Thursday, December 24, 2015

Look through these trends in travel industry, do you think what would work and what will not for Thai tourists travelling abroad due to cultural issues?

What were the biggest travel trends of 2015?

Updated 0000 GMT (0800 HKT) December 21, 2015

The last 12 months saw some major shifts in the travel and tourism industry, from quirky plane seat designs to a total upending of the decades-old loyalty program model.

We look at some of the biggest changes of 2015.

Revenue-based frequent flyer programs

For decades, frequent flyers were given rewards based on the number of miles they flew.

This year, United Airlines, Delta and American Airlines changed that, rewarding miles based on the dollar amount of a ticket.

It's a seismic shift that doles out rewards to the big spenders, rather than the frequent fliers.

"In 33 years of frequent flier programs, this is the year of the biggest changes ever," notes Randy Petersen, CEO of Frequent Flier Services.

It is a model that is starting to spread throughout the industry.

"We saw some of the first hints globally from international carriers," notes Jason Clampet, co-founder of Skift.com, which follows trends in the travel industry.

Earlier this year, British Airways tweaked its loyalty program to reduce the amount of miles an economy ticket can accrue. Cathay Pacific also moved to a more revenue-based model a few months ago.

"It is kind of a ripple effect going back and forth in both directions. We are also going to see more creative loyalty programs pop up," predicts Clampet.

Third-party fees

Earlier this year, Lufthansa angered the travel agent community by charging a fee of 16 euros ($17) for bookings made outside of its website (basically, for anyone using a Global Distribution System, or GDS, to book).

GDS are the main computers for reservations, and airlines are charged fees for every booking process through a GDS.

Naturally, there is a financial incentive for the airline industry to discourage these types of bookings, though the move has supposedly provided backlash amongst travel bookers.

"It's not a huge amount of money, but it's a little bit more the concept," notes John Snyder, CEO of BCD Travel, a corporate travel management provider.

"Some of the customers in Germany are very unhappy with Lufthansa for making that move and we have customers that have booked away from Lufthansa," he adds.

When the fees were first announced, it was thought other airlines might follow suit. So far, Lufthansa is the only one to have added on the GDS fee.

New seat concepts

This year, Zodiac Aerospace, a premier supplier of aircraft equipment, came up with a new concept for the air cabin seat, one in which passengers face each other.

The HD-31, aka the knee-to-knee, may not seem like it gives much in the way of leg room, but according to Tommy Dean, Zodiac's head of Advanced Concepts, the design allows for greater efficiency and, ultimately, increased comfort.

"Airlines always come to us and ask to think outside the box, to challenge what's done traditionally. Today, everything face forward, everything's very conformist, but to really create more space, you have to start to redistribute people, actually change their orientation," he says.

Coming soon to an economy cabin near you?

Uber for business travelers

JUST WATCHED

How digital apps made DIY travel more affordable

Replay

MUST WATCH

How digital apps made DIY travel more affordable 08:29

Over the last year, taxi-booking app Uber has set themselves up as a handy tool for corporations with their relatively new Uber for Business platform.

In addition to letting companies set up corporate accounts through which employees can expense rides, Uber lets companies set limits and monitor the rides so they can sort out which claims are genuine.

"You can have business rules, which means you can only take an Uber during this time or for these purposes," explains Emil Michael, Uber's senior vice president of business.

"(Companies) do want to know that the expenses are legitimate. What we provide is a beginning and end trip. You don't get that in a taxi receipt," he adds.

Airbnb for business travelers

Uber isn't the only company in the sharing economy succeeding in wooing business travelers. Airbnb is on a similar mission to tap into this lucrative market.

"(Companies) are like, oh, we can put five workers in a condo and we can save $3,000 on a meeting. They don't think twice about it. Airbnb is making it easier for them to make that decision," notes Clampet.

JUST WATCHED

Travel gadgets perfect for seasonal gifts

Replay

MUST WATCH

Travel gadgets perfect for seasonal gifts 08:00

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/20/travel/2015-biggest-travel-trends/index.html

What special characteristics of tourism and hospitality products is most evident in this article? How can an airline make sure that their passengers do not experience unsatisfied experiences in flight?

