A NEW WAY TO ENJOY LEISURE TRAVEL
Immediate access to a wide variety of travel content thanks to the widespread use of technology has significantly changed the way tourists approach leisure travel consumption. Dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing, and sharing are stages that every traveler goes through today, regardless of their type, sociodemographic variables, habits, or behaviors. Gone are the days when travelers had to wait for the brochures that tour operators distributed to travel agencies, which then gave them to customers, to be the only opportunity to take a look at the different vacation options. Today, we can consult the internet for any aspect of our trip, regardless of the channel we then choose for booking.
The ease with which we can now access travel information has created a new ecosystem of leisure travel consumption, from the initial phase of dreaming about the trip, through the planning stage, to the booking stage, which will subsequently lead to enjoying the trip itself, and in recent times, it ends with sharing the trip, either through more traditional means such as friends and family, or through popular social networks, with comments, or by uploading photos or videos that show the experiences themselves.
THE BRAINTRUST BAROMETER
According to data from our BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer, Spaniards are spending more and more time dreaming about and planning their trips, dedicating more than a third of their time to these two phases, leaving a meager 10% of their time for booking, and the rest for enjoying themselves and leaving a trace of their trip on the corresponding channels.
At the moment of conception or dreaming, which is the basis on which a trip is built, 21st-century tourists are more likely to consider new destinations at this early stage, as they find inspiring content in different media, blogs, and social channels, something that was unthinkable a few years ago when no one had access to the information needed to conceive their dreams around the world. We already devote 18% of the total time we spend on travel to this phase, a stage where brands have the opportunity to connect with travelers and impact them on an emotional level where the right hemisphere of the brain plays an important role, and where suppliers can manage that fundamental component of a trip, proposing a unique and distinctive experience that then compensates for the price we are going to pay for it, a dilemma that will arise in the following phases.
Immediately after choosing the destination, travelers proceed to plan the trip, a stage to which we allocate another 18% of our time. Once the destination and trip have been decided, we must consider all the options available to choose those that interest us most. The brands that have inspired us when dreaming about the trip will be very present, as they will have left an indelible mark. During this planning period, information is contrasted based on stories, photos, and opinions. Ratings from real individuals generate greater reliability than any information provided by companies or professional articles. The options are numerous, terrifyingly overwhelming, so we need experts to help us simplify the process. This is when our left brain kicks in, trying to bring order and logic to all the dreams that flooded our minds in the early stages of planning the trip. Here, both contact with people, as has been customary, and the optimization of the latest technologies that are invaluable in this process are valued. The former cannot live without the latter, and the latter cannot live without the former.
According to the BRAINTRUST Barometer, when making a reservation,more intangible aspects such as the product, the range of options, advice, security, speed, flexibility, guarantees, , and, of course, more tangible aspects such aspriceare taken into account.According to the Barometer data, price is the most relevant factor for only 35% of travelers, sothe more emotional aspects summarized in trust become crucial factors for travelers when deciding between one option or another,and not just price, knowing that the selection will be made from among the most competitive offers. For Spanish tourists, making a booking represents only a 10% investment, a factalso linked to the immediacy provided by many of the purchasing channels.
The final steps are called experiencing and sharing. Today, these phases have become intertwined, as it is easier than ever to convey an experience of pleasure. But it is difficult to imagine that we now only devote 45% of our time to enjoyment, less than half of the total trip, a habit that was unheard of a few years ago when almost the entire trip was devoted to enjoyment.
Finally , travelers now devote around 10% of their time to sharing their travel experiences, spreading their emotions and memories across the various channels available, both on social media and on review platforms. These spaces have become allies of travelers, where we go in search of reliable references, and which, as the final part of the ecosystem, provide feedback to the early stages.
TRAVELER BEHAVIOR ACCORDING TO THE BRAINTRUST BAROMETER
In terms of gender, women invest more than men in the planning (18.5%), booking (10.7%), and sharing (9.5%) stages. Men rank higher in the conception and experience stages.
If we analyze preferences by age, adults between 35 and 44 are the ones who "dream" about their trips the most (18.4%), closely followed by young people between 25 and 34. The 18-24 age group spends a significant amount of time planning (18.7%), while there are no major differences across the age spectrum when it comes to booking, which, as mentioned above, averages 10%. In terms of experiencing, those over 45 lead the way, dedicating 47.7%, and young people between 18 and 24 are the ones who share the most (9.8%), with those over 55 three points behind. This last piece of data is significant in understanding the new habits generated by the profound digital transformation that surrounds us.
By region, Andalusians are the most likely to share their experiences (9.5%) and spend the most time making reservations (47.4%); Basques lead the nation in investing in experiences (47.4%); Valencians are the most inclined to plan (19.7%), and finally, Catalans spend more on dreaming than any other autonomous community (18.9%).
THE NEED FOR TRANSFORMATION IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
According to Ángel García Butragueño, Co-Director of Barómetro and head of the Tourism and Leisure division at Brain Trust CS: "People don't buy trips today the way they did 10 years ago, nor the way they will in 10 years' time. There is a new type of traveler, a new user model that wants to go one step further and reach unknown territories. Their goal is to achieve total immersion, to feel like a citizen of the world, and they are not afraid to take risks when thinking about, choosing, and deciding on a trip. The experience economy has created a philosophy that encourages and values experiences above all else. Tourists increasingly value their autonomy, so they seek providers that allow them to develop all phases of the consumption ecosystem based on their own criteria, and they request unique platforms where they can navigate the waters of do-it-yourself or do-it-for-me.
For José Manuel Brell, Co-Director of the Barometer, "It is an irrefutable fact that digital transformation is changing the way we consume, communicate, and interact, with customers now holding the power in commercial relationships. Providers in the tourism industry have been acting with a short-term view, pursuing theirown interests and focusing on the product rather than the customer, breaking down the offering andleaving travelers with the option of being multi-brand, multi-channel, and multi-provider, with more precarious and less profitable business models. A medium- and long-term vision is needed, where the different players seek synergies, build more sustainable business models, and build complete (end-to-end) platforms that meet the needs of an increasingly qualified, informed, and connected traveler.
CONCLUSIONS
It is vitally important for the future that the various players are present in the different phases of the new leisure travel consumption ecosystem, or they will be relegated by other new major players with a more global strategy.
Failure to do so could mean a gradual loss of competitiveness, market share, and available market space, within an optimistic environment and a sector in continuous growth.
At BRAINTRUST, we provide you with the methodological support you need to guide your strategy, improving your competitiveness, ensuring a sustainable business model, and offering a better customer experience.
Angel García Butragueño (Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer)
agbutragueno@braintrust-cs.com
José Manuel Brell (Co-Director of the BRAINTRUST Tourism Barometer)
jmbrell@braintrust-cs.com
