While travel apps have been adopted by a vast majority of Chinese Travelzoo members, there seems to be much resistance among European members to book travel on mobile, a new survey has unveiled.

According to a survey conducted by Global travel deals publisher Travelzoo of its 6,000 of its Asian, European and North American members, over 85 per cent of Chinese members said the use of travel apps was the easiest way to book a holiday, and over 70 per cent said they plan to book flights, cruises, package holidays and hotels via apps.

Richard Singer, Travelzoo's European president, said: "What the research shows is the significant difference of opinion across various nations regarding the most trustworthy and reliable ways of both researching and booking travel. It's important for travel brands to recognise that these cultural nuances are the difference between success and failure in today's competitive travel environment. Having a top-notch app in China is critical, while in markets like Germany and Canada the role of the travel agent remains significant. As a business, Travelzoo is constantly adapting the way our deals are presented to our members across the globe – we have to stay on top of cultural trends and shifts in order to appeal to the many markets we now operate in."

Travelzoo's survey also explored which sources its members trust the most at the start of their search for a holiday when they are finding inspiration on what and where to book. Respondents from all markets place more trust in travel-deal websites (69 per cent) than any other source, including guidebooks, travel agents, review sites and feedback from friends and family.

Canadians and Germans value travel agents more than any other nation polled, with 40 per cent of Germans and 37 per cent of Canadians using agent websites for inspiration. Ten per cent of Germans and Canadians also say their final decision on what to book would be most influenced by travel agent or operator websites – for the UK and Spain this number drops to 2 per cent.

A shift occurs in most markets when it comes to the final decision on booking. Review sites and advice from family and friends surpass travel-deal websites for all markets apart from France and Spain, where deal websites retain their position as the most influential.
Respondents in Canada, China, the UK and the US say review sites have the most influence on their final decision. In Germany, the final decision is most strongly based on advice from friends and family, with travel-deal websites the second-most influential. German members are the least influenced by review sites, with just 11 per cent saying they would base their final decision to book decision on what they see on such websites.

China's enthusiastic adoption of travel apps is confirmed by Vivian Hong, Travelzoo's president of Asia Pacific, who said: "The Chinese population has a very close relationship with digital technology, and we are always keen to be the first adopters. For example, platforms such as WeChat are becoming more influential than emails. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, there are over 245 million email users in China, and the email usage rate dropped by 36.7 per cent last year. By contrast, WeChat has a total of 697 million active users in China. The market here is much more trusting of technology."

While the other nations polled are a long way behind China in their willingness to book holidays via apps, there is growing interest in booking some forms of travel via mobile websites on smartphones. Spanish and American respondents are second to China in their openness to mobile bookings, with 62 per cent of Spanish and 54 per cent of US respondents saying they would book or have booked accommodation this way. However, the numbers booking via mobile are significantly lower in Canada (37 per cent), the UK (35 per cent), Germany (31 per cent) and France (29 per cent).

Difficulty viewing the holiday information via smartphone is the top concern for respondents from Canada (79 per cent), the US and France (both 77 per cent), the UK (69 per cent) and Germany and Spain (both 64 per cent). Again, the response from Chinese members is vastly different: the top concern in China is payment security (36 per cent), and problems viewing websites or apps via smartphone are an issue for just 9 per cent of Chinese respondents.

With so much competition in the market, travel companies are always trying to find ways to keep their existing customers loyal and encourage new customers to book with them. Close to 85 per cent of members from France, 60 per cent from Spain and 69 per cent from China book with a specific company because they have the best price or the best deals. In comparison, having a positive reputation and brand perception is the biggest driver for respondents from Canada (69 per cent), the US (67 per cent), the UK (60 per cent) and Germany (57 per cent). - TradeArabia News Service