Travelport , U.K.-based travel commerce platform providing distribution, and technology, for the travel industry, just conducted a global survey which highlights different digital travel habits.
India tops as the most digitally-advanced traveler nation in terms of digital tools being used for travel purposes, Travelport’s survey said. China stood at the second place and Indonesia at the third position. This seems to be driven primarily by the use of smart phones by travelers from the top ranked countries, and in our opinion might reflect the reality that these countries leapfrogged to mobile-first and don’t use desktop computers and landlines very much.
The Digital Traveler Rankings 2017 | |
Rank | Country |
1 | India |
2 | China |
3 | Indonesia |
4 | Brazil |
5 | Saudi Arabia |
6 | Mexico |
7 | South Africa |
8 | United Arab Emirates |
9 | Colombia |
10 | Italy |
11 | United States |
12 | Spain |
13 | France |
14 | Russia |
15 | Canada |
16 | Australia |
17 | United Kingdom |
18 | Japan |
19 | Germany |
The findings are based on an online survey with inputs of 11,000 travelers from 19 countries, highlighting the use of digital tools when planning, booking and experiencing a journey. 1,000 people from India — who took at least one round trip flight last year — participated in the survey.
The survey said that in India smartphones are the preferred digital device with 82 percent of Indian travelers feeling that mobile boarding passes and e-tickets make travel easier.
Press Trust of India reports that per the survey, around 66 percent respondents avoid hotels that charge for Wi-Fi while 83 percent people feel it is important to stay virtually connected to family and friends whenever travelling.
“The findings highlight the need for the $7.6 trillion global travel and hospitality industry to adapt continually to provide responsive, relevant and timely service for customers,” Rabih Saab, president and managing director (Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia) of Travelport, said.
