How do travel companies outwit the Amateur Expert Traveller with professional expertise that commands a premium?
Anyone selling a service has to have the knowledge and tools to be able to treat each customer as an individual.
People will only pay a premium for a service which is tailored. A good example of this is a friend who was booking a multi–stage holiday to Thailand.
This trip included chartering a plane and a boat. I wasn’t entirely surprised when she told me that she could not find an agent to help her!
Talking to her she was happy to pay a premium for someone to just take all the hassle away.
This example goes a long way towards proving that while many industry watchers think the Internet will take over the travel industry, the human touch is still required.
In our last industry survey, Amadeus found that 75% of industry experts think that we won’t all be booking our holidays online.
As more of the world becomes accessible, we’ll still need the help of traditional travel agents to help us find that holiday that’s just a little bit more interesting.
I predict that we will see growth in niches such as adventure and religious travel. The companies that get a head start in these areas will be the ones that succeed.
As with any form or retailing, you have to get involved with the discussions your customers are having, build relationships in order to be able to meet their needs.
Let’s not try to outwit the consumer, let’s work with them to find that niche.
NB: This How To is authored by Tim Russell, UK and Ireland MD for Amadeus.
About Special Nodes
I do agree not all people will be booking online, however, I suggest that the vast majority will be searching online!
Once they find what they think the are interested in many will still want to talk to someone. The more niche or adventure driven the trip the more they will want to talk.
I agree the niche end of travel is where the profitable growth is going to be and where I spend all my efforts. From the client view point the more niche the travel the more knowledgeable they will require the travel company to be and this is the issue. Distributors of niche travel do not really understand what they are selling as they are focused on what they do for a job. Suppliers of niche travel understand it better than anyone but they are focused on the delivery of the niche service or product. Their is a gap their waiting to be exploited
Our travel agency partners report that many travellers are, although conducting their initial travel research online, continuing to turn to travel agents serving niche markets for their expert advice and first-hand experience of the destination. This is true for the perennial favourites (such as Latin America) as well as the up-and-coming hot spots that cater to customers’ individual hobbies and tastes.
I don’t however agree with the comment travel agents lack the knowledge to cope with demanding niche requirements. As we step into this new world of emerging destinations and new holiday experiences, we’re all learning. We will encourage our customers to offer the personal touch that their clients need using the wealth of information and wide array of suppliers available through Amadeus.
We’re an adaptive industry that has been through many ups and downs. We’re confident that more and more of our travel agency partners will seize the opportunity that niche travel offers – just as they have adapted to various other changes to the way people travel in the 21st century.