Moderated by Quentin Long, travel expert and Founder of Australian Traveller, the panel featured travel, media and technology experts:
- Jo Palmer, Managing Director of tourism representation agency, Gate 7
- Michelle Guthrie, Media and Technology Executive (previously ABC, Google, Star TV, BSkyB and Foxtel)
- Aida Osta, Global Travel Strategist at consultancy, detoured
- Edward Mansfield, Head of Experience Design, TRAVLRI have included a summary of insights below - please feel free to share with your audiences.
WEBINAR SUMMARY
Who is this future traveller and what are they looking for?
COVID-19 has been an accelerant for change in the travel industry, causing pent-up demand amongst travellers seeking unique transformational experiences and deeper connections to enrich their lives and the world around them.
Travellers, in particular Gen Z, are looking for sustainable and regenerative experiences where they want to leave a positive impact when they travel, ultimately influencing the decisions they make when it comes to selecting a destination, operator, product and experience. Culture and community is important, with respect for someone's home being top of mind to build that need for connection and inclusivity.
There is a shift towards "destination stewardship" which drives sustainable and social awareness amongst travellers to leave a destination in a better place than when they arrived. As referenced in the webinar, The Last Tourist film is an example of this sentiment - see here trailer.
How can we translate these traveller expectations into a unique offering and ultimately, return bookings?
Travel providers need to have a clear understanding of every element of the path to purchase - from the 'dreaming' phase right through to making the booking. It's all about the "how" - How do we ensure we provide the best possible experience for customers to increase the likelihood of conversion.
Regardless of whether we are able to travel or not, the dreaming phase provides the inspiration to amplify the value of the experience - not in its price-tag, but how it connects to and resonates personally with travellers. The planning stage needs to be flexible to cater for COVID restrictions, including a "Buy Now Pay Later" system and/or a robust refund policy to ensure travellers feel secure in all situations. But above all, the curated content designed specifically for the traveller needs to go beyond the traditional cookie-cutter itinerary approach - it needs to be personalised and tailored to the audience, incorporating a story-telling ability which brings the travel experience to life.
How can media and travel intersect to create unique travel experiences?
This story-telling ability is where media companies have the unique ability to bring travel experiences to life for audiences who are already deeply engaged and inspired by their content. During lockdown, audiences developed deeper connections with media than ever before, immediately igniting that dreaming phase when it came to travel and planning towards their experience of a lifetime. Until now, media companies haven't been able to leverage their ability to bring this dreaming phase to life and capture audience demographics, behaviours and desires whilst retaining them within their ecosystem. Travel Technology platform, TRAVLR has been an opportunity for brands such as MTV, BBC Global News and Nickelodeon to build another stream to include travel; creating branded platforms which offer curated experiences especially for their audiences. As mentioned by Michelle Guthrie and Edward Mansfield, TRAVLR licenses its full service travel platform to these brands and activates on their path to purchase referenced above to amplify their experiences in this new era of travel. See Nickelodeon Travel example here: https://www.nicktravel.com/ and for further information, visit www.travlr.com
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