Understand your customers
How consumers plan and book their travel varies from market to market. Many elements will influence their decision-making process such as their familiarity with the destination, the type of holiday (once in a lifetime, short break, family vacation or a business trip) including cultural norms with regards to holiday booking and planning in their country.
Because of this it’s important to understand how your potential customers are planning and booking their holidays and the distribution channels they will seek out to inspire, plan and book; from search engines and large tour operators to their own personal travel advisor and OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia.
The purposes of distribution channels are twofold: to give potential customers the information they need to make a holiday choice, and to allow them to book once they have made their holiday choice. Choosing the best distribution channels for your business to develop and grow requires research and commitment of time.
In a COVID-19 world, reassurance plays a huge part in why consumers use a third party as a trusted source to protect their holiday. Once you have an understanding of this, you will be able to make informed decisions that will help grow your tourism business.