The UK t&t industry by

Technology

256195_1 — 2025-01-07 14:06:27 UTC

In 2023 83% of people booked their travel arrangements online. 17% of people booked in person(in-store), 16% booked over the phone and 9% where someone else booked the holiday. Prior to the growth of the internet booking holidays within a travel agent was preferred way to book a holiday. However people booking with a travel professional has remained steady over the last couple of years with 35% of people having booked a product with a travel agent within the last year.

How are our devices being used within the travel industry?

256195_1 — 2025-01-13 16:09:12 UTC

Our mobile phones have became our tour guide, travel agency, best restaurant locator, map and more. It’s by our side during the entire purchase journey. In fact, according to Trip Advisor 45%

of users use their smartphone for everything

having to do with their holidays.

For example, you can order food to your table in Wetherspoons on the app.

You can also do online check-ins at the airport.

How Hilton uses technology

256195_1 — 2025-01-14 13:52:16 UTC

Hilton have introduced an app where customers can let Hilton know they are arriving and also lets customers pick their own room. This will be great for business people because it will be easier for them and they can pick their own room all on their phone.

How technology is used onboard cruise ships

256195_1 — 2025-01-14 14:04:12 UTC

Navigate is a platform that is used on TUI cruises. It allows customers to book photoshoots, excursions and book tables at their speciality restaurants. Navigate also shows customers their itinerary and the cruise timetable of what’s happening that day and where to go to take part.

WIFI onboard an aircraft

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 17:48:35 UTC

WiFi is available in the air depending on the airline that customers are flying with, many airlines, like British airways, offer WiFi for a small fee but there are a few airlines that have free WiFi onboard, Emirates and Turkish Airlines.

Online check-in

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 17:56:22 UTC

Prior to online check-in people used to spends hours queuing to check-in at the airport. Technology has cut down the queues as most airlines allow customers to check-in 24 hours before their flight departs.

Airport Security

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 17:59:37 UTC

Birmingham Airport have launched their new security hall, they have invested in new technology including scanning equipment to be blue not process travellers quickly under the new regulations imposed by the Uk government.

What is happening to travel agents?

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 18:03:54 UTC

Although technology has made it easier for customers to book holidays it means that less people are booking their holidays in-store. This means that travel agents won’t be getting as many customers because a lot of people nowadays book everything online.

How many stores did TUI close?

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 18:13:09 UTC

TUI have said that it will close 166 of its 516 high-street stores in the Uk and Ireland.

Why were they shutting the high streets shops?

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 18:17:12 UTC

They were shutting the high street shops because customers behaviours have changed in recent years, with 70 per cent of all Tui UK booking being placed online.

How many people were affected by the shops being shut?

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 18:27:27 UTC

Around 900 peoples jobs were affected by the shooed being shut down but some peoples may have been saved by redeployment.

Changing consumer trends

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 18:49:30 UTC

We live in a society where things are always changing and this means that our demands as consumers change constantly too. More recently after Covid-19 travellers have remembered all the things they love about travelling and exploring the world and how their travel impacts the world. Due to this new trends have emerged and existing trends have accelerated.

Sustainability

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 21:53:17 UTC

Sustainability is about looking after the environment. Statistics provided by Mintel suggest that 75% of people want todo more for the environment when travelling. In the same report it reads 27% of UK adults agree that the environment is more of a priority now then before the pandemic. UK travellers have been adopting new practices when travelling to ensure they are being more sustainable according to booking.com survey the results are below;

56% of UK travellers turn the air conditioning off at accommodations when they aren’t there, up 33% from 2022. 70% of UK travellers re-use the same towel multiple times, up to 36% from 2022. Whilst 54% of brits use their own reusable water bottle, up 22% from 2022.

Sustainability- Airline response

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 22:20:11 UTC

In 2020, British Airways stopped using plastic items such as drinks stirrers, packaging, water bottles and retail bags. They replaced them with environmentally friendly alternatives from bamboo, paper and recycled plastic. This may be a small change but it has a considerable impact and British Airways aimed for these changes to result in 700 tons of single-use plastic being eliminated from their flights annually.

