A study conducted by Text100 on 4,600 tourists of different nationalities analyses the trends and behaviour of this group on social networks and, in general, in relation to technology.
One detail before we get into the subject of social networks: according to this study, the main reason why someone travels to a specific destination and not another, is the price (a 61%)…it gives you something to think about when creating an action plan to promote a destination.
The tourist and social networks
The study shows that social media is playing a crucial role in the first phase of tourism (inspiration) and in the last of the four phases (recollection of the experience). 88% of tourists under 34 years of age admit to having used Facebook to decide which destination to choose for their holidays. 49% shared experiences through social media during or after their holidays.
Still, recommendations from friends and family remain the main one. source of influence when deciding on a destination.
44% of respondents indicated that travel blogs helped them decide on a destination (specifically travel blogs more than destination blogs). 37% indicated that it was travel forums, 27% Facebook, 24% Youtube/Vimeo, and 22% Pinterest.
Regarding Facebook, I would like to point out that the figure of 271 TP3T that I mentioned in the previous point, if we break it down by continent, changes considerably: while in Asia 421 TP3T of tourists have used Facebook to make a decision, in Europe only 151 TP3T admit to having done so.
The group that has used social media the most to seek inspiration is the 25-34 age group. Although the 18-24 age group has been influenced in their decision making.
Interestingly, in the “over 55” segment, 18% confesses to having looked at social networks to decide which hotel they would select at their destination.
As regards booking, Europe is where online travel agencies are used the least (37% in Europe, compared to 52% in the USA and 50% in Asia), although in all 3 cases, it is the most used source to book both plane tickets and hotel nights (a 45% in general, against 41% for websites directly from airlines and hotels).
The tourist and mobile marketing
Regarding mobile phones, the study indicates that tourists carry their mobile phones to keep in touch with family and friends while travelling (68% of tourists).
On the other hand, 33% of tourists use their mobile phone to search for information about the destination they are in. Approximately 50% preload applications on their mobile phones that will be useful during the trip (read the study to see the type of application).
…it's even worse: 33% of Asian tourists take their mobile phone with them to work while on holiday (globally, it's 25% of tourists).
Culture and age are the variables that most affect mobile phone use while on holiday. There is no difference between men and women.
On the negative side, 40% of tourists declare that They would share more images through social networks while traveling if they had access to WIFI networks (This information must be taken into account by hotels and destination managers).
The most shared experiences are positive shopping experiences (for North Americans and Asians) and experiences in historical places (for Europeans).
The study is very interesting and discusses many other things. If you want to access it directly, you can download it here: Study on tourism, social networks and mobile marketing.
If you prefer to see a summary of the study, here is the video that its authors made to publicize it.
I hope you find it useful.
A hug
One Response
It is more than clear that social networks always serve to get a general idea of the destination and influence either positively or negatively the final decision.