Consumers have many choices: book direct, book with an online travel agency and so on. But what factors influence consumer preferences to switch brands?
Recently we found this handy infographic published on the Tourism Review website. It summarises the data from a PhocusWright report and shows that like everything else, the answer is not simple.
The first part is relatively straightforward showing that buying direct from a hotel online vs buying from and OTA is split, about 40/60. It also shows, not surprisingly that business travellers exceed leisure travelers in the preference to book with and OTA. But here is where it gets muddy.
What influences buyers to actually switch brands varies according to country. Germans are different than Brits and so on. In general it seems that the opinions of family and friends is still a very important influencer. This, along with the knowledge of how important peer review sites like TripAdvisor are, point out the importance of having an excellent product or service.
In a previous article we show how Adventure Engine can help you raise your Trip Advisor ranking.