A new report, released by Forrester Research, found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many consumers were fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.

Published: 05 Aug 2009

A new report, released by Forrester Research, found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many consumers were fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.

According to Forrester, travellers are fed up. There are 15 percent fewer travellers who enjoy using the web in 2009 than there were in 2007. Just one in three US online travellers feels that travel websites do a good job presenting travel choices, down from 39 percent in 2008. Travellers feel that they, and their business, are taken for granted.

“What we’ve seen is growing frustration,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. “Consumers see other websites becoming easier to use — retail websites, banking websites, media websites. But travel is treading water as a category. There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process.”

Instead, customers are forced to figure out extra fees, wade through fine print and understand industry terms like the difference between a deluxe and a standard room, in addition to educating themselves about destinations, flights and hotels, Harteveldt said.

“Travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent,” he told the New York Times. “The question I always ask these guys is, ‘Could your mother-in-law use your website without having to call you for help?’ The answer is always no.”

To reverse travellers’ dissatisfaction and avoid having them abandon the web in favour of other, more expensive offline channels, travel eBusiness professionals must rethink their approach to travel eBusiness. To reverse this trend and re-engage travellers, travel eBusiness professionals must recognise that travel eBusiness is comprised of four continuous phases — not isolated, unrelated processes — supported by the five pillars of merchandising, context, engagement, value, and customer appreciation. Expect travel eBusiness professionals to be asked to become more involved with customer data strategy and for global distribution systems (GDS) to evolve into more useful global merchandising systems (GMS).