Travelport’s ‘Digital Traveller Research’ has revealed India as the most digitally advanced country when it comes to travel planning, booking and experiencing. The research covered 11,000 respondents in 19 countries globally and was restricted to people who had taken at least one return flight last year. As the travel segment diversifies across the globe, the tools to identify and streamline personal choices have also improved. With India showing significant growth in internet penetration, it is seen that travellers have become more familiar with new-age technology. India was followed by China, Indonesia, Brazil and South Arabia in top five spots.
The survey where 1,000 people participated from India, showed that 91 per cent of Indian travellers use peer-to-peer reviews when researching a trip, while 87 per cent use videos and photos posted by friends as part of their research. When it comes to pricing, 85 per cent Indians use comparison sites to help them find a good package. Another result showed that 67 per cent of Indians use voice search, utilisation devices such as Siri or Amazon Echo, when researching a trip which is 20 per cent more than the global average.
Commenting on the India market, Rabih Saab, president and managing director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, stated, “India is a growing market in the travel segment and the research confirms that the users are using different ways to communicate with travel commerce. But at the same time, big data can be confusing to finalise results. The survey shows that 52 per cent of Indians worry about knowing whether they can trust these online reviews. Indians also use an average of 19 different categories of apps while making decisions which is three more than the global average.”
With thriving OTA space, hospitality and airline sectors combined with extensive smartphone use, India stands far ahead of its Asia Pacific counterparts. Much matured markets like United States, Canada and the United Kingdom rank 11, 15 and 17 respectively. From the global view, about 60 per cent people agreed that they will be lost without their smartphones, while 75 per cent leave reviews of their travels on review websites. Globally, 61 per cent would avoid hotels with no Wi-Fi, while 75 per cent Indian travellers chose hotels that don’t charge for Wi-Fi.
The biggest pain point for Asia Pacific travellers is understanding the complicated terms and conditions – 53 per cent, and for Indian travellers 62 per cent. This is followed closely by the time spent looking for a good deal at 58 per cent. When it comes to airlines and check-in, 82 per cent appreciate the convenience of technology such as digital boarding passes and e-tickets and 66 per cent of travellers would like concierge services on their smart phones.
When asked how Travelport’s clients can benefit from this report, Saab informed, “This research helps industry players to understand the market and provide better services to their consumers. Personalisation is the need of the hour and now every marketing strategy gives more digital access to consumers so they can have better control. It is clearly evident from the study that today’s consumers are digitally advanced and more specific with their demands. Travelport can provide all kinds of tech support to expand operations and assist the consumers in a better manner.”