The next tasteless destinations?

Now we have established the ever growing popularity of these exotic, international destinations, it might be a fair comment to say that they are soon going to become the future 'party destinations'..

For example, Thailand has become well-known for holding Full Moon parties on the beach until the early hours of the morning. People from a young age are heading to the island to experience this club night and famous DJ's from across the globe are even playing there.

Maybe soon they will become the tasteless destinations of the world?

Has the dynamics of trade shows changed in order to satisfy these new attitudes within young travellers?

As discussed previously, young people are now seeking to travel to exotic locations. Travel shows have therefore had to adapt to this changing climate in order to keep the customer interested.

An article written by Catriona Davies on The Telegraph online supports this claim as it discusses holiday provider ‘Club 18-30’ going to such lengths to distance itself from its alcohol infused and promiscuous image. It discusses the way in which the company has gone about changing its image. Recent figures have shown how the company’s customer numbers dropped to 59,000 in 2004 from its previous record of 100,000 customers. This may be due to its bad reputation(even if they refuse to admit it) but now after its new campaign was launched customer numbers had improved to 72,000 in 2005 with a view to increasing more each year. This may be due to the new offers they have included in some of their package deals. For example, there are opportunities to visit famous landmarks, go sightseeing and hiking etc.

The main four trade shows we have focused upon in this blog offer many travellers an opportunity to go abroad at a discounted price and also offer information from experts within the field as it is extremely difficult to plan travels somewhere that is foreign to you.

In keeping with the changing attitudes of these travellers a lot of the trade shows are taking the opportunity to educate them through the use of workshops and seminars.  They aim to teach them about the many different cultures worldwide through the use of interactive activities such as:

• Food tasting experiences
• Entertainment - Cultural performances
• Travel health consultations
• Skill enhancement opportunities -  Travel photography seminar
•  Physical activities - Zip wire, climbing and free drop experiences
•  Volunteering and career break projects.

      See below for a short video montage of the entertainment provided at The Times Holiday and Travel Show:

References:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1503499/No-sex-please-as-Club-18-30-throws-off-its-boozy-image.html

http://www.adventureshow.com/

The changing dynamics of young travelers

It seems that young travellers are now opting for holidays less like Ibiza, Malia and the like as they want to do something "different" and experience different cultures worldwide.

Travellers are now choosing to go to the likes of Australia, South East Asia, and South America. Here, they can avoid the ‘tacky’ stereotype of the sun, sea and sex experience. Whilst still having sun and sea… with the occasional sex!

Young people are now drawn to the idea of landing in a country with just their backpack and finding the cheapest hostel to meet fellow backpackers. They seek the thrill of doing things on a whim, whilst meeting new interesting characters to go exploring with. This offers something completely new and diverse for young travelers. They seem to be more encouraged to get out and explore the world rather than just sitting on a beach with an alcoholic beverage alongside 1,000,000 other young people.

                                                                     From this...

To this...

Why are young people more drawn to this type of holiday and/or travel experience?

Nowadays, faraway and exotic destinations have become more accessible. Airlines offer more flights now to international destinations at more affordable prices. Once within a country airlines offer special fares on domestic flights on popular routes. An example of this is THAI Airways. They offer a “Special Domestic Youth Fare 2014” for passengers aged between 12 and 24 years. These fares save young travelers around 15% on their flights.

The price of these holidays has become more affordable which obviously attracts the younger generation as they buy cheap flights in advance (sometimes only one way) and once at their destination stay in cheap backpackers hostels. The cost of living in these countries is also extremely cheap; travelers can afford to eat, drink and go on excursions, experiences and tours all at a fraction of the price offered in the party destinations we spoke of before. In the present day, it is getting increasingly popular to spend money on travelling to these exotic places, rather than on a party holiday. It seems that young people would rather spend £1000 on a month travelling in Thailand than £1000 on a week in Ibiza!

Whilst travelers still get drunk and party they still explore, sight see and live alongside a huge variety of different people and learn about the different cultures out there. They become more culturally experienced and therefor more sociable which is seen to be attractive to future employers. When looking for jobs young people will be more likely to get a job if they are more outgoing and more educated about the world. It is also a great way to learn a new language which is always a perk for UK employers.

Not only this, but the internet has played a huge part in young travelers exploring different destinations. It allows them to research different countries to see where would suit them best. It also allows them to contact expert travelers to gain a better understanding of what is best to do, where to go and when, and where to stay etc.

So what do travel trade shows do in order to adapt to this change in young people’s attitude to travelling?

References

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2014/04/tg-woes-young-travellers/

How does the Times Holiday and Travel show entice the customer?

The Times and the Sunday Times are two of the world’s best-known and respected media titles.  With the backing of such a big media group a potential audience has already been established.

The times holiday and travel show offers a range of subjects to excite the customer. For instance they feature a section known as Taste the World Zone, which gives the opportunity for customers to try different foods from all over the world.  The four zones available to the Public were the Extreme Taste Zone, USA Taste Zone, Caribbean Taste Zone and Europe Taste Zone.

The Times Holiday and travel show also offers an experience no other travel show has. They have joined forces MASTA, which stands for Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad, who run the largest network of private travel clinics in the UK, which gives information on all things, related to health while travelling. They offer free medical advice and consultations as well as appointments to get vaccinations.

