Singapore saw flights triple when Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour came to town. Host cities for the Olympic Games welcomed 31% more international guests during their events. How can travel agents stay one step ahead of the experiential travel curve and capitalise on these immense travel opportunities?
Bertrand Sava's role as general manager of retail travel agencies for HBX Group gives him a unique insight into experiential travel and how retail agents can begin or continue to cater for that demand.
How Swifties surged to Singapore: popstar-, sport- and screen-tourism's impact
"The three main drivers behind experiential travel that we see, as of today, are music, film and sports.
"Within that, there is one obvious case study: Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and the 'Swifties'. In total, more than half a million Swifties visited Singapore during her exclusive regional performances there.
"Anecdotally, the Marina Bay Sands' exclusive package worