The results of a new survey have indicted there has been a doubling since last year of the proportion of consumers prepared to access travel information on their mobile phones while on holiday.
iPad impact credited for mobile consumer sentiment upturn
The results of a new survey have indicted there has been a doubling since last year of the proportion of consumers prepared to access travel information on their mobile phones while on holiday.
The study, which was carried out by Frommer’s Unlimited found 52% of the 1,700 respondents said that they were most likely to access travel information on their mobile devices when travelling, compared to 27% in 2010.
Of those surveyed people aged between 18 and 35 were the most likely to use their mobile device for travel research and 72% said they accessed travel information while on holiday.
Giles Longhurst, Frommer’s Unlimited director Europe, Middle East and Africa said: “The rise of the smart phone and the launch of the iPad since our last survey have clearly led to a more prominent demand for mobile content.
“Consumers are expecting instant, sophisticated travel content and, more often than not, they are relying on this content to guide them through an unknown destination.
“Businesses need to respond to this by bypassing the gimmicks and offering reliable and trustworthy mobile travel content that can offer immediate up-to-date answers to the questions that consumers have when on holiday.”
The content deemed most desirable by users was points of interest like attractions and restaurants, key phrases in local languages, local offers, itineraries and walking tours, local etiquette and customs and tipping and currency conversions.
Local etiquette was found to be especially important to younger travellers. The report also found a shift in customers’ attitudes towards vacation spending with 92% of those surveyed said “things to do” were more important than price when planning where to go on holiday.
The study concluded that the travel industry should take advantage of its newfound access to customers. It recommended incorporating user reviews, editorial content and social media to promote further engagement from travellers.