Emirates has also been combatting single-use plastic waste since 2019. The Airline began simply by replacing plastic straws with paper straws, then paper bags for inflight purchases instead of plastic ones. The company introduced other sustainability initiatives, such as using blankets made from recycled plastic bottles and recycling plastic bottles sold on flights. They believe that these changed could prevent over 80 million single-use items ending in landfills.

Jet engines are currently powered by a blend of traditional kerosene and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Airlines are investing in sustainable aviation fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are made from renewable sources such as waste, non-food crops and algae.

On November 28th,2023, Virgin Atlantic made history by flying from London to New York using 100% sustainable aviation fuels. This is a massive step towards decarbonising travel.

Sustainability- Hotel Response

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 22:24:14 UTC

Premier Inn have been working hard towards its sustainability targets. In Swindon last year they opened a new hotel. The hotel uses renewable electricity with the help from its many solar panels. The hotel has been made to not use gas, this is a pilot scheme for Premier Inn and if successful they will grow their portfolio of properties by removing gas connections to its hotels by 2040.

Social Media

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 22:29:42 UTC

Social media is a factor that has contributed to the forever changing trends that the Uk travel industry faces. Social media is used for finding travel inspiration and you can book through apps on your phone.

Social media has changed the way people approach their trip planning. According to Statistics, 36.5% of travellers said they use social media to find travel inspiration or ideas. The trend is more prevalent among young travellers. About 60% of generation z and 40% of millennials report they use social media for travel purposes.

In the past, travellers would rely on travel agents, guidebooks and brochures to plan their trips/holidays. Now, travellers are more likely to use social media platforms like instagram and Facebook to find destination inspiration, research hotels and plan activities. A customer might come across a unique hotel on instagram and add it to their “booking list” folder. By the time they’re ready to plan a trip, they might plan an entire holiday centred on staying at that one hotel. When travellers are ready to book, social media has also made it easier for them to do so. Now, customers can click on a tour operator’s website from instagram and book an excursion right then and there, without having to switch devices.

How are travel and tourism organisations responding to social media trend?

256195_1 — 2025-01-15 22:38:15 UTC

Hotels and attractions are working with influencers to get more bookings.

Airlines and travel agents (Ryan Air and Hays Travel) have started TikTok to reach younger travellers with entertaining video content.

Booking apps

Offer new products and services to keep up with emerging trends.

Cost of living crisis

256195_1 — 2025-01-16 10:28:49 UTC

The cost-of-living crisis refers to a period of time which the cost of everyday essentials e.g. bills and food increases more than average.

In October 2022, prices of consumer goods and services rose by 9.6% which was the fastest rate in four decades.

There is also a rise in gas and electricity bills.

Impacts

256195_1 — 2025-01-16 10:54:50 UTC

If the cost of living is increasing, there is less ‘disposable income’ for people to spend on luxuries.

How has the cost of living impacted the UK Travel and Tourism Industry?

256195_1 — 2025-01-17 08:56:48 UTC

Almost half of consumers believe that the rising cost of living will have an impact on their holiday plans. This means that people would pick a cheaper destination and would cut their spending money. People say that shorter breaks are a practical way to holiday abroad for a lower cost.

what contributed to the cost of living crisis?

256195_1 — 2025-01-20 14:53:45 UTC

Brexit- As a result of leaving the European Union the pound is weaker meaning that people get less for their money.

Covid-19 - as a result of covid-19, there was supply chain issues that caused prices to rise.

war- the war led to the increase in oil prices and disrupted other exports including food, metals and gas.

Theres been a decrease in the number of package holidays being booked as a result of the cost-of-living crisis- what type of customer does this affect the most?

256195_1 — 2025-01-20 16:20:19 UTC

It impacts families the most, as it’s more expensive for families to leave the UK and go on holiday. That being said, customers are looking at booking their holiday components separately, as sometimes this can be cheaper.

What is a social change?

