Date :
25/02/2014
The Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) recently hosted their annual Technology Solutions for Tourism conference, bringing technology and tourism businesses together to identify opportunities to use technology to increase footfall and improve visitor experience.
ETAG also looked at the use of technology by the key international visitor markets to Edinburgh before, during, and after their stay. It drew conclusions from several sources of international data, including VisitBritain, the European Travel Commission (ETCDigital), and comScore between 2011 and 2013.
With the huge increase in smartphone and tablet ownership across the globe comes new expectations. What does that mean for people on the frontline meeting the expectations of our visitors? We take a look at the data on smartphone and tablet usage to see how you can enhance your visitors’ experiences of Scotland.
Smartphone and tablet browsing
Smartphone and tablet ownership is seeing a meteoric rise throughout the world.
In the UK 49% of adults accessed the internet via mobile and 4 in 10 social networkers check in on mobile according to Ofcom’s 2013 figures; 38% of mobile owners prefer receiving promotions through SMS. Facebook consistently comes out among the top most popular websites in Britain, Germany, Australia, Netherlands (8 million users) and USA (50% of the population use Facebook).
In Germany 50% of the population used smartphones to access the internet. Two thirds of German visitors have downloaded travel apps while 59% use them abroad.
Australia trails slightly behind in smartphone ownership and yet payments by mobile almost doubled in 2012 and 40% of all online searches in Australia are carried out on mobile so they’re not far behind.
While visitors are here
Most visitors have an expectation of good internet access as standard, which isn’t so surprising when we know that people are updating their Facebook status uploading holiday photos to sites like Instagram, checking maps and booking last minute trips and accommodation.
A VisitScotland survey found that:
- 55% of respondents used social media while on holiday here
- 39% uploaded photos
- 32% updated their Facebook status
- 25% posted reviews on travel websites.
Some of the most surprising findings were around last minute bookings via mobile and tablet:
- Seven in 10 same day bookings were made via smartphone
- 24% of mobile hotel bookings are made within 10 miles of the current location
- eBookers.nl suggest that there are many Dutch travellers booking holidays up to 48 hours before departure on smartphones and tablets.
Sharing holiday experiences
Social networks are having an increasing effect on travellers’ choices. Visitors are frequently sharing their trip experiences online. Although there are reasonable numbers updating in real time, they most often do it once they have returned home:
The data shows the percentages of visitors, by nationality, who shared their experiences online, for example updating their Facebook profiles:
- German 45%
- Australian 63%
- Spanish almost 50%
- Dutch 43%
- French 56%.
These figures show the numbers of visitors, by nationality, who wrote comments about holiday services on for travel review websites like Trip Advisor:
- British 10%
- Australian 25%
- Dutch about 5%
- French 22%.
The number of people who use social websites to share their holiday experiences is steadily growing because the tool is there in their pockets.
Social media provides a platform for customer reactions, good or bad for all to see. It’s out there in the public domain immediately and it’s almost impossible, or unwise, to react retrospectively.
We also know that the majority of visitors planning trips carry out a lot of online research. (More on this in another article). Which neatly illustrates the importance of good customer service in the first place.
Make sure your website is up to date, tells potential visitors what else they can find in your area, and works on smartphones and tablets.
Further reading
If you’d like to read the original data where these figures were sourced, download the ETAG Technology Market Intelligence for Tourism 2014 document.
Image courtesy of Scottish Viewpoint.