travelers, especially among older age groups. Despite this, we cannot overlook the progress made by comparison sites, especially among younger audiences (reaching 15%).
4. Experiencing
As we explained in the introduction, the new prototype tourist seeks a genuine, unadulterated experience. Vacations are no longer as long as they used to be, with almost three-quarters of Spanish travelers preferring trips of a week or less, and with a preference for individual services (64%), 26% for packages ( whether fixed or dynamic), and 10% for other more customized formats.
5. Sharing
We should not be surprised by the influence of social media in the tourism sector. Forty-one percent of travelers share their experiences, and 30% post on review websites; in other words, different audiences already act as evangelists who significantly influence the decision-making of potential customers.
For Angel García Butragueño, Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer, understanding the different types of leisure travelers is essential to understanding their different habits and behaviors when it comes to travel. This will enable tourism providers to design successful strategies, being present in all phases of the leisure travel consumption ecosystem: dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing, and sharing.
The new traveler seeks unique processes, platforms, and brands where they can easily and securely meet all their travel needs. The fragmentation of the sector itself and the disaggregation of solutions by providers is leading to greater promiscuity among travelers when selecting their options, defining a new era of low brand loyalty, which needs to evolve in line with the requirements of a new consumer.
According to José Manuel Brell, Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer, proper market research from the demand side is critical if we want to develop the tourism industry of the 21st century. The sector is accustomed to "manufacturing and offering" its own products without taking the user into account, a practice more typical of the pre-crisis era and before the widespread use of the internet.
Today, thanks to the immediacy and ease of access to omnichannel content, the commercial relationship is in the hands of consumers, who recount their customer experience, serving as a reference for other travelers, who trust them more than the travel providers themselves. Therefore, a positive brand image is more necessary than ever.
Brand experience must be measured, because even though it is not measured in most cases, it exists, whether positive or negative, and it is what counts for consumers when choosing their favorite travel companies, with greater importance than even price for most travelers.
Would you like more detailed information? Contact us and request our Tourism Barometer, the methodological tool that determines the market's willingness to travel, as well as the trends that allow all travel industry providers to identify business opportunities and tailor their offerings to consumer preferences.
Ángel García Butragueño (Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer)
agbutragueno@braintrust-cs.com
José Manuel Brell (Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer)
