[#8] Olympic Games / Traveler pain points / Experiences
This month's recap of travel stories, tourism trends and news
Dear Reader,
Welcome to this month’s recap of authentic travel stories, tourism trends and news - seen through the eyes of an industry insider and curious traveler. More about me here.
Enjoy reading!
#1- Olympic Games: Impact on travel🏅🏨
Paris 2024 Olympics just started: What’s been the impact on travel and hospitality so far? The picture is mixed:
International flight bookings between July 26 to August 11 increased by just +8% compared to last year
On the other hand, short term rentals in Paris boomed, with +40% available apartments on Airbnb and up to +79% bookings, especially in suburban areas
1.5 out of the total 11.3 million visitors will visit Paris from abroad, suggesting that most visitors will be French.
More insights here.
And what does that mean for last-minute travelers?
Out of curiosity I’ve looked for places to stay in Paris during the first weekend of August and could still find several options, well rated and reasonably priced.
#2 - Traveler pain points 🚄🤞🏻
Lately I wasn't very lucky with international travel within Europe.
Some data suggests that I wasn’t the only one:
3 in 10 flights in Europe arrived late in 2023 (worse compared to 2022;
66.7% of German long distance trains were on time in 2024 (vs. 81% in 2022)
While there are many reasons for delays or cancellations (storms, strikes…or a global IT outage), my pain points as a traveler usually are:
Before the trip: I want to minimize the risk of inconveniences caused by disruptions. What’s covered by my travel insurance and what isn’t?
At the airport/train station: My flight or train was canceled and I’m not offered a (valid) alternative. What else can I book, without 100% certainty of a refund?
After the trip: How/to whom should I request compensation in case of disruption?
These are complex challenges that require alignment across (among others) transport companies, distributors and regulations to be solved.
But I did come across solutions and products solving some of them. Hopefully more will follow.
In the coming weeks I’ll share some stories as a stranded passenger, what worked and what didn’t (+some ideas for the industry).
#3 - It’s all about the experience 🛎✨
Nice amenities in a hotel are important -but it’s great experiences making the difference between an average and an outstanding hotel stay.
Guests can increase their chances of living that experience, while hotels play a key role in enabling them.
And if hotels can find ways to market these experiences to new customers, they have a higher chance of standing out of the crowds.
Here’s one example: A boutique hotel could market its pool as…
“A great pool with salt water, ideal for couples” (Marketing an amenity)
OR“A sanctuary where our guests can find some peace when beaches are crowded” (Marketing an experience)
Need some inspiration? Let’s chat.
#4 - Celebrating small wins (+learnings) 🎉
In this post I’ve shared a few lessons learned after launching and growing a few online communities:
Be laser-focused in your strategy
Be smart about collaborations
Leverage time-sensitive content
These could be a good starting point when developing a content strategy.
Have more to add? Join the conversation in the thread below:
#5 - Other travel news 🗞
Selina, the pioneer in the “digital nomad” hospitality sector, collapses in liquidity crisis
The city of Copenhagen will encourage tourists to travel responsibly with free wine, coffee, and food.
The ranking of world’s most “powerful” passports is out: Singapore ranks first, followed by France/Germany/Italy/Japan/Spain .
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