As the world tentatively reopens to travelers, there are opportunities for travel businesses to seize.
A report from Skyscanner reveals that improved understanding of traveler behavior alongside the ability to capture demand for unserved routes and destinations are two key opportunities.
The Emerging Traveller Behaviour As the World Reopens study reveals that price is the biggest incentive to booking travel followed by trust.
After price and trust, the culture factor influences booking decisions currently with travelers looking for some sort of cultural experience.
The study, conducted among 24,000 travelers across eight countries, goes on to ask what influenced destination decision for a previous trip with low price coming top followed by personalised recommendations and inspirational images.
When it came to important factors for booking their next flights, most travelers highlighted flexible tickets although Japanese travelers said up-to-date information on COVID and German travelers said free flight cancellation.
Other recent studies have also flagged the need to rebuild trust as the travel industry reopens with elements such as flexible terms and no hidden costs repeatedly highlighted in studies from companies including SiteMinder and Travelport.
The Skyscanner report also highlights where routes demand is outstripping the availability of a direct flight.
Warsaw to Zanzibar comes top followed by Berlin to Zanzibar and then Warsaw to Madeira.
As a result of the lack of direct flights, the share virtual interlining itineraries with travelers selecting multiple carriers to cover a journey are now four times that of pre-COVID levels.