ITB Berlin News 2020 #2

I NEWS I
Alexander
Leferov
Chief Business
Development Officer,
ECOMMPAY
Payment trends:
how modern tourists are
choosing their trips
Speaking to ITB Berlin News, Alexander Leferov, Chief Business
Development Officer, ECOMMPAY, described the main behavioural
trends facing the industry as we enter a new decade.
In 2020, tourists are breaking away from the
long-standing tradition of decisiveness and
caution, opting instead to pay more for their
"ideal" holiday. The industry has reacted
immediately to these new payment trends.
Bespoke luxury itineraries require prior
confirmation and prepayment. Previously, the
invoice would be sent by mail, signed, scanned,
and then paid. Now, this has all been replaced
by the automatically-generated payment link,
sent digitally to the client.
What other trends are affecting payment
methods?
The biggest payment trend for heritage
tourism - where people go off-grid to source
their ancestry - is alternative payment
methods. Visa, Mastercard, and American
Express cards still aren’t available everywhere.
Many Europeans prefer the convenience of
virtual wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay for
international travel.
How does sustainable tourism change
payment behaviours?
In 2020, socially conscious holidaymakers
are keeping the environment in mind. Already,
48% of respondents to a Booking.com survey
are planning to reduce their global footprint
by travelling by more eco-friendly means and
reduce plastic waste. As society edges ever
further to a cashless reality, it becomes harder
and harder to escape reliance on this payment
system
NEW RAILHUB
TECHNOLOGY –
A “SINGLE-ENTRY
INTERFACE”
Rail travel is a trend in Europe, but when it comes
to online booking, things can get complicated.
As a leading railway technology provider, Online
Travel, an IT specialist from Switzerland, offers
its customers a single-entry interface to the
European railways.
Using an intuitive online booking platform,
SNCF, DB, ÖBB, Trenitalia and SBB train tickets,
accommodation, and a wide range of additional
services can be easily combined into a package
or booked as individual services. The technology
accesses rates that are updated daily via direct
interfaces to the individual service providers
and checks their availability within seconds.
Helpful functions such as best-price search, seat
reservations and night train bookings are part of
the standard scope of services
ITB BERLIN NEWS • THURSDAY 12 TH MARCH 2020 • 7