Amadeus Report – online travellers in Japan
The report argues that online will become the dominant channel for purchasing travel in 2020 and is one of a series of reports produced by Amadeus in partnership with research agency Opinium. Just over 1,000 Japanese adults who had used an OTA to book a holiday in the past year were quizzed at the end of 2019.
By gaining insights directly from travellers from Japan the study investigates what makes for the ideal online booking experience and equally what can frustrate potential travellers. The target audience for the report consists of online travel companies, who in the words of the authors are ‘looking to evolve, expand, and explore new opportunities for growth’.
The research finds that Japanese travellers highly value OTAs that provide value for money, access to traveller reviews and time-saving tools. Before reaching the booking stage Japanese travellers are highly responsive to influencer content, most notably that to be found on YouTube and Instagram.
An eagerness for personalisation emerged from the research with 77% keen on being able to have the option for seat and meal selection when booking flights.
The research found that once a destination had been selected the Japanese would start actively researching it four to five months before travel. Typically, three websites would be visited in the planning stage.
The most common reason for an OTA to lose a sale was that the Japanese traveller found the equivalent product or service for a cheaper price elsewhere, while 18% had abandoned a purchase when hidden charges and fees were discovered.
Although stated rather than revealed preference, around two-fifths said they would be prepared to consider paying more, or to travel less convenient timings if this guaranteed a more environmentally friendly holiday.