The Future of Travel is Online (Data)

 
 

As the tourism sector recovers from its COVID-induced slump, the internet is abuzz with conversations around travel and tourism. Even at the peak of COVID in 2020 and 2021, travel content and conversations were plenty online. Despite fewer flights chartered and tours booked, online demand was as strong as ever. 

The internet holds a large volume of consumer-generated data, and travel data makes up a part of it. Here are some of the insights from the internet: 

  • Business travel has seen a 13% increase in online interest globally in 2022

  • Paris is one of the top destinations on search in 2022

  • Trip planning and preparation has seen a 92% increase in H1 2022

  • 34% of travelers above 50 spoke about traveling to connect with other people, while 30% wanted to take on new challenges

  • Quality of airplane seat accounts for 32% of perceived comfort

Such information contributes to business decisions and future planning. This is typically gathered through traditional market research which requires significant investment, but online data allows for real-time insights in a scalable manner. It also makes insights accessible to all, from individual business owners to multinational travel and hospitality brands. Yet, the sheer volume of data, coupled with many languages and ways of communication across multiple platforms poses challenges for brands to use it. 

With our experience in interpreting the internet, we want to empower stakeholders to leverage the technology and plan what’s next. 

  1. Search engine data uncovers consumer truths: “Airline flight price”, “Where to stay in Bali” , “Flight from Hong Kong (SAR) to Bangkok”… These are some of the 6 million searches people make every minute. Search data captures overall trends, down to private, authentic consumer needs and desires. From search queries to the sites consumers visit and the content they click on, all these give us clues to consumer intent. Beyond building SEO and marketing strategies for brands, we have seen how search data identifies emerging trends, maturity of a market, consumer behavior, new consumer journeys and more. 

  2. Data across multiple sources piece together the full story: We cannot rely just on search (or any one form of data for that matter). Social media, forums, articles, and blogs contain insights into how consumers think and express, and what they are influenced by. Reviews tell us what is most important to them in the customer experience. 

  3. Cultural AI models translate data into actionable insights: From sentiment analysis to consumer segments to price sensitivity, we have AI models that can analyze large datasets and pull out insights that matter to your business decisions. Our continuous innovation in this area ensures that you have access to expert technology without the complexities. These models can be applied to any text and image data you have, enabling you to combine insights from the internet and your existing data to build your strategy.

As travel primes itself for post-COVID recovery, the industry needs to turn to the internet to learn what travelers want and build stronger with them. 

Reach out to us at anurag.banerjee@quilt.ai to learn how we can interpret online data and build actionable strategies for you. 

Previous
Previous

Getting Back to Business Travel, Tourism, and MICE: It’s a Wrap for PATA-GBTA APAC Travel Summit!

Next
Next

Welcome New Members