The kid behind you is kicking your seat, the woman ahead of you is wearing flowery perfume, and the man across the aisle has had a few too many cocktails. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to air travel: the transportation option most likely to make you grumpy. According to a 2015 report by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, airlines are among the lowest-rated industries when it come to customer satisfaction. We surveyed 1,097 air travelers to determine which offenses they find most aggravating. Take a look at the results: Are you a victim of annoying air travel behavior – or a violator?

When it comes to behavior on the plane, unsurprisingly, the top three annoying behaviors involve the invasion of personal space: sitting in a seat that’s being kicked, smelling a fellow passenger’s body odor, and sitting behind someone who reclines the seat too far. After all, there’s no way to escape these annoyances when you’re 30,000 feet in the air.
But according to the survey, even more travelers are annoyed by obnoxious behavior in the airport. The top pet peeves mainly involve noise and chaos – no fun for weary travelers who just want to get to their destination. Loud music is the biggest offender, followed by kids running wild and fellow travelers who have too much to drink at the airport bar.
Unfortunately for passengers, some of the most obnoxious inflight behavior is also the most prevalent: Passengers report frequently witnessing kicking seats and reclining too far. But the pet peeve they most often notice is a refusal to share the armrest.
In the airport, respondents often see fellow travelers rushing up to crowd the boarding gate. They also see frequent instances of people saving seats with suitcases, parents allowing children to misbehave, and travelers standing still on the moving sidewalk. (Thankfully, participants report relatively few sightings of the tipsy person knocking back Bloody Marys at the airport bar.)

How does gender factor in? It turns out that both men and women are equally prone to irritability during air travel. Exactly half of male and female travelers report noticing a behavior they perceived as “extremely annoying.” However, men and women feel differently about various behaviors.
For instance, women report being much more affected by strong perfume than men. They’re also more bothered by what might be perceived as selfish or thoughtless behavior: phone and computer users who monopolize power outlets, brusque flight attendants, fellow travelers who leave luggage on airport seating, and passengers who bring smelly food on the plane.
Men seem to be more disgusted by certain smells, including body odor and sock feet on airplanes. Male passengers also have less patience for people who stand still on the moving sidewalk, flight attendants who crack corny jokes, children behaving badly, and travelers who play music or games loudly.

Passengers’ top pet peeves can differ based on their reason for traveling: People flying on a business trip are slightly more tolerant of having their seat bumped from behind than those heading to vacation – possibly because frequent-flying business travelers are more accustomed to that inconvenience. Business travelers are also most bothered by sick passengers – after all, coming down with a cold before an out-of-town conference or client meeting would be a pain.
Vacationers are more concerned with enjoying their journey and tend to lack patience when it comes to annoyances. Both business and leisure flyers are more sensitive to offensive body odor than travelers en route for family obligations or holiday getaways – perhaps traveling with the family affords passengers more tolerance for off-putting smells. Each type of traveler departs with a unique mindset, which can affect their feelings toward poor airline etiquette.

Flying the (Not-So-Friendly?) Skies

The next time you’re traveling on an airplane, you may roll your eyes at the behaviors we examined here. But look no further than the news headlines to realize that it can always, always be worse: Consider the male passenger who recently urinated on travelers while aboard a plane headed to Portland. And the female traveler headed to Indianapolis who recently became unruly and grabbed a flight attendant, kissed her, and then punched her in the face. Now there’s an entire Facebook page dedicated to “passenger shaming” – outing travelers who exhibit unacceptable behavior on planes.
But it’s not all bad news: According to a new J.D. Power and Associates study, passenger satisfaction of North American airlines is actually on the uptick. As airlines strive to provide a good experience, sometimes all a passenger can do is hope for the best on a particular flight: that means seatmates who share the armrest, liberally apply antiperspirant, and keep their shoes on.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,097 air travelers in America to find out which behaviors on planes and in airports were being witnessed most and which behaviors are most annoying.

Sources

Fair Use

Feel free to share the images found on this page freely. When doing so, we ask that you please attribute the authors of this project by providing your readers with a link back to this page. This will allow readers to learn more about the research and methodology behind the project.