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 13:26:42 UTC

Social changes in travel and tourism refer to shifts in consumers behaviours, preferences and demographics that influence the way in which people travel. Social changes are often linked to external factors including technology, economic developments and trends.

Grey market

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 13:30:30 UTC

Grey tourism is the niche market which targets the older travellers. The older generation are living longer and with better health care the ageing population are feeling healthier enough to go away on holiday. They also can go on holiday anytime in the year which if they go when children are at school it will be cheaper for them to buy. They have more disposable income and more free time making them an important customer type for travel and tourism organisations.

Saga Holidays is an example of a tour operator who specialises in holidays for over 50s.

How have Millennials changed travel and tourism industry?

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 13:42:45 UTC

Millennials are staying at home longer meaning that they will have more money for holidays. They are starting families later in life and the use of social media meaning that people use online websites to book holidays instead of going in a travel agents. This means that travel agents will eventually shut down because they won’t have enough customers.

Solo travellers

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 13:47:10 UTC

Solo travel as a global trend continues to grow- October 2023

Makes up around 18% of global bookings, solo travel is becoming more popular and has increased by 7% in the last year alone.

38% of those who have travelled solo will do so again.

Hotelscan.com noticed 170% increase in the last 18 months for those looking to book a room for themselves with popular destinations including Thailand,Peru, Sydney, Portugal and Vietnam.

Even cruise operators have had to adjust their offerings To cater for higher

numbers of passengers

traveling alone.

Norwegian cruises adapted to this trend by launching studio rooms especially designed for single travellers.

Cruises and their popularity

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 14:02:09 UTC

The amount of people who have taken a cruise in the last earusts haran exCellent rentat market where more thuse halt (53%) of the people who have taken a cruise in the last 12 months are planning on taking another one in the next year.

• ABTA Travel Trends 2023 has published that the main reason why people are choosing to cruise again is due to the range of destinations that they can visit (60% closely followed by convenience of having food, accommodation and entertainment all in one place (56%). There is different types of cruises like adult only, river cruises, cruises around the UK and no-fly cruises. The most popular cruises is ocean cruises. However, research shows that there was an increase in people opting for a no-fly cruise due to new itineraries from the UK.

For those who were still booking holidays what destinations were popular?

256195_1 — 2025-01-21 20:26:34 UTC

Turkey- customers will get more for their money and it is very affordable

Cruise Growth and why they are so popular

256195_1 — 2025-01-26 16:16:15 UTC

Over the coming years, the UK cruise market is expected to grow at a faster pace than the hotel overseas holiday market. The younger generation shows highest level of interest in taking a sea cruise. In 2023 there was a pattern emerging that people want to go on longer and more immersive itineraries (Norwegian, Alaska).

They are popular because they provide value for money (accommodation, daytime and evening entertainment and transportation between destinations.

There’s an opportunity to visit a range of cities and islands. The whole family can be catered for and you can sail from UK ports. There can also be adult only cruises.

References

256195_1 — 2025-01-26 16:32:47 UTC

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/08/package-holiday-demand-dips-uk-cost-of-living-crisis-hits-budgets

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/cost-of-living-to-impact-almost-half-of-peoples-holiday-plans

https://www.nationwide.com/financial-professionals/blog/markets-economy/articles/how-has-the-pandemic-impacted-inflation

https://www.eib.org/en/stories/ukraine-trade-inflation

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/costofliving/latestinsights

https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/pushing-the-boat-out-cruise-sector-set-to-grow-faster-than-the-wider-overseas-holiday-market/

https://cruisemiss.com/2018/07/11/why-are-cruises-so-popular/

https://www.abta.com/news/abta-research-reveals-year-year-rise-solotravellers

Feedback

lattwood2 — 2025-01-30 11:57:42 UTC

DISTINCTION.

Well done Lily May, a very well researched assignment. You have included a lot of statistics and analysed the data throughout. I really liked the information you included about what Hilton Hotels do in terms of embedding technology and then I liked the detail about new and emerging destinations. That being said, there were a few errors, such as capital letters missing. But that aside and you have a fantastic and well written piece of work. a great waffle! Well done!