9 Tweets from Phocuswright Conference that sum up the state of travel industry

The travel industry is changing and it is changing at a very fast pace. Industry events like Phocuswright conference help us update ourselves with the changing picture. Many industry experts shared their learnings and predicted the trends during the recently concluded Phocuswright 2015.

(Image: By Phocuswright/CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)

We picked up 9 tweets shared during the event that point in the direction global travel industry is headed:

#1. Decode activities

Activities is a really interesting area, but I don't think anyone's really cracked the code yet. -Darren Huston @bookingcom #Phocuswright

— Phocuswright (@Phocuswright) November 19, 2015

Many businesses have entered the space and are running successfully but there is still lot of room to improve. There are still no travel brands that offer a one stop solution to everything.

#2. The Chinese love options

90% of Chinese e-commerce is marketplace, says Alitrip's Sherri Wu; 860,000 hotels rooms alone sold on last Singles Day #Phocuswright

— Web In Travel (@WebInTravel) November 19, 2015

The fact that a large fraction of Chinese ecommerce business is driven by marketplaces indicates that the Chinese people like to compare their options before they buy.

#3. Simplicity goes a long way

It can take less than 90 seconds of screen time to book a flight and hotel on @HelloPana #Phocuswright

— Phocuswright (@Phocuswright) November 16, 2015

Using machine intelligence to simplify the buying process goes a long way in increasing conversions in the highly competitive online travel industry.

#4. China holds opportunities

In a largely traditional landscape, online travel volume is less than 30% in China. #Phocuswright #webintravel

— Web In Travel (@WebInTravel) November 19, 2015

Despite being one of the fastest growing travel markets, a large part of Chinese travellers are still booking offline. Clear sign that there is lot of room for growth of new travel startups in the region.

#5. Leverage technology

What is changing is the concept of access. The key to success is using new tech to deliver transport solutions -Enterprise #Phocuswright

— Phocuswright (@Phocuswright) November 19, 2015

With the industry shifting fast from offline to online, it is very important for businesses to leverage technology to deliver transport solutions in order to grow.

#6. Big data boosts conversions

Eg of use of data – if you buy pet food, Rakuten Travel can then recommend pet-friendly hotels #Phocuswright

— Web In Travel (@WebInTravel) November 19, 2015

Data mining techniques can help brands offer well tailored results to the customers. This helps increase the conversion rate and reduce efforts for the customer.

#7. Apps sell to the Chinese

In China, apps rule; in Japan, more skewed towards mobile web #Phocuswright

— Web In Travel (@WebInTravel) November 19, 2015

Chinese travellers are obsessed with apps and that is why many brands even open up options like WeChat for them. On the other hand, the Japanese prefer to book via mobile web.

#8. No Kayaking

.@ Skyscanner CEO Gareth William's response to @shafner boast of being best at meta – "Check the App Store" #phocuswright | Well played, sir

— Robert Cole (@RobertKCole) November 18, 2015

Brands often make bold claims to seek attention but then claiming yourself to be the best is a little subjective. Isn’t it?

#9. No OTAs for Airbnb

https://twitter.com/charutaf/status/667374929986387968

While some major OTAs are opening up to the idea of alternative stays, Airbnb doesn’t seem to have this alternate channel in mind.

Any other interesting tweets from Phocuswright that caught your attention? Do share them with us.

Akshay Sharma

Akshay is interested in e-commerce, mobile, gadgets, automobiles and transportation and has previously worked for different publications writing about mobile technologies. Fascinated by how technology is affecting our lives in unimaginable ways, he likes to keep a close watch on the new trends. He appreciates the beauty of technological development and writes about it to help the travel industry innovators reach the masses. He also keeps track of the rapidly growing startup ecosystem and believes that every new travel startup carries the promise to change things for the better. You can reach him at akshay.sharma@travhq.com.

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