The consulting and professional services firm BRAINTRUST, a leader in the tourism sector, has released a new analysis of the industry, in this case on the travel spending of Spanish tourists, thanks to a new wave of its Tourism Barometer, which detects a major evolution in the channels used in a post-pandemic era.
BRAINTRUST highlights the acceleration of digital channels, which have become more relevant after COVID-19, although it is important to analyze the type of consumer who uses each channel, bearing in mind that there are no single-channel travelers, as they use them in parallel depending on the phase of inspiration, planning, purchase, enjoyment, or sharing experiences.
The digital channel prevails over the in-person channel
BRAINTRUST takes an in-depth look at Spaniards' travel spending, analyzing the changes in consumer behavior since the end of the COVID-19 crisis.
Given the way Spaniards consume their travel, the consulting firm highlights that the digital channel is already prevailing in the present, in light of the silent revolution that the pandemic has caused in society.
Thus, trips booked directly with suppliers via the web or app would account for 35.5%, an increase of 3.4 points compared to 2019.
Trips booked through digital channels in intermediation now account for 22.2%, an increase of 1.9%, while other websites or specialized apps from other providers now account for 10.4%, an increase of 1.3%.
Meanwhile, face-to-face channels would lag behind with 9.3% of occasions used directly with the end borrower, or 16.4% in the case of face-to-face contact or mail or telephone in the case of physical agencies.
According to Ángel García Butragueño, Co-Director of Barómetro Turístico and Director of Tourism at BRAINTRUST: "These figures could be reversed in some way in the short term, as long-haul destinations open up, which is the domain of brick-and-mortar agencies, although with little variation according to our forecasts.
The reality in the medium and long term is that this trend will become more pronounced as the traveler demographic becomes younger, with new generations being digital natives such as millennials, or digitally born such as Generation Z.
That is why BRAINTRUST encourages all tourism companies to offer multichannel services for travelers who are now permanently omnichannel.
Entrenching ourselves in talk of offline and online channels is a thing of the past; we will have to express ourselves properly, as separate, isolated formats will no longer exist.
Digital travelers are younger, better educated, and have a medium-high income level.
Analyzing the data separately, BRAINTRUST states that there is a very pronounced profile of the digital traveler, who, as expected, is mainly found among the younger generations, including millennials and Gen Z.
On the other hand, digital travelers also tend to be more highly educated, characterized by higher educational levels, and belong to the upper-middle class, with household incomes above €1,500. These are aspects that tourism brands must take into account when marketing their products to their target audience.
According to José Manuel Brell, Partner in charge of Quantitative Studies and Models, and the Tourism and Leisure Industry at BRAINTRUST: "At BRAINTRUST, we have long been sharing data on marketing channels with the industry, analyzing their evolution and defining future strategies for our clients. The path to digitalization is not the future but the present. The pandemic has accelerated society's habits and behaviors, and we cannot ignore this, as targeting the right audience through the right channel seems critical for tourism companies if they want to survive and succeed in the future. Identifying and segmenting customers using classification variables that can help make marketing more efficient and effective allows companies in the industry to improve their revenues and reduce their costs, while delivering a better experience and thereby attracting and retaining a greater number of customers.
