A travel trend that needs to be taken care of

During the epidemic, travelers adopted some bad habits.

No, I’m not talking about fistfights on airplanes or spectacular explosions on frontline workers – those are totally unacceptable. But there were other customs that inappropriate travelers picked up during the era of lockdowns and border closures.

I am talking about booking last minute.

With travelers tired of extreme events or covid-19 diversions soon after returning to a destination, travel providers have had to do more to earn consumers’ trust that their travel investment won’t be wasted if their trip suddenly becomes unviable with a new itinerary. Restrictions or documentation requirements. US-based airlines have retired fees on most flights (the difference in fares between the old flight and the new flight is still there) and cruise and hotel companies have loosened some of their policies to make them more flexible.

Consumers, on the other hand, started booking their trips at the last minute. That made sense, because who wanted to drop big bucks on a trip a year ago when no one knew what the trip was going to look like?

During the outbreak, travelers were generally happy to be traveling again, and understood that there would be speed bumps on their journeys. The world they reluctantly reentered was a very strange one. Now, as the industry becomes more formalized, many travel suppliers are seeing customers, but they’re showing up at the last minute, and it’s wreaking havoc on travel systems.

The travel industry requires a lot of upfront cash to operate, which means suppliers rely on accurate volume forecasts. Say you’re working at an Alaskan resort during the short summer. Alaska travelers tend to book earlier than other destinations, so in early spring, when resorts start hiring seasonal workers and ordering supplies for the summer season, they take into account projected occupancy.

In March, your forecast says you’ll live at 80% of the summer average. You might want to mark it higher just to maximize your earning potential, but 80% isn’t bad. You may have a full commitment (“sold out” in hotel industry parlance) to, on average, one night a week, which can cause some frustration (especially if a room or two is out of commission), but it’s manageable. You can probably get by with one less shuttle driver, one less housekeeper, and one less restaurant server.

By mid-June, everyone’s nerves are shot. The reservations are later than expected, the resort is fully operational five nights a week and is understaffed, which takes a lot of time and money. More importantly, they fail to deliver the experience they promised their guests because they failed to adequately plan.

That’s not to say that no one should sign up at the last minute. Pre-pandemic, most travel providers knew when their bookings would arrive, and were very good at predicting the volume based on past trends. It was the key to a more profitable travel industry, but better service from a consumer perspective.

Now, one of the biggest uncertainties facing the industry is what the “new normal” booking pattern will look like and when it will be enough for travel providers to predict with some confidence. It makes for a simpler experience for both consumers and travel sellers.

Advance booking also has benefits for travelers. It’s those early arrivals who get the full range of options, allowing them to choose the experience they want down to the finest detail.

Cruise passengers get great service on multiple cruise lines, get to choose the range of the ship’s cabins, their preferred dining times and get first crack at the most popular shore excursions. If the shipping rate drops after purchase, keep in mind that most shipping lines will adjust the rates as long as they are requested before the final payment is made (though it’s important to note that there won’t be any additional benefits or promotions included with the original rate. If they aren’t included in the new rate, transfer them over).

Land-based travelers enjoy a wide range of accommodation and transportation services. Maybe it was enough to just go on the trip in an area affected by the outbreak, but now travelers have the power to be selective about their choices. Maybe you’re looking for your favorite car rental company or your favorite recently renovated building at your favorite resort.

Some destinations have also started booking ahead of their historical curves for 2023. Europe is predicting a significant rebound over the summer, and travelers who didn’t book early may be in for a disappointment.

For travel suppliers, the anticipation of that travel demand gives them a more valuable commodity—the single most irreplaceable resource for planning and delivering a high-quality travel experience.

Time.