Vacations are generally thought of as being planned months in advance, as individuals would likely want as much information as possible about their destination. However, recent research shows that the opposite might be true, with customers being more willing to plan their trips at the last minute.
Research from HotelQuickly shows that more Asian travelers are making their accommodations at the last minute, often on the day that they will travel. This is increasing the need for mobile booking channels for hotels, according to the organization.
Company founder Thomas Laboutka spoke at a conference this summer and said that this is important information for travel-related businesses to understand. According to Laboutka, 70 percent of mobile searches lead to action.
"Mobile is where the future is," Laboutka said. "Forty-eight percent of travel planning is now done on mobile in the Asia Pacific region. We are entering an age of spontaneous, affluent travelers in Asia."
Laboutka added that one in four Asia Pacific travel bookings are currently made on mobile devices, while the rate in the United States is one in two.
Additionally, HotelMarketing.com found that 78 percent of trips were booked online, which is a 47 percent increase from 2008. Along those same lines, fewer customers are using travel agencies. Specifically, over this last year just 15 percent of travelers used that option for booking a vacation, which is a decrease of almost two-thirds from 2008.
With more consumers turning to their smartphones, tablets and laptops, it is important that travel companies have strong mobile ads. Partnering with Key Media Solutions will ensure that the right targeted internet marketing campaign is developed.