The Trust factor

A Forrester research study reported by Travelmole confirms why review sites keep growing in strength and are the among the most preferred avenues to research travel. People believe other people and are more likely to make a decision based on a fellow travelers travelogue than a company-authored brochure. In fact 1/3rd have changed plans because of what someone else wrote! Also, the more complex the trip, the more likely it is to be booked offline after being researched online. Perhaps, travel agents are not going out of business anytime soon (atleast for luxury, high-end travel). Also, as travel becomes a highly-complex, time-intensive exercise, people are reverting to basic principles – trust, credibility, face-to-face dealings, flexibility to throw in bonus activities and customer service. The fact that holidays are fewer and vacations are scarcer also makes the planning process too important to gloss over – the traveler expects more as more companies fight for the same slice of business. There’s a always a better deal right until the time of travel!