Businesses in the travel industry must keep abreast of global trends in the industry to remain successful. A significant trend is that travellers seek destinations outside of their countries, and so a growing percentage of customers will be international travellers. This implies that it is no longer enough to target only people in a particular region, an international audience must be considered. Thus, we will look into how businesses in the travel industry can build a global customer base through localising contents.

Following the consistent growth of tourism, the question across every board of businesses in the travel industry is how your company can satisfy the international traveller? The approach is simple, by localising your content to cater to diversity – you reach a broader target audience, bridge cultural differences and keep them comfortable.

This post highlights why you need to reach a broader market, trends in the industry that can help you reach your global target and how localising contents can help you achieve this aim.

Benefits of getting a global customer base in the travel industry

Why you should be thinking about developing a global customer base is simple, “you get more customers.” The travel industry is continually changing and expanding; travellers are seeking different things, the demographics of travellers are diverse. With this, it is unforgiving not to take the necessary steps to meet a global audience in the industry. No business wants to fade into oblivion while watching competitors excel. 

The truth is, no one is safe. Haven witnessed an unfortunate shut down of Thomas Cook – a long-standing travel company – this is clear. Considering the size of the tourism industry and Thomas Cook’s solid reputation, it not only reiterates the notion that no one is safe but begs a close analysis on why the failure happened. 

A deep look suggests a mirage of small problems that eventually escalated. One of which is the inability of the business to meet up with the changing travel industry – (internet bookings). Hence, it is clear that every business in the industry must expand their audience. In the travel industry, there are two major trends you can follow to help you achieve this. 

Major trends in the travel industry

The internet: More than half the people that travel search out their destinations online. They also search out travel agencies offering services they need, so it goes without saying that as a serious business in this field, you should have a website. Booking travel services via the internet is a hot trend that has a seat in the future of travel industries. According to travel analysts, failure to integrate internet operations was one of the major flaws of Thomas Cook (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cook_Group ). For such a huge trend, it is surprising that they didn’t.

Personalisation: More people are searching for personalised services. They want to know that they are interacting with a real person behind the screen that they can relate to. This trend is well into travel industries in the form of personalised emails and marketing, customer care lines, etc.

Now, it is time for your business to use these trends to achieve your goals.

How to use localising content to meet an international audience?

With more people travelling now than ever before and with the spike in the number of international travellers, it is a no-brainer that your travel business should be available online and in different languages. Even if you are based in one location. With this, you can bridge a cultural and linguistic barrier.  One of the first steps is to ensure that your online channels are available in different languages because that is where people are searching for you. With a multi-lingual option for customers, it is also essential that your contents are relatable to them. Proper translation allows you to convey your message without any meanings lost and makes customers comfortable.

Customers in the industry rely heavily on getting information via the internet, and three-quarters of them would instead do so on a website that speaks their native language. Anyone who has tried automated translation can tell you about its inaccuracy, especially when you are trying to get a large body of information. There is no surprise that people prefer booking with agencies and businesses that speak their language.

Communication is vital, and an understanding of the localised content fosters proper communication. One time, I was trying to book a trip to Brazil, and I had to call the agency. Being smart, I decided to speak a little Portuguese learnt online, this resulted in me saying a lot of ‘errr” after most words. It turns out that pronouncing Brasilia and Brazil can sound alike with that kind of forced Portuguese. After several attempts, I had to go with an agency that spoke English.

In conclusion, getting your business all set up to meet future trends in the travel industry is essential to achieve long-lasting success. Therefore, targeting a global audience through relevant localised content can help you attract international customers and stay ahead of your competitors. If you are looking for a superior and reliable translation service to create localised content for your brand, TranslationsinLondon can assist you.