China stands out as a new emerging destination
IHG unveils its tourism keys for 2011
New technologies, loyalty programs or special attention to new destinations, among others, will mark the tourism industry next year.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has presented, within its annual report, what it considers to be the five key trends in the tourism industry for the coming year 2011. To do this, the company has conducted a survey among 3,000 regular travelers members of its Priority Rewards Club.
According to Kirk Kinsell, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa at IHG, "The tourism industry is undergoing major changes, as economic crisis and uncertainty influence customer behaviour when planning their trips. Now they prefer to take fewer risks and are more aware of what is happening in the sector. Business and leisure users receive more and more information and are continuously looking for the best deals and promotions for their trips. This has forced the sector to evolve towards the search for new ways to interact with its customers."
Hotel Industry Trends for 2011
1. Economy business class The number of business travelers is expected to grow exponentially again throughout 2011. But with the spending cuts prevailing in Europe and the US, companies are looking for a more efficient formula: that hotels have quality offers but without having to inflate prices.
2. China in our hands Developing countries currently account for 49 per 100 of global GDP, up from 39 per 100 in 1990, and will likely surpass the developed world in the next two decades. In the corporate sector, most business users are increasingly looking to the East. While the United Kingdom and the United States remain the most important destinations for business travel, the 3,000 respondents place China as the third destination above the rest of European places.
3. Do it yourself The way people organize their business trip is also changing. According to figures reflected in the IHG study, nearly two-thirds of corporate customers booked online last year. Making the booking process easier for business customers is vital. In 2010, IHG launched an application for the iPhone and Android that had more than 130,000 downloads, generating revenues of more than 2.07 million euros. These apps allow customers to find and book at a hotel, know the rates, and view or cancel their reservations at any hotel in the company.
4. Hotel brands are increasingly taking into account what is said about them on TripAdvisor as their millions of users influence an increasing number of business travelers, who use the Internet before, during and after the booking process, 83 per 100 of users say they have put some comment after their trip and more than half claim to have changed the reservation after reading a comment.
5. Long journey, short breaks 45 per 100 of respondents say they plan to enjoy two weeks of vacation, and 18 per 100 will spend a month outside the country. Existing mobile technology allows people to spend more time away from their offices on business trips, thus enjoying more freedom, flexibility and immersion in the destination when they are on vacation.
