22 TRADE TALK Trending Destinations for Brits Thomson and First Choice forecast 2016 travel trends Thomson 787 dreamliner inflight 3 Edouardo Carranza Marketing Manager, TUI WE’RE PARTICULARLY EXCITED TO OFFER A MORE DIVERSE CHOICE OF LONG-HAUL DESTINATIONS INCLUDING CUBA AND SRI LANKA ON THE 787 DREAMLINER According to the UKbased TUI brand travel specialists, British travellers will be breaking traditional holidaying habits to go away more often – as evidenced by the continuing popularity of three or four night breaks to destinations such as Madeira, the Balearics and Iceland. The travel giants expect the trend to fly further afield to continue, as more Brits make the most of their extended long-haul programme – with Costa Rica and Sri Lanka set to top wish lists for 2016. They predict the top five trends for 2016: - Further growth of emerging destinations - More people travelling long-haul - Action packed holidays on the rise - More flexibility on holiday dates - Technology providing streamlined holiday experiences Mark Hall, Director of Product at TUI UK & Ireland, said, “2016 promises to be another exciting year for travel. With the arrival of new destinations and ongoing investment in technology, Thomson and First Choice will be making holiday experiences even more special. We’re particularly excited to offer a more diverse choice of longhaul destinations including Cuba and Sri Lanka on the 787 Dreamliner and for those looking to escape more often a wider range of three and four night breaks to places like Iceland, Funchal and Sorrento.” Long-haul ‘hot spot’ predictions for 2016: Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Aruba, Cuba – Iconic Cuba, & Goa, India Short and mid haul ‘hot spot’ predictions for 2016: Croatia, Santorini, Cyprus, Iceland, Ibiza & Italy Action Packed Hols on Rise Holidaymakers want to take advantage of adventure-filled holidays that have a range of exciting excursions. And with four in 10 men (40%) and more than a third (34%) of women admitting to feeling more adventurous on a longhaul trip, and more than twothirds (68%) of holidaymakers claiming they are more likely to book an excursion when they travel longer distance, this shows no sign of slowing down. With hundreds of thousands of excursions booked in 2015, Thomson and First Choice expect even more people to explore in 2016 as they expand their long haul offering to include a wider range of cultures. Whether they are zip-wiring through the jungle in luscious Costa Rica or swimming with dolphins on Thomson Cruises in Curacao, in the coming year Britons will have more opportunity to get stuck-in to their surrounds when they go on holiday. Also new for 2016 are weekly flights to Iceland, complete with the magical Northern Lights, which will be available with Thomson – departing from Gatwick and Manchester between 24th January and 6th March, with durations of three and four nights on offer. No trip to Iceland is complete without a Golden Circle tour and a quest to see the Northern Lights – therefore both excursions are included, at no extra charge, in every Thomson Iceland holiday. SPANISH TOURISTS TARGET USA TUI marketing manager Edouardo Carranza reveals top destinations The USA and Far East continue to grow in popularity for Spanish tourists. We asked Edouardo Carranza – Marketing Manager, Tui, to tell us more… The top destinations for Tui Spain are the USA, Thailand, Japan – which is really booming thanks to the advantageous exchange rate, Argentina, and Peru. Indeed, the drop in oil prices is resulting in reduced airfares. This must be a big help… Indeed, it’s very convenient for the customers but also for us as we can offer far away locations at great prices. People talk a lot about Myanmar being “trendy”. How is this destination progressing for you? It’s true it is a popular destination, but the prices have been rising a lot, and there are problems finding availability in the hotels. It’s one of the most authentic destinations in South East Asia, but for Tour Operators, it’s not easy to work there. There is a big transformation towards the corporate clientele, and as there are not many hotels in the main cities, they tend to be mainly booked by business people. You mentioned Japan is picking up pace. Can you tell me a little more? We even have a catalogue for Japan now, prices have really come down due to the currency rates, and there are many repeat clients. We are also bundling Japan with other destinations in Asia, even with exotic islands such as the Maldives. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 1 st March 2016 www.itb-berlin-news.com
ITB BERLIN CONVENTION 23 Plan, Compare, Book & Review The travel lifecycle in a totally connected (and mobile) world The entire travel-planning journey is changing. In a constantly connected world with endless options and multiple platforms to choose from, more and more travelers around the world want a streamlined way to research, organize and book their trips. In a presentation at the ITBBerlin Convention’s eTravelWorld on 9th March entitled “The Travel Lifecycle From Today – Plan, Compare, Book & Review”, Adrian Hands, Senior Director, CPC Sales EMEA, TripAdvisor, will look at today’s travel lifecycle – how it has changed over time and what does that mean for consumers, the hospitality sector and specifically for TripAdvisor. We asked him how travel planning is changing over time… Adrian Hands Senior Director, CPC Sales EMEA, TripAdvisor WOMEN IN DECISION- MAKING ROLES IN THE INDUSTRY PALPABLY ALTER THE TOURIST EXPERIENCE AND ANY INITIATIVE THAT EMPOWERS WOMEN MUST NECESSARILY BE LABELLED “BEST PRACTICE”. THE TRAVEL LIFECYCLE FROM TODAY – PLAN, COMPARE, BOOK & REVIEW Category: eTravel Stage Day 1 Date: March 9, 2016 Time: 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm Location: Hall 6.1, eTravel Stage We see that in a constantly connected world with endless options and multiple platforms to choose from, there are more and more travellers who want a streamlined way to research, organize and book their trips. We also learned from our Phocuswright study*, that the majority of travellers want to be able to read reviews, compare prices and make a booking – all in one location… including accommodations, eateries and attractions. Direct booking / instant booking is a big topic. What’s the current state of play and where is this headed? Through our instant booking platform, travellers are able to book a hotel via their desktop or mobile, without leaving the site. Hotels available for instant booking have a prominent “book” button and users that click this button can easily complete their reservation on TripAdvisor, with the transaction and customer care provided by the partner. TripAdvisor instant booking is now fully rolled out across 11 countries: Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UK and US travellers in these markets are now able to book a hotel on all of TripAdvisor’s platforms, desktop and mobile, without leaving the site. We expect a global rollout of instant booking in the first half of 2016. How should hoteliers and receptive TOs be adapting to the times? The key is to understand consumers’ behaviour and how it is changing. It is not just the shift to online booking that is important, there is also the shift to mobile to consider. On top of that, you have to consider the channels and platforms consumers use to plan their trips, and ultimately what gives them the confidence to make their final decision to book. At TripAdvisor, our mission is to be a positive force for the travel industry, promoting transparency within the sector and providing consumers with the information they need in order to make that final booking decision. By embracing and engaging with customer feedback on platforms like ours, hoteliers are not just able to identify ways to improve their product but also build trust with potential customers, and even create a route through which to drive direct bookings on mobile and desktop. * The 2015 ‘Custom Survey Research Engagement’ was an independent study of 14,991 respondents conducted by Phocuswright on behalf of TripAdvisor. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 1 st March 2016
