Bangkok,
05
กันยายน
2018
|
07:24
Europe/Amsterdam

Lost in translation? Booking.com research exposes surprising gap between travel ambitions and reality

Despite the world at their fingertips, lingering anxieties prevent many travelers from making the most of their trips

สรุป
  • Booking.com research reveals that travelers are keen to push their limits and seek out the new, yet are being held back by language barriers and niggling anxiety
  • About 1 in 3 (34%) of Thai people today want to be a limitless traveler, someone who does not feel held back from getting the most out of travel, who embraces the new and different and is not afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to travelling
  • Yet almost half (47%) don’t believe they are being adventurous enough while on vacation and are missing out on making the most of opportunities whilst traveling
  • Booking.com research reveals that travelers are keen to push their limits and seek out the new, yet are being held back by language barriers and niggling anxiety
  • About 1 in 3 (34%) of Thai people today want to be a limitless traveler, someone who does not feel held back from getting the most out of travel, who embraces the new and different and is not afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to travelling
  • Yet almost half (47%) don’t believe they are being adventurous enough while on vacation and are missing out on making the most of opportunities whilst traveling

Bangkok, Thailand – 3 May 2018 – Technology has transformed travel, shrinking the world with thousands of destinations only a click away. However, new research reveals that almost half (47%) of Thai travelers don’t believe they are making the most of their travel opportunities.

Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has conducted research across 20,500 global travelers to uncover the barriers and anxieties which prevent people from making the most of every trip and reveal how they can move to a state of truly limitless travel.

The research shows that despite a world of opportunities one in ten people (10%) have never felt limitless on vacation and 3% have only ever felt limitless once.

Nevertheless there is a strong desire to be a limitless traveler[i], with one third (34%) of Thai people expressing that aspiration and over six in seven (84%) wanting to make the most of every travel experience and travel with no regrets.

The Booking.com research also shows over half (58%) of Thai people want to experience new cultures, over half (56%) are keen to experience staying somewhere new, almost half (46%) want to taste local delicacies, and almost half (41%) want to embrace meeting new people whilst travelling, which Booking.com can help Thai travelers unlock in new places.

Overcoming travel trepidations

A common worry is the language barrier, as over a quarter (29%) of Thai respondents agree this can hold them back from planning a trip and one in five (22%) are nervous about getting lost without speaking the local language. Thai travelers believe they are being held back by struggles to find accommodation (37%) and over a quarter feel anxious about unfamiliar situations when travelling (25%).

When asked what would remove travel barriers and anxieties for future trips the top factors Thai respondents called out were great accommodation options (29%), positive reviews from other travelers (36%), being able to ask questions in the local language (20% ), and being able to order their favourite food (18%) would also help.

Helping hand from technology

Technology can help overcome these concerns as two thirds (67%) of Thai travelers admit to using technology frequently while travelling. As a global leader in digital technology, Booking.com has already brought travelers its pilot Booking Assistant, an Artificial Intelligence chatbot which empowers customers to get first-line support for upcoming bookings, all through a single intuitive chat interface. With over 147 million real guest reviews on Booking.com travelers can also research and get advice in their own language before they go.

Booking.com is piloting a unique partnership in the US, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia with ili, the world’s fastest offline translation device. With customer support in available in 43 languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Booking.com is an expert at connecting people of different languages and this partnership will further help travelers to overcome their travel concerns around language. Booking.com, a leader in digital technology, is continually exploring how innovative technologies, such as this, can overcome traveler stress and enable travelers to discover more.

Pushing the limits

Seven in ten (71%) Thai travelers think the best thing about travel is getting outside their comfort zone, confirming that they want more unique travel experiences to push their travel limits. The top getaways which Thai travelers haven’t done before because they are too afraid, but would love to try one day include:

  • Volunteering trip (44%)
  • Ancestry trip to find out about their heritage (41%)
  • Sabbatical trip (41%)
  • Snorkeling/ diving (35%)
  • Living with locals (34%)

In addition the top five trips that Thai travelers have already been on and would like to go on again, as they allow them to experience travel to the fullest, are:

  • Road trip (71%)
  • Gourmet adventure (51%)
  • Living with locals (42%)
  • Backpacking or hiking trip (40%)
  • Physical challenge (38%)

Traveling without limits isn’t confined to the younger generation of Thais as almost half (48%) of Generation Z (18 to 24 year olds) intend to take a road trip, while over half (54%) of Baby Boomers (55 to 64 year olds) are looking to be more charitable with the trips they take. In fact, one in five Thai baby boomers (20%) having taken this type of trip and would do so again in the future!

Pepijn Rijvers, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments: “Travel can fulfil dreams, exposes us to new experiences, and ultimately enriches our lives for the better. Not only do we want to connect travelers with amazing places to stay, but we also provide knowledge and advice about a destination so that no matter where you choose to go, you can feel inspired to see more, go further and embrace every amazing opportunity along the way. As an industry innovator, we are continuously looking for ways to use the latest technologies to take the friction out of travel and empower people to experience the world, wherever they want to go and whatever they want to do.”

[i] Someone who does not feel held back from getting the most out of travel, who embraces the new and different and is not afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to travelling