5 Design Principles for Tour Operators to Attract Millennial Travellers

Posted by Peter Hilliard on August 30th, 2016

5 Design Principles for Tour Operators to Attract Millennial Travellers

Millennials are fast becoming a powerful audience. They already make up 22% of all travellers and spend approximately $200 billion each year on travel – and they haven’t even reached their peak.

But millennials can also be a tough crowd to please. They’re more mobile and expect more from travel brands, driven by the desire to make the most of new experiences and immerse themselves in local cultures. Tour operators need to be ready to adapt to these changes, which means having the right tools and software to create frictionless, authentic, and unique travel experiences.

Tnooz recently released an article outlining five design principles for appealing to the millennial traveller. We’ve summarized their tips here for you:

1. Tour Operators Should Make the Online Experience Frictionless

When it comes to the digital world, millennials have high standards. They know what a good online experience is, and that’s what they expect when they interact with your brand. Tour operators need to make sure their online ticket selling platform is simple and intuitive, letting travellers buy passes anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

2. Tour Operators Should Use a Real, Authentic Voice

Although millennials are wary of traditional advertising, they’re not averse to all of it. With millennials, it’s all about staying visible and producing content that they can connect with. A study of 500 millennials in the US by NewsCred revealed that 62% felt more connected to a brand after seeing authentic, valuable content online, and almost a third said they’d be more likely to make a purchase if that content isn’t “sales-y.”

Beyond brand sources, key influencers for millennials today include:

  • Friends and family: 72%
  • Search engines and online reviews: 50%
  • Social networks: 21.4%
  • Bloggers and experts: 20.2%

More often than not, millennials will cross reference the information they find – checking testimonials shared on a brand’s website against reviews from third-party sites like TripAdvisor.

It’s important to leverage past travellers by turning them into brand ambassadors, encouraging them to post pictures, videos, and feedback. Remember, the best reviews are the ones that come from real customers. Let them speak for your tour!

Tour Operators How to Attract Millennials

3. Tour Operators Should Personalize Their Products and Services

Millennials are the most willing of any generation to give brands access to their personal data, expecting more tailored and valuable purchasing experiences in return. For tour operators, the real opportunity is in designing services that learn and adapt to customer behaviour, personality traits, and online preferences to streamline and simplify the buying process.

4. Tour Operators Should Reward Customers for Their Loyalty

Millennials know the power they have as consumers, and they want to be rewarded for it. Keep in mind that these bonuses don’t have to be financial. For millennials, it’s often about being made to feel they’re valued or enjoying certain privileges as dedicated, appreciated customers.

Tour operators need to be ready to think outside the box to differentiate themselves. Points-based loyalty programs are good, but what about giving travellers premier access to local attractions, exclusive offers tailored just for them, or exciting personalized experiences?

5. Tour Operators Should Encourage On-the-Move Decision Making

Millennials grew up with the internet at their fingertips, with 49% of them today searching for travel on their mobile devices. This means that millennials are less reliant on planning ahead, as they’re able to purchase tickets from the palm of their hand.

Tour operators need to be ready to facilitate these on-the-go booking experiences, integrating a seamless booking platform into their website to ensure getting tickets is simple and straightforward.

As the travel industry continues to evolve, tour operators need to stay one step ahead to keep their competitive edge. Using the right software and solutions will ensure the booking experience is smooth for travellers, increasing brand awareness and growing sales.

At DataTrax, our automated booking solutions are designed by tour operators for tour operators. Contact us today to learn how our products and services will make it easier to run and grow your business! 

Do you want to discover risk-free how DataTrax’s solutions will benefit your business? Click here to start your free demo! 

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Peter Hilliard

About Peter Hilliard

Peter Hilliard is the Founder, President, and CEO of DataTrax. He began his career as a tour bus operator with a single bus, until he realized that a better solution was needed for automating and tracking ticket sales. Led by Peter’s expertise in the tour industry and ticketing automation technologies, DataTrax has grown over the past 20+ years into an international leader in ticketing solutions.