By Michael Patrick McSweeney (@mpmcsweeney)
Forty-nine percent of Millennials use mobile devices to plan and book travel and hotel accommodates, according to Egencia. Expedia’s business spin-off’s new report, “The Future of Travel,” explores the demographic changes that are revolutionizing how people – particularly young professionals – are moving about the globe.
The smartphone as a travel tool
Millennials, the generation that came of age in the digital era, have embraced mobile computing more readily than older generations. Eighteen percent told Egencia that they have never used a smartphone to buy a plane ticket. The survey showed that 39 percent aged 31-45 use mobile devices for travel planning while just 26 percent of those in the 46-65 years old age group said they would use the new technology.
The study further showed that Millennials were more likely to use a smartphone or a tablet to book business flights or hotels than for personal travel. Thirty-two percent of respondents said they used a smartphone for business travel. Twelve percent of those in the over-45 category reported the same.
The authors of the white paper suggest that the functional nature of smartphones – the fact that we can use them so effortlessly to perform a number of tasks – makes them ideal for travel booking purposes.
“We see the traveller of tomorrow operating in an ever-more fluid space, a world of blurred boundaries. They expect to move seamlessly from device-to-device; from online to offline and back again; from business to leisure and vice versa,” the report authors wrote.
Smartphones shape the global travel experience
Egencia points out in its study that the use of mobile technology to socially engage is driving some of the demand for more convenient travel services. Once again, age demographics play a role in how often people share their experiences online.
Forty-four percent of participants aged 46-65 responded that they do not publish status updates or photos through online media during or after a trip. Only 22 percent of Millennials said the same.
This trend has led to a “personalization” in travel. One result is that digital travel services are offering services influenced by the amount of personal information given by the consumer. Millennials are more apt to expect this kind of service, Egencia notes.
The economics of global travel
As we reported on October 1, Ayden’s Global Mobil Payments Index showed mobile transactions in the travel industry surged 20.5 percent between May and August of this year. The company stated that travel services experienced the highest payments traffic during that period, buoyed by the sector-wide adoption of mobile apps.
These results suggest that travel companies are benefiting greatly from the growth in mobile computing. Egencia’s report all but confirms that smartphones and tablets are becoming an increasingly popular tool to do so. Apps streamline services in a way that appeals to Millennials, making the process of journeying the world far easier than ever before.
For more insights and analysis about how mobile is shaping travel, click here.
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