There is possibly no one who does not enjoy being recognized, treated as a special customer.

Travelers of every age demand unique experiences and itineraries that should be tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Will it be wrong to say that the travel industry in 2017 and beyond should take travel personalization really seriously? Loyalty status and past behaviors have been two elements for the travel companies to offer upgrades to frequent travelers but that does not seem to be enough anymore.

Why Tour operators need to focus on Personalization

• Rising Customer Expectations

The growth of social media has made the feedback theory more transparent. Customers are very vocal about their experiences with airlines, hotels and travel intermediaries. They have also become extremely demanding in terms of customer service and expect the highest standards regardless of how much they’re spending. For Travel brands, knowing their customers’ choices has become a real asset and is a great way to exceed their expectations.

• Know better to serve better

Travel agents/Tour operators need to know their customers to serve them better. From sending highly targeted offers via email to building customized itineraries that match the client preferences, a strong understanding of the customer can bring rich rewards for both the customer and the your brand alike. Tracking and ensuring the safety and security is one of the ways they can personalize the experience clients, particularly corporate or leisure travelers.  Assigning a travel consultant for personal assistance always goes a long way in strengthening the level of personalization.

• Setting your brand apart

To deliver differentiation and values, it is essential to position yourself as a unique brand in the minds of the travelers. For instance, some operators like us give extra add on s to our clients like upgrades ,spa or food credits etc or experiential activity unheard  to offer bespoke services to their guests.  Convenience, Customer Service and Value add are the most important things people remember about your brand at the end of the day. Remember, a positive experience always encourages positive recommendations.

• Higher Conversions and ROI

Personalization at the initial stages of the travel journey influences and accelerates purchasing decisions which eventually leads to more revenue generation. This involves creating targeted top of the funnel content such as videos, blogs, and newsletters, social media messages that nurture your target customers and slowly and steadily push them along the path of purchase. Your customers are bombarded with thousands of impersonal, one-size-fits-all marketing messages every day. By sending them personalized messages during the planning stage, you are able to cut through the noise, capture their attention and achieve significantly better conversion rates than your competitors. Online advertising is another area where personalization can deliver a much higher ROI for travel brands. Targeted ads that show people what they are interested in would get better click-through rates than untargeted ads, and eventually raise the chances of the prospect booking that package or that hotel.

Concluding

Social media relationships, customer feedback (or the absence of it), ancillary services, re-scheduling in case of travel disruptions are some of the steps travel designers and suppliers should follow in travel personalization. All marketing is good marketing if it has the personal touch and personalizing the travel experience and by extension, the other brand touch points can be a significant driver of growth for travel brands in the times to come. Customer engagement is demonstrably a major factor in customer retention. Working hard on content, products and services is in no way useful if they don’t deliver desirable returns, and personalization ensures that you get a high return on your efforts.