After years of rapidly rising adoption, mobile has become nearly ubiquitous for travelers. Mobile plays a role in every phase of trip life cycle, but data around the app landscape has been elusive. This report – in partnership with Apptopia – takes an in-depth look at the lay of the travel app land, analyzing more than 100 apps across the travel ecosystem. Topics covered include:Top travel apps by downloads and monthly active usersDynamics across the Android and iOS platformsCompetitive analysis within and across travel segments: hotels, airlines, intermediaries and car rental/ground transportationTop apps across different segmentsMobile is poised to become the primary traveler touchpoint for travel brands. Purchase this report now to keep in step with this increasingly critical piece of the online travel puzzle.Analysts: Coney Dongre, Douglas QuinbyTopics: Mobile, Technology InnovationSegments: Air, Car Rental & Ground Transportation, Cruise, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesResearch Type: Report
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Travelers have grown increasingly comfortable with mobile devices, and many now confidently engage in a broad range of mobile activities. As reaching for a mobile device becomes second nature for more experienced users, mobile is playing a bigger role in travel research, shopping, buying and sharing. Phocuswright's Traveler Technology Survey 2014 is designed to help travel companies navigate the changes taking place in consumer adoption of both mobile devices and social media. This report provides a comprehensive view of mobile device ownership/purchase intent, and tracks general trends in mobile web activity and social network adoption.Analyst: Marcello GasdiaTopics: Consumer Trends, Mobile, Social & Search, Technology InnovationRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
In just a few years, the term the Internet of Things, IoT for short, has evolved from a narrow term used by futurists to describe a utopian vison of a connected world, to today’s reality, where millions of smart devices are connected to the Internet. The beauty of IoT goes beyond individual smart devices, as the sum of its parts delivers the ultimate value to the consumer by simplifying and automating tasks. These range from managing your home’s energy consumption to automatically ordering milk, when your smart refrigerator detects a need to replenish your supply. For the travel industry, the impact of IoT is beginning to be felt at the airport, on the cruise ship, at the hotel, and in the traveler’s destination. This article updates the current state of IoT, providing examples of pilots and implementations all designed to simplify and personalize the travel experience.Analyst: Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
Driven by high Internet and smartphone penetration, improving technology infrastructure and a young population with an appetite for travel, the Middle East travel market is well positioned for strong growth over the next five years. This report provides sizing and analysis of the online and total leisure travel markets in the Middle East, as well as regional projections through 2021, including distribution dynamics, core country markets and more.Analysts: Cristina Polo, Karen Burka, Shadi KaddouraTopics: Market Overview & Sizing, MobileSegments: Air, Car Rental & Ground Transportation, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesRegion: Middle East & AfricaResearch Type: Report
It is now commonplace to see people talking to their smartphones. The distinction here was intentional, as talking to the phone rather than on the phone is now a standard behavior. In fact, 40% of millennials use voice-activated assistants for purchase research. Gartner predicts that by 2018, 30% of our interactions with technology will be through “conversations” with smart machines. The movement to voice interaction is not simply a new UI, but a fundamental change in the way people interact with technology. How will voice interfaces impact the travel planning and shopping process? Who is best positioned to benefit from the emerging use of voice search?Analyst: Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
Long described as “alternative” lodging, the private accommodation segment is now mainstream. Services such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO have transformed the marketplace; in 2015 nearly one in three U.S. travelers used private accommodation, and in 2016 private accommodation was projected to climb 11%, nearly twice as fast as the U.S. travel market. Based on surveys and interviews conducted with rental travelers, hosts and homeowners, property managers and executives in the vacation rental and private accommodation space, this report presents a detailed look at how this dynamic segment has evolved and where it is headed in the years to come.Analysts: Douglas Quinby, Mark Blutstein, Alice Jong, Bing Liu, Cathy Walsh, Deepak Jain, Maggie RauchTopics: Consumer Trends, Market Overview & SizingSegment: Hotels & LodgingRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
No longer a nice-to-have, digital advertising – particularly for travel marketers – has become a must-have as part of virtually any annual strategy. As so much of the traveler experience now begins and ends online, to reach prospective buyers at the right place and time, travel marketers continue to re-allocate greater advertising budget to digital. Yet complexity and fast-changing technologies continue to plague digital advertising at-large, especially due to growing concerns over accurate measurement criteria, ad fraud, non-human website traffic, fake news, brand safety, and user-installed ad blocking software. Issues of trust and transparency have further compromised digital advertising.Analyst: Hollis ThomasesTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
The digital discovery and delivery of tours, activities and all the things travelers do “when they get there” has been one of the most anticipated developments in online travel. While the sector has been relatively slow to evolve, technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, and startups and others in the online travel distribution ecosystem have made great strides in addressing this dynamic segment. This report explores the fundamentals of consumer behavior around tours and activities across eight major travel markets worldwide, and examines the key trends poised to redefine the in-destination traveler experience.Analysts: Douglas Quinby, Alex Kremer, Marcello GasdiaTopic: Consumer TrendsSegments: Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Tours & PackagesResearch Type: Report
Despite rumors of their imminent demise, global distribution systems (GDSs) are still alive and well. The technology that supports the business services they provide will have a profound and lasting effect on travel distribution. Phocuswright posed a series of questions regarding technology and travel distribution to three leading GDSs – Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. This analysis summarizes the GDS’ key initiatives and strategies, and also includes detailed Q&A that sheds light on their approach to technology and the future of travel.Analyst: Bob OffuttTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
Technology has so evolved that we can now use it to observe our own technology-related behavior. In real time, we can see how technology changes our lives, how we interact with it, and how it enables new business opportunities. As the gap between ourselves and our devices shrinks, connectivity and interoperability become more essential to our daily lives – and to commercial progress. For travel companies, competition has grown extremely intense, pushing sales to an all-time high in 2014. Before travel executives select tech investments for 2015 and beyond, they need to consider six major industry trends. All six share the same two focal points: the customer and the trip experience.Analysts: Bob Offutt, Colie HoffmanTopic: Technology InnovationRegions: Europe, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report