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Originally published on Hospitality Net
Amadeus’ Traveler Tribes research has revealed the habits and behaviors of travelers in 10 years’ time. Destinations seeking to welcome the travelers of tomorrow can take action now.
Destinations that are exploring ways to welcome more travelers in the coming decade can learn from Amadeus’ Traveler Tribes 2033 global study. Following in-depth research that involved interviews with 22 experts and surveys of over 10,000 travelers from 15 countries, four distinct Traveler Tribes unfolded, each group having its own unique interests and future behaviors. To stay ahead of the competition and prepare for 2033, destination management organizations (DMOs) can look at each Traveler Tribe in detail and consider how to adapt to their evolving attitudes now.
Pioneering Pathfinders
As the largest of the Traveler Tribes – 43% of the travelers who participated in the research – Pioneering Pathfinders have a distinctive mindset. They enjoy the process of planning ahead over being impulsive and, of all the groups, are the most comfortable with the role technology plays in travel. Sustainability is at the top of their agendas, and they will make trip adjustments, if need be, in order to travel more sustainably.
By promoting extended stays and off-season travel, destinations can welcome travelers for longer periods of time and help combat over-tourism while appealing to this group’s sustainable mindset. Turismo de Tenerife, the DMO responsible for Tenerife, Spain’s tourism sector, worked with Amadeus to launch a strategic digital ad campaign to increase their year-round competitiveness and welcome more environmentally friendly visitors. Media and advertising campaigns can also provide clarity on the environmental impact of each visit by analyzing what each visitor’s preferred mode of transport is prior to or following a booking. This benefits the traveler, as they are better able to plan their travel and the DMO can learn to better cater to specific needs and audiences.
To better engage with this Traveler Tribe, destinations can also focus on their tech and sustainability efforts. By implementing virtual reality and artificial intelligence into their marketing tactics, destinations can improve their storytelling and elevate the visitor experience. Take the example of the Singapore Tourism Board, as they partnered with Google to enhance the in-person traveler experience with storytelling. Through the use of AI, they helped immerse visitors in the location’s history and learn about places of interest in some creative new ways.
Excited Experientialists
This Traveler Tribe has an open-minded outlook and is driven by a thirst for unpredictability and unique accommodations. They enjoy living in the moment, avoid planning ahead, and seek real-life, thrilling experiences over material possessions.
DMOs seeking to connect with this audience can promote lodging options and experiences that are only available in that particular destination. One DMO that has begun to do this is the Greek National Tourism Organization, which recently leveraged Amadeus Media Solutions to entice travelers to visit Athens and Thessaloniki for a “Greekend.” The ads featured the Acropolis, a main tourist attraction in Athens – one of the top destinations in the world.
By using first-party data in combination with Amadeus’ proprietary ad-serving technology, destinations that partner with Amadeus can reach travelers who are still unsure of which place to visit – like Excited Experientialists – while they research competing destinations. Even more meaningful are bespoke attribution models that allow these destinations to measure a tangible campaign return on advertising spend, meaning actual conversions or travelers who have visited a specific location.
Memory Makers
With half this Traveler Tribe aged 42 and over, Memory Makers are defined as cautious and conservative, seeking affordable options to see the world and make memories. Loyal to people and the places they visit, they tend to trust recommendations from others and will happily return to previous, well-known destinations.
Destinations looking to attract Memory Makers can frame their marketing and advertising campaigns around picture-perfect escapes paired with affordability, carefully targeting specific age groups when deploying tactics. As this tribe tends to work with travel advisors or travel agents when booking travel, DMOs can reach this segment by advertising on global distribution systems (GDSs), travel agents’ preferred booking channel. Destinations can build their brand awareness, promote their top attractions, and advertise their e-learning platforms to upskill travel experts across GDSs.
Travel Tech-fluencers
Typically young business travelers, Travel Tech-fluencers have a forward-looking perspective and appreciation for technology; however, they also have concerns about cybersecurity and data privacy. This group places a special emphasis on sustainability, until it results in an inconvenience. 82% of them say sustainable solutions dictate their decisions unless they must invest a significant amount of time or money to book a sustainable journey.
With remote work gaining more and more traction, destinations can build custom messaging geared toward Travel Tech-fluencers highlighting the benefits of working remotely in their locations. Countries like Spain, Ecuador, the Bahamas and Indonesia have implemented digital nomad visas, and can secure more applicants by promoting this type of visa on social and programmatic ad channels. Destinations can also make selecting sustainable solutions easier for this Traveler Tribe, by specifying the environmental impact of each activity or transportation option and partnering closely with eco-friendly accommodations or restaurants that source from local vendors.
To discover more about Amadeus’ Traveler Tribes research and the latest drivers of change in the hospitality industry, visit our website.
