Keep talking to customers says AITO research
Independent operators are being urged to keep communicating with clients in order to retain them.
A report by the Association of Independent Tour Operators, based on the responses of 28,000 customers, found a significant number of customers wouldn’t necessarily book the same way for their next trip.
According to the findings, 25% of people whose last booking was with a tour operator and 28% of people whose last booking was with a travel agent were undecided if they would book their next holiday the same way.
"It’s clear that AITO members need to ensure they’re communicating and marketing to these customers in order to keep them," said the report.
Meanwhile, 44% of respondents seek personalised email communication from travel companies to find out about new holidays, destinations and offers, which AITO said was ‘a huge opportunity for data-driven marketing’.
The research also found brochures are important to 20% of respondents, which is a significant minority of the data set.
The findings, compiled in association with Spike Marketing, have been used as the basis of a report called AITO Travel Insights 2015,.
Nearly 50 AITO members and affiliates took part in the research by emailing the survey to their client databases during May 2015.
AITO executive director Kate Kenward said the findings would ‘drive some important decision-making’ for members over the coming years.
"We hope to repeat and refine the research both next year and beyond," she added.
The research also found:
63% plan to take a short break abroad in the next 12 months and 86% plan to take a longer holiday (six nights or more) abroad. In the same period, almost 90% will take a short break in the UK.
76% of responders said they would spend the same or more on their holidays in the next 12 months compared with what they had spent in the last 12 months.
30% of travellers will spend more this year than last.
Respondents plan to take 7% more overseas holidays this year than last.
55% intend to take one or two overseas short breaks this year – up 7% on last year.
74% intend to take up to three UK short breaks this year – up 4% on last year.
The top six destinations that respondents intend to visit are:
~· France (9.3%)
~· Italy (7.6%)
~· Spain (6.8%)
~· UK (4.7%)
~· USA (4.7%)
~· Greece (4.3%)
56% of respondents pursue their hobbies on holiday, which proffers the perfect opportunity for operators and agents to target hobbyists.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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