Despite all the talk about "customer experience," it seems that in the world of travel, travel suppliers end up behaving in much the same way. This is what travelers themselves perceive: there are no major differences in brand preference, so price remains a critical factor.
This is what is reflected in Brain Trust's Tourism Barometer, which has studied the attributes that Spanish travelers value when choosing a tourism brand, whether in the hotel segment, travel agencies, airlines, etc. Angel García Butragueño, head of the Tourism and Leisure Division of Brain Trust Consulting Services, encourages tourism suppliers to take customers' thoughts into account. "Suppliers must listen to what customers say and work on their brand image and notoriety, their attributes, their communication and marketing strategies, in short, their 'Customer Experience', if they want to position themselves as leaders in an environment of new business models," he points out. An environment in which, in addition, the ways of relating to customers have been radically transformed.
An ideal travel agency
Today, only one in five travelers go to a travel agency to organize their trip, with a downward trend, with those over 50 years of age and the middle and lower-middle social strata being the most likely to use their services. In this sense, travelers who go to an agency do so in 34% of cases for security, reliability and guarantee, while 25% do so for convenience, understood as the possibility of offering the trip all resolved.
On the other hand, among those who do not use face-to-face agencies, 35% think that contracting through them is more expensive, while 28% believe it is less convenient, especially due to their poor online accessibility and usability and limited opening hours.
Online travel agencies
The growth of OTAs continues, and young people and the upper-middle and upper-middle social strata are the main users of OTAs. In this case, the quality/price ratio is even more important than in the case of face-to-face agencies, as are special offers and/or discounts. Travelers are looking for a wider range of products, accessibility and navigation that allow a better customer experience, both in the web and mobile environment.
The Brain Trust Travel Barometer shows that lack of trust remains a barrier for travelers to use an OTA, while the convenience of being able to manage the trip from anywhere and at any time continues to be the most valued by users.
The preferred airline
Brain Trust points out that safety is the feature most sought after by travelers in an airline, ahead of good value for money. Likewise, they value that the prices are clear and without small print, and that there is no deception when making a reservation, that is, that the fare initially offered does not suffer variations and clarifies the services included, and that there are no last minute surprises, such as the increase of the fare depending on whether or not the airline pays by credit card, additional charges for luggage, etc. Punctuality appears next to comfort as another of the aspects taken into account by Spanish travelers.
Top rated hotel
In terms of accommodation, travelers value cleanliness above all else, even more than value for money. Other aspects that customers look for in an ideal hotel are spacious and comfortable rooms, location according to needs, and finally access to technology (wi-fi, mobile), which is logically more important for younger generations of travelers... and not only for millennials.
What to look for in a rental car
Finally, the Brain Trust survey yields important data on the ideal rent-a-car brand, with price being the only variable sought after in the face of the low differential offer of car rental companies. Flexibility in the pick-up and delivery of the car, complete insurance without small print, and less bureaucracy in the contracts, are other issues that should be reviewed in order to achieve the challenge of being the ideal brand.
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