Source : http://www.travelmath.com/feature/annoying-air-travel-behavior/

Welcome note for Students of TRM 319 Tourist Behavior in Semester 2/2015

Happy New Year 2016

Students, this blog a supporting education tool for the course TRM 319 Tourist Behavior of College of Tourism and Hospitality, Rangsit University, Patumthani, Thailand. It aims to update you with the most updated news and practices in tourism and hospitality industry worldwide and ask you to reflect to the news using your behaviorism knowledge and other knowledge from other subject courses.

This is a part of course evaluation. Please make sure that you answer the questions associated to threads posted for the semester you enrolled to.

Enjoy

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Considering that Eimirates need to invest quite a lot of money to repaint its carriers, do you think repainting would increase the sales of the airticket? Why or Why not?

Emirates Adds Decals to Airbuses in Support of United for Wildlife

Airlines & Airports | Donald Wood | November 09, 2015

Emirates airline has added custom decals on two of its Airbus A380 planes with some of the most endangered animals in the world as a way to show support to "United for Wildlife."

United for Wildlife is a group that unites the efforts of the world’s leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal animal trade. The new decals were added to the planes in order to raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and express the need for action.
The first of two planes with the decals of endangered animals worked a route to London and the second flew to Mauritius in Africa. The decals cover almost 40 percent of the aircrafts, and the project took 28 people a total of 2.5 days—about 900 man hours—to apply the decals on just one plane.
Thanks to the official YouTube page of Emirates, you can view a time-lapse video of the decals being applied to the two Airbus A380 planes:

Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark released a statement, saying, “Many animals, in particular African elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, are under extreme pressure because of an unprecedented spike in the illegal wildlife trade. The world is in a global poaching crisis, and everyone has to do their part to stop this, before it is too late. Emirates believes that the global transport industry, including airlines, can play a significant role to break the supply chain of illegal wildlife trade. And at Emirates, we are committing the resources to do our part.”

In addition to the newly designed planes, Emirates will also support the cause by highlighting feature stories about wildlife protection in its in-flight magazines, showcasing podcast interviews and airing wildlife programming and feature films on its entertainment system.
The company will also work to better train its employees to detect and deal with illegal wildlife products in transit, and Emirates has banned trophy game shipments.

Source: http://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/emirates-adds-decals-to-airbuses-in-support-of-united-for-wildlife.html

Monday, November 9, 2015

What would you do to stimulate the decision making of tourists in this case? How will you allocate media budget ?

A Decade of Change

My top technology innovations for travel agents over the past 10 years

Agent@Home | Travel Agent | Penney Rudicil

In celebration of Agent@Home’s 10th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the changes in technology over the past 10 years. Here’s my list of the most influential technology advancements that have truly helped the growth of the home-based travel agent market.

Landlines to VOIP: Every business owner needs to have a way to communicate with clients and suppliers. Once upon a time, we all had a phone on our desks tethered to a jack in the wall. We all paid Ma Bell for this privilege and usually forked over more money for features such as long-distance calls, caller ID, call forwarding or voicemail.
Today, many of us have opted to say goodbye to the traditional landline phones in favor of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Phone). As long as you have an Internet connection you can use one of the many services available — Magic Jack, Ring Central, Vonage, Oooma — and can even have phone service through many of the cable companies like Comcast and Cablevision. The benefit of having a VOIP service is that it has most of the features of a traditional landline, as well as unlimited long-distance calls, all at a much lower rate.

Mobile Phones: Remember how big, bulky and costly mobile phones were when they first came out? As time went on, these phones became smaller and sleeker. Then they started making them in various colors with more features and even some games. Today, we have the smartphone, which is almost like a full computer that fits in our pocket. And with so many plans and carriers to choose from, almost everyone can now afford to have a smartphone.
Computer Evolution: The desktop that I had 10 years ago had a monitor that took up way too much of my desk, took forever to boot up or shut down and ran a very slow operating system. Today, I have an all-in-one computer, which means everything is built into the monitor. It needs much less space, runs much faster and saves me time throughout the day. I also have a laptop that I can take when traveling or meeting a client. In addition, there are now tablets that can do almost everything that a full computer can do, so you can literally run your business from anywhere.

