The mission of airlines and hotel companies is to provide a satisfying and safe travel experience (the ‘how’ of travel). Travelers, on the other hand, are primarily interested in the activities they will participate in when they reach their destination (the ‘why’ and ‘what’). These two paradigms are not so much misaligned as they are symbiotic. This is why the travel industry as a business needs to pay close attention to in-destination activities and attractions.

By looking at the online travel shopping experience, you might assume there were only two reasons to travel; business or the beach. This is exaggeration of course, but lately, online travel agencies have been accused by the media of offering a shopping process that does not meet the consumer’s core needs. Despite the attractive design and huge amount of content provided by online travel agencies, they sometimes miss the motivational element of travel and forget to ask two important questions: “what’s the ideal place for me to visit based on my preferences?” and “what can I do once I get there?” In fact, many innovative travel startups have entered the market with intuitive search and discovery tools to fill this gap. Travel companies are finally realizing that they need to pay more attention to why a consumer travels.

This is no easy task. The complexity involved in providing the best answers to what seemingly would be simple questions, poses a challenge to the industry that so far no single provider has been able to solve. These challenges need to be addressed before exceedingly high customer expectations can be met.

A key group of industry players challenged by these issues are destination marketing organizations. “DMOs need to play a role in assisting their local service providers to collectively promote their destination,” says Joe Buhler, senior destination marketing and social media analyst at PhoCusWright. “Investing in technology solutions that fully integrate activities and attractions into DMO marketing and operations is a step that needs to be taken.”

Activities and attractions can no longer be overlooked as incidental – they must be considered as prime motivators of travel. Location based services present a huge global opportunity for travel companies, not just “ancillary” or “incremental” sales. There are challenges, but nothing that can’t be overcome. This paradigm shift will be a game changer for travel – and it is well underway.

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Learn more about the market value and consumer trends of the activities and attractions sector. Invest in When They Get There (And Why They Go): In-Destination Events, Attractions & Activities.

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