Many travel industry experts explain why the number of online bookings is globally 10 per cent and in India, it is only five per cent. By Team Viva
Whether you are travelling by train, by bus or by a flight, every booking is seamlessly made online. This has made the travel space hassle-free to a great extent and one would have thought that technology-aided travel would be booming. But if global figures are to be believed then only 10 per cent of all travel bookings is done online. In India, that number is even lower, just five per cent.
Though there is advancement in technology, the access to its uses is still limited given our population arc. There are still certain pockets of society where internet penetration is low, people use 3G and there are limited networks. According to Rakesh Negi, brand leader of FCM Travel Solutions, the steadfastness of the traditional mode of booking is one of the reasons why online booking counts are so less. “There is a lack of standard regulation for online fares as the rates fluctuate from one portal to another. However, this trend is poised to change in the next coming years with the growing emergence of Artificial Reality (AR), more user-friendly interface on travel portals and mobile apps, higher internet penetration and improved network connectivity,” he adds.
Neelu Singh, CEO and director of Ezeego1 says that the key today is data convergence, reputation management, mobile commerce, digital transformation and automation. Till all develop uniformly, there is bound to be a usage lag. “Of course, mobile devices are mostly used for last-minute bookings.” She further adds that the online travel industry (OTAs) operators have just about gone beyond providing just online travel ticketing services to the customers and opening new opportunities for hotels to market their products. The moment that window widens, the rate of online bookings would improve.
Negi, however, believes that OTAs need to work on resolving customer issues in an efficient manner. “It is important to understand that today travellers have multiple options and how you engage with them makes all the difference. If we can add a service-friendly interface, we might get the desired hits.”
Karan Anand, head, relationships, Cox & Kings Ltd, too, feels that the package travel market is more offline than online. “This change in trend will only be seen when the technology incorporates all the elements of the package. For instance, obtaining a visa for an international destination is still an offline process, so is the procurement of foreign exchange. These are the barriers for the full-fledged adoption of technology in the Indian travel eco-system.”