Customers are also given the opportunity to enjoy and experience culture from all over the world through the use of vibrant dance, live music and chats with famous personalities. This can be found at the World Entertainment Stage if you want to experience something new and exciting. Acts that featured this year included The Caribbean Carnival Procession, Singer Cigdem Aslam with Turkish Live music and TV Presenter Simon Reeve.

References: Destinations: the times Trade and Travel Show: http://www.destinationsshow.com/london/9/attractions/

How do travel companies use the TNT Travel Show to promote their product?

So, now we have established what the TNT Travel Show is and its primary aims, I can focus upon what the exhibitors within it do to pull their customers in. Typically, young people like to drink until the bitter end, meet like-minded people, travel cheap etc. So how do these companies use this to gain interest from their customers? 

First, let's look at a few of the exhibitors that take residency at the TNT Travel Show:

VODKA TRAIN

PILLOW ADVENTURE TRAVEL

As seen above, is the Vodka Train travel company which operates in Russia and the Pillow Adventure Travel Company, where the motto is 'sleeping is cheating.' Using these stereotypes has helped some of these exhibitors stand out amongst competitors; some of them offering up to an 80% discount on excursions and holidays.

As well as this, companies use social media as a way to ensure the future of the brand not only continues to market itself, but to target the younger generation. For example, one exhibitor offered people the chance to dress up as pirate's at the show and have their photo taken. This is then uploaded onto Facebook and the people share this in order to get as many likes as possible. The picture with the most likes, after a certain amount of time, wins a big discount at the travel company and a huge treasure chest full of alcohol. This sets the tone for the type of holidays some of these exhibitors promote. Not only this, but the bar at the event itself also offers discounted alcoholic beverages. 

In terms of 18-30's holidays, offers like this can 'seal the deal' so to speak for those want a cheap, fun holiday. They use these clever tactics to entice the customer, making them feel wanted and special. So what other kind of experience do travel shows encourage and promote? Is it purely 'party' holidays? Or have these shows adhered to the changing dynamics of young people who aspire to travel to faraway destinations? 

Benefits of appearing at travel shows.

With so much competition online these days offering cheap deals oh holidays it is quite difficult for travel companies to keep up in todays economic climate. Therefore it is important to understand why travel trade shows such as the TNT travel show can benefit your brand.

Having a stall at a travel trade show has a number of great opportunities for travel brands, which can be very beneficial to your company.

First of all you are able to measure up the competition, as it is all very accessible as you are all together under one roof.

Trade shows pull in a highly targeted market that is already very interested in what you have to offer. As well as this there is great opportunities to attract a new audience to your brand who may not have heard of you before.

These types of shows can offer more personal time between you an your client as they most likely have some sort of idea what they are looking for rather than those who come to your shop.

Smaller businesses in a sector that is full of well-known companies can struggle to establish themselves within the current market. Trade shows allow them to get their name out there and reach thousands of current and potential clients at one.

One tactic that is used a lot at tradeshows are giveaway opportunities. This can include discounts on holidays or free gifts etc. if you use the company. This type of strategy can enhance the company’s awareness in the clients mind.

Personally handing out brochures, offering promotional goodies and verbally explaining about your services helps to increase client awareness of your company. You can turn this into year round awareness with promotional contact and maintain the customer relationship.

The emergence of Club 18-30 holidays

Young people are great believers in the 'work hard, party hard' attitude towards life. Settling with low paid and unsatisfying jobs, many live for the weekends, or in this case.. their summer holiday. But this isn't just any old summer holiday - I know the 30+ category will be dreaming of white sands, clear waters, cultural old towns, eye-opening excursions, diverse new foods and music, peace and tranquility.. - This is a club 18-30 holiday. Cheap booze, tacky English pubs (for those who have visited these destinations, they will know these so-called pubs are just over-used gazebos with garden chairs and tables selling sausages and mash), scantily clad girls, late night clubbing, condom covered beaches,  irritating promoters, water sports (if a banana boat counts), the list goes on...

Although youngsters do not always book to 'eat, sleep, rave and repeat' via this Thomas Cook run company, it is a great example of the types of holiday this age group seek. The towns listed below being the most visited towns by this age group between the months of May and September.

San Antonio (Ibiza):

Malia (Crete):

Sunny Beach (Bulgaria):

Laganas (Zante):

Kavos (Corfu):

Magaluf (Mallorca):

Ayia Napa (Cyprus):

Is it just me or do these photo's look like a scene from Human Traffic? 

Fuelled by drugs and alcohol, holiday goers have ruined the reputation and landscape of many small villages and towns in Europe. Families and couples, for instance, will go out of their way to avoid such places - however, the 18-30 holiday industry is still booming, attracting millions every year. Some may argue that despite the disregard to the areas, it has provided a huge economic boost for locals; many relying on this summer tourism to get them by. 

I want to discover what is the pulling factor behind this tasteless tourism - do trade fairs, such as the TNT Travel Show, help pull customers in with their group deals and bargains? What incentives or influencing factors persuade young people to travel to these destinations?  How do competitors differentiate themselves from each other? And what are the positive and negative impacts upon these places? Should travel agents/promoters/reps be publicising a contrary image? 

Let's do this!