The new age travelers prefer booking via OTAs for several reasons. According to a report published in 2020, many travelers use OTAs for the quality of services, safety, and trust. Let us explore five main reasons that make OTAs the preferred option for bookings among travelers –
- Convenience -The modern, savvy traveler relies on OTAs to easily access and a convenient booking process. OTAs are accessible on most devices – web browsers and mobile apps. It is a one-stop-shop for all travel products and services within a single platform, making the booking process easy and hassle-free.
Instead of physically booking hotels, airlines, or car rentals one by one, customers can book everything under one digital platform with easy payment options. Also, customers get booking details in real-time with instant confirmation.
- Cost-effective -OTAs often provide their customers with exclusive booking offers such as sign-up bonuses, coupons, etc., that tempt customers into booking from them. Also, it is easy to compare different travel providers on OTAs and thoroughly research before finalizing the right option.
- Range of services -OTAs offer travel products and services under one umbrella that leaves their customers spoilt for choice. Customers can search everything from hotels, vacation rentals, flights, car rentals, and adventure packages.
The ease of accessibility of online bookings facilitates customers to get detailed information on services or products they are booking. For instance, before making a hotel booking, customers can check the detailed description of services provided by the hotel along with images, reviews, level of service, etc. that helps in driving the purchase decision. Additionally, customers can search through a plethora of airlines to make a booking as per their budget and the quality of service provided by the airline. In the future, if they wish to make the same booking, it is easy to check the past booking option and refer to it without searching for it all over again.
• Quality -Most travelers rely on OTAs for quality of service or product. OTAs are seen as experts in travel products they sell, and customers have a certain level of expectation from their products regarding quality, security, hygiene, and privacy.
Customers do not shy away from sharing their personal information and entrust OTAs for a high level of security and protection from spammers or breaches.
• Reviews -Travelers often leave reviews after their booking, which lets other potential customers know about their experience and steer them into booking. Positive feedback or reviews play a vital role in travel buying.
What to consider when choosing an Online Travel Agency (OTA)?
Online Travel Agencies vary in offerings, size, type, and industry depending on their travel portfolios and niche interests. Here are the things to consider when choosing the right OTA for your business –
Your target audience and markets: The first and foremost thing to remember while choosing the most suitable OTA for your business is the regions, markets, or customer segments you wish to target. Some OTAs target specific niches or demographics, while others target a particular geographical location. If you want to cater to the corporate travel market, you should partner with an OTA targeting business or corporate clients.
Features of OTA: OTAs come fully equipped with several user-friendly features, including back-end management, inventory management, customer support, payment processing, subscription management, and more. While some OTAs offer a dedicated team to manage different aspects of your business, others provide various useful tools and analytics software to manage customer journeys throughout their entire life cycle. Choose an OTA that offers seamless and smooth integration of these tools, which eliminates the risk of mismanagement in the future.
User experience and accessibility for customers: Your business requires an OTA that offers a seamless experience to your target audience and is loaded with valuable features that interest them. Your customers should be able to browse and make bookings without any hassle easily.
Also, it is essential to check various features of OTAs – including their services, product offerings, and database of travel products. Make sure that their listed products fit best to your business model. If your potential customers look for a guest house or rental, there is no point considering an OTA of a big hotel chain.
Expertise: Look for OTAs that have experience and knowledge along with a solid market presence. Large OTAs usually have a good record of handling businesses and promoting them along the way. Working with a reputed OTA with access to rich tools will help make your entire business process faster and less problematic.