Not Without External Pressure: How the Travel Industry is Tackling Transformation

ITB Berlin’s new Travel & Tourism Radar, set up in partnership with Ostfalia Hochschule, analyses the business outlook in the travel industry and reveals external factors as the main forces driving digitalisation and sustainability efforts. The actions of global travel companies are driven more by external influences than economics where important aspects of the transition are concerned. The Travel & Tourism Radar survey shows that the approximately 330 travel companies interviewed worldwide offer a generally positive economic outlook. It also gives an insight into their investment plans and how they see their ability to compete.

The respondents were generally positive about their current situation in this year’s second quarter, particularly when compared with the previous three months. The outlook for the immediate future also appears good. Accordingly, the companies polled were optimistic about developments in the next quarter. The survey’s organisers noted stable investment plans and identified the direction that future investments might take.

Online presence and digital marketing were the areas most frequently mentioned, accounting for around 44 per cent of the responses. Aspects such as training courses made up nearly 29 per cent. Collaboration and engaging stakeholders ranked third at slightly over 28 per cent, with responses divided evenly between IT/software and customer relations management. Much less emphasis was placed on new infrastructure and buildings or purchasing digital hardware.

Asked specifically about factors influencing their ability to compete, most companies said the competition was mainly within their own market and country. They regard digitalisation as having neither a positive or negative impact on their competitiveness, while in terms of equality and diversity they see themselves as fully meeting their goals.

The survey offered an interesting look at external factors and how tourism companies are influenced by them. The most frequent response was the political and economic situation, including inflation, given by around 62 per cent. (Digital) marketing and product development was the second most frequent answer (54 per cent), followed by AI and digitalisation (51 per cent). Sustainability and the climate were similarly frequent responses.

External pressure is the driving force

According to the ITB Travel & Tourism Radar, companies see efforts to promote sustainability in the environment, economy and society as all being equally important. In that context their activities appear to be motivated primarily by legislation and ethical HR standards. Over half of the companies polled regard protecting nature and the environment as being very important. However, about one-third of respondents consider customer fulfilment to be the main aim of their sustainability efforts, whereas only 15 per cent want to combine them with business success or see them as an opportunity for their company.

Close to 40 per cent of the tourism companies polled identify regional partnerships as the area requiring most improvement. In general however, their decision-making is influenced by legislation and customer expectations rather than their own motivations. Digitalisation is the most important area with potential for improvement, although this is often due to necessity.

“During Covid, debate in our industry often focused on the long-term need to become crisis-proof“, says Deborah Rothe, Director of ITB Berlin. The present study shows that sustainability efforts are often driven more by necessity than by economic motivation – for us, a signal to address and explore this theme in the upcoming edition of ITB Berlin.”

All the results of the first ITB Travel & Tourism Radar and information on the methods used can be downloaded online. Part two of the survey is planned for mid-October. In it, ITB Berlin and Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften will focus more on digitalisation. “We want to take a look at the specific needs of the travel industry in order to customise the convention programme”, says Prof. Dr. Heinz-Dieter Quack, who heads the survey. A third online poll among industry actors will follow around the turn of the year.

The findings of all three surveys will be incorporated into planning the programme of the ITB Berlin Convention 2025, which will take place from 4 to 6 March parallel with ITB Berlin. The aim is to examine how the industry can in future view digitalisation and sustainability efforts as being more than a requirement dictated by legislation and customer needs.