Email to Text: We all know how important it is to keep in touch with our clients, and email has been at the forefront of our ability to send price quotes, answer questions and follow up with our clients. Until recently! Over the past few years with the changes in cell phone plans, more and more people are now using texting to communicate. After all, everyone wants their answer immediately, don’t they?
Social Media: Once upon a time, people would actually go out to social gatherings or parties to meet people, catch up with clients, meet prospective clients or make business connections. Fortunately, or unfortunately with the development of all the social media channels available, many people are now making connections via the Web. Yes, in many ways this is a great way to get our message out to a lot of people whom you may not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise, but it has also become a bit impersonal, IMHO.
Business Location: How many traditional storefront travel agencies have closed and how many have moved home? The number of travel professionals who currently work from a home office has grown a lot since 2004. If you have the right equipment you can work anywhere. Your clients don’t care where you get your mail or sit your tail as long as you give them the products and service they desire.
Documents to EDocs: The airlines started issuing electronic documents and everyone freaked out, but then realized how much more convenient they actually could be. But when our other suppliers did the same thing, you would have thought the world had ended. Before you start sending me hate mail, let me explain my position. Do I like telling my clients they have to print their own documents? No, but most clients are used to completing online registration forms and print the confirmation page anyway. In most cases, this is all they will need in order to travel, and a lot of people are happy not to have to keep up with a whole booklet of documents that could be lost.
Brochures to EBrochures: Our suppliers have made changes in this area over the past several years as well. Many of them are making electronic documents available through their websites that we can customize with our agency name and client information and then send out via email. This is a great option especially since many of us have clients out of our immediate geographic area.
Webinars and Virtual Tradeshows: Continuing education is important to all of us and attending seminars or tradeshows is a great way to get this instruction. However, with the rising costs of these types of events, more suppliers are now hosting webinars and participating in the virtual tradeshows that are being held via the Web.
I’ll be back to the usual format of questions and answers about technology in my October column.

Source: http://www.travelpulse.com/articles/travel-agents/a-decade-of-change.html

Monday, October 19, 2015

What kind of travel risks is triggered in British Travelers? If you were travel professionals in Islamic Tourism Destinations, what will you do to reduce the risk?

‘Summer of Discontent’ has transformed Britain’s travel habits

Source: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/68343/lsquo-summer-of-discontent-rsquo-has-transformed#sthash.YP5XQYqV.dpuf

Tatiana Rokou - 05 October 2015, 11:08

"New study shows half of Britons are changing their holiday plans following the migrant crisis, Tunisian terrorist attack and chaos at the Channel Tunnel. Three-quarters (75%) said they are now actively avoiding Islamic countries for holiday destinations"

LONDON - British tourists are becoming increasingly concerned over their personal safety and the safety of their families when abroad, according to research by Travelzoo. When asked how events had impacted their willingness to travel abroad, just over half said recent acts of terrorism (54%) and the migrant situation (51%) had directly influenced how they feel about taking overseas holidays.When commenting on the impact specific events have had on their travel habits: Three-quarters (75%) said they are now actively avoiding Islamic countries for holiday destinations 73% said the migrant situation has put them off travelling through the Channel Tunnel or by Eurostar Over half (54%) admitted that the Tunisia terrorist attack has put them off planning/booking a holiday anywhere abroad. "Usually when Britain has a cool and wet summer, we are keen to take holiday somewhere warm. The events of this summer, however, have impacted the choices British consumers are making about where to go. This is particularly true, at least in the short term, for some of the previously popular tourist destinations amongst British tourists," said Yeganeh Morakabati, Academic in Risk and Tourism at Bournemouth University. "What is clear from the research is that the relative levels of risk perception have increased uncertainty and this has left the door open to fear. As a result British travelers are finding it increasingly difficult to decide on the safest destination for a holiday abroad."The research found over half (54%) feel confused and overwhelmed about where is safe to travel to, and nearly a third admitted they are not aware which countries have been put on high alert by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for British tourists. The knock-on effect for travel habits is clear: countries that would have appealed to British tourists for a winter getaway this time last year are being avoided by 50% of travelers in favor of destinations perceived to be safer that they 'would not otherwise have chosen to visit.'

