For the first time since 2019, travel companies are unanchoring themselves to the events of the last 3 years and embracing the freedom, opportunities, and challenges that come with this new travel landscape.
In the pilot episode of our new series, Customer Love, in partnership with Booking.com, Yeoh Siew Hoon (Founder, WiT) speaks to her co-host for all upcoming episodes, Laura Houldsworth (Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com), about travel trends to look forward to this year. With a background in financial services, writing, communications and marketing, Laura gets candid about moving to Booking.com thanks to her passion for travel. She also talks about what kind of traveller she is based on Booking.com’s research data.
“I started out in writing, in communications and marketing,” explained Laura. “And I used to write in financial services. And then I had the opportunity to write in travel. And that took me into travel sales, and then eventually into Booking.com. And I realized writing about travel was much more exciting than writing about financial services.”
Laura also spoke about her approach to travel in the new year, and why adopting a new pace could prove beneficial. “There’s a lot of different things I need to be intentional about,” said Laura. “One is potentially the pace of life that we operate at. And so maybe that slowing down that I’ve experienced over the last couple of weeks is good. I want to try and be more intentional about where I go… try and stay longer. I want to be more intentional about where I go for longer and make it more purposeful while I’m there.”
In the pilot episode of our new series, Customer Love, Yeoh Siew Hoon (Founder, WiT) speaks to her co-host for all upcoming episodes, Laura Houldsworth (Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com), about travel trends to look forward to this year.
Booking.com recently revealed data from their research pointing to upcoming trends in travel – from Surrender Seekers to Reboot Retreaters. According to Laura, these trends paint a vivid picture of what to expect from consumers, but also pose interesting questions for brands to consider.
“I’m not a planner,” admitted Laura. “But I think I do like to know where I’m going. But once I get there, then I start thinking about the rest. So, I’m not somebody that has my whole trip planned. I know people like to make sure that they maximise it. That’s not me. I tend to research a place once I get to it. Yeah, maybe I’m a surrender seeker when I get there, but definitely not to mystery locations.”
The duo then talk about rising trends in Asia Pacific, and what mega-platforms like Booking.com are doing to not only retain customer loyalty in a crowded marketplace but also attract new travellers with exciting new demands.
This is the first of five episodes in the “Customer Love” series. Stay tuned for the next four episodes which will drop over the coming weeks.
Listen here:
