NEWS AT THE TRAVEL CONVENTION


Bookings via mobile show surprise drop in Abta poll


Amie Keeley amie.keeley@travelweekly.co.uk


Booking holidays via mobile phone is less popular than a year ago, according to a consumer survey by Abta.


The humble PC remains the most popular device on which to book holidays online, despite the growth in mobile and tablet sales. The latest research by Abta


found mobile phones were less popular for booking than they were a year ago, with 13% of people saying they had done so, down from 16% in 2015. In contrast, 92% of consumers used a computer to book, while bookings via tablets, which saw a sharp increase in 2015, remained fairly flat, with 23% using them compared with 24% last year.


It also found that even more


“When it comes to booking, the mobile is still lagging a long way behind the PC”


An increase in 35-54-year-olds using tablets was offset by a fall in 18-24-year-olds doing so. People aged 25-34 were the


least likely to use a PC but the most likely to use a tablet, with almost four in 10 (37%) doing so. Asked how ‘easy’ they found


it to book, 80% of respondents said they found it easy to book via desktop computer, 54% by tablet and 45% by mobile phone. The research, carried out by


Arkenford for Abta’s Holiday Habits Report 2016, surveyed 1,962 consumers.


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respondents preferred to book online, at 76%, up from 69% last year. People aged 45-54 and those with older children were the groups most likely to book a holiday online with four out of five (82%) doing so. A fifth said they booked in-store and a similar number (21%) booked by phone. Victoria Bacon, Abta director of


brand and business development, said: “Mobiles are important to consumers during the research stage, but when it comes to booking, the mobile is clearly still lagging a long way behind the PC, and to a lesser extent tablets. “Other research has shown consumers tend to prefer devices with larger screens when they’re paying larger sums of money, and our research supports this trend in the holiday market.”


Kuoni trains its new specialist Family Experts sales team


Kuoni has conducted its first training session for a new team of family-specialist selling staff. The session was held last month as the operator sets up a Kuoni Family Experts team in time for the January peaks. The Family Experts team, made up of parents and travel experts with experience in family bookings, will receive additional training to ensure they have particular expertise in Kuoni’s family-focused product. Similar training has already been put in place to provide agents with guidance on selling to other customer groups, including same-sex couples and wellness clients. Managing director Derek Jones said: “It’s easy to think it’s all about two adults and two kids, but over a 15-year span the travel needs of any given family will shift and transform completely.”


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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