We often like to generalize, and yet we remain unaware of how difficult this habit makes it for us when it comes to reaching our consumers. This trend is not unique to the tourism sector; nevertheless, in our industry there has been a lot of talk about terms such as “average travelers”.
The aim of generalized terms and labels is to analyze the consumers to identify behavior patterns when choosing destinations, planning their trips, and even drafting a travel expenses guide.
However, what we got at the end is a traveler profile that could or could not fit our target.
Now here is the key. Today, we have many tools at our disposal to unravel details of how modern-day travelers act, without having to rely on specific models. And when it comes to setting a strategy to influence the purchasing decisions of the travelers, there is nothing better than monitoring how each particular traveler does it, and reach out to them at the right time.
It has happened to all of us. We run a quick Google search on hotels in Paris, and soon after we see an advertisement about cheap flights to the French capital on our social media. This is the result of data. We all leave behind a digital trail, and this is what companies in the tourism sector must analyze in order to reach those travelers that match their businesses.
These data are hinting at us in which stage of the trip each traveler is and, above all, how they behave when planning it. That is, if you browse several websites to check for flight prices, or if you have a price reference already; if you share information about the destination with your travel companions or, on the contrary, you only visit websites and related blogs to find out estimates; if you actually buy and reserve online, or simply browse for information and then turn to travel agencies...
All of this information will help the companies define when to get involved in the purchase journey. But it can also help identify how to approach the consumer. This data provided by digital technology also gives us information on which devices they use, how much time they spend on each of them, and which channels they visit. And this is something that makes it difficult to generalize; in the end, we are all unique digital users not average travelers.
So if you want to come up with the best strategy, and reach your target customers at the right moment and in the most suitable format, then forget about the average traveler and start thinking about your travelers as individuals.