Louise Hodges, Travelzoo's spokesperson, said, "It's clear that after a turbulent year with many high-profile incidents in tourist destinations, safety and security is paramount for British people making choices about where to travel to for the rest of 2015 and into 2016. Websites such as that of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office are now being cited as a place 70% of British consumers would look at when assessing where they might book."Winter-sun holidays for British tourists have typically been to the Canaries or the North Africa region, where the short flight time and guaranteed heat holds enormous appeal. The Canaries are looking popular again this year, however we know people are actively avoiding North Africa, opting instead for destinations they believe are safer. Islamic countries in particular are causing potential British visitors concern."The study found that UK consumers feel most secure travelling to the Canary Islands, the Caribbean or Australia for winter sun this year. For travel over the next 12 months, British people are most confident booking Italy, Spain, France, Portugal and the USA.Working with consumers and travel agents, Travelzoo identified Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Greece and Thailand as the traditionally popular tourist spots British people are now most afraid of visiting. In fact, after the tragic terrorist attack in June this year less than 1% of UK tourists said they would consider visiting Tunisia, even if the travel ban were lifted in the next few months.Hodges concluded, "While in general the desire to travel shows no sign of abating, we are seeing changes in the considerations people make when selecting their holiday destination. British tourists right now want to travel to places they feel are removed from the recent troubles in the Middle East and parts of Europe, and almost two-thirds are looking at destinations they would not have considered before in the quest to find 'safe' holiday locations."

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

What are generational differences you see in workers of different generations? If you work for a preferred online travel agency, what kind of accommodation type you should propose to these groups of traveler?

Nearly half of U.S. international business travelers use extended stay accommodations
Tatiana Rokou - 13 October 2015, 09:38
Source: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/68488/nearly-half-of-u-s-international#sthash.rTNj2suy.dpuf

"Millennials (18-34) use extended stay accommodations more than any other group, with 72 percent staying at one for international business travel in the past year. Only 48 percent of generation Xers (35-54) and an even smaller 26 percent of baby boomers (55+) used an extended stay accommodation during the same time period"

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Nearly half (48 percent) of all U.S. business travelers have used an extended stay accommodation in the past 12 months when traveling internationally for business, according to new research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).The study, Extended Stay Accommodations: Awareness, Supply and Demand, produced in partnership with WWStay, also revealed interesting differences across age groups when it comes to extended stay accommodations. Millennials (18-34) use extended stay accommodations more than any other group, with 72 percent staying at one for international business travel in the past year. Only 48 percent of generation Xers (35-54) and an even smaller 26 percent of baby boomers (55+) used an extended stay accommodation during the same time period.In addition, 60 percent of business travelers who use extended stay accommodations book it themselves with many of that group booking through an online travel site (41 percent) or directly on the extended stay website (38 percent). Booking outside of a company tool could potentially mean the traveler is not compliant with company travel policy. More importantly, the company may not be able to locate their traveler if an emergency occurs.

Preferences & ChallengesThe top reasons business travelers said they prefer extended stay accommodations are fully equipped kitchens (45 percent), amenities (40 percent) and the residential feel (36 percent). However many U.S.-based international business travelers note that they have challenges booking their own extended stay accommodations with minimum stay requirements (29 percent), limited number of accommodations (21 percent) and lack of reviews from previous guests (20 percent) topping the list of woes.“This study showed a clear demand for extended stay accommodations,” said Joseph Bates, GBTA Foundation Vice President of Research. “To ensure demand continues to increase, companies that provide extended stay accommodations should address the challenges noted by becoming more flexible with minimum stay requirements, providing an up-to-date website listing amenities and guest reviews and increasing the supply of extended stay accommodations available.”Satisfaction An overwhelming majority of business travelers (91 percent) are very satisfied or satisfied with their lodging experience on their last international trip of 5 or more days regardless of what type of lodging was used. Major differences are revealed however, when looking at satisfaction levels by type of extended stay accommodation, with much higher satisfaction levels at extended stay hotels (94 percent) and corporate furnished accommodations (87 percent) compared to accommodation rentals (74 percent).

“International extended lodging, especially in the form of corporate furnished apartments are really the final frontier in business lodging,” said WWStay CEO Rajeev Goswami. “Travelers are ‘doing their own thing’ and getting frustrated largely because they and their companies aren’t aware a solution exists to search, book and track thousands of furnished apartments around the world. We believe this sector represents a huge opportunity for multi-national corporate travel managers to lean in and take control of this mostly unmanaged lodging channel, whilst providing better traveler service, cost control and duty of care compliance.”