Some of the most compelling findings centered on when the Tours and Activities (T&A) bookings are made. The results demonstrate the growing influence of technology in both advanced and last minute bookings.
Key highlights from the research include:
“A significant share of travel activities historically has been booked offline and in-destination." - Phocuswright
More than half of all T&A bookings are made within 72 hours of the activity taking place. The traditional preference for booking offline and in-destination can also be explained by the restricted access travellers and agents had to live inventories. Essentially, it was difficult to gauge availability without going through a convoluted process.
"Advance bookings are increasing as more activities become discoverable and bookable online, making pre-booking easier." - Phocuswright
According to Livn CEO Mark Rizzuto, this presents substantial opportunity for bricks-and-mortar travel agencies to develop their online operations, as technology is now in place to drive efficiency and capitalise on expanding consumer demand.
“Almost 40% of people who pre-book an activity are motivated by a desire to have all their plans finalised in advance. Many travellers simply like having everything planned before they leave for their trip.” - Phocuswright
Travel agents, with the right information in hands, can be a powerful component of the T&A bookings. However, agents must have access to a system with a vast array of products through which they can confirm availability.
Although several companies provide software that aggregates T&A products, back-end functions still rely on human interaction to fully finalise a booking, meaning that agents must make a phone call or wait for an email confirmation before customers receive their voucher.
With Livn, travel agents do not need to finalise the bookings over phone calls or email exchange behind the scenes. Instead, the whole process can be managed online turning T&A bookings swift, simple and instantaneous.
“There remains a portion of the active traveller population who still prefers to book travel activities in-destination, and these travellers often wait until the last minute.” - Phocuswright
The percentage of travel product bookings made on mobile devices has grown exponentially in recent years. Fortunately, technology has now caught up. Travellers and agents have access to instant bookings, with immediate receipt of an e-voucher direct from the tour operator.
Livn’s allows T&A reseller websites and apps to display current availability, making the booking process convenient for travellers and agents alike. Livn technology improves customer engagement, increases revenue, and reduces lost sales in the crucial 72-hour window before an activity happens.
Founder and CCO of Livn, Steve Martinez said, “Our distribution partners are now able to focus on what they do best – creating wonderful travel experiences – rather than struggling with technological integrations across a suite of fragmented booking systems.”
A single API integration with Livn allows travel resellers to connect to 15,000 tour operators with more than 700,000 instantly bookable tours and activities. This is helping to resolve the historic problem of poor access to products, and generating more opportunities to give travellers what they need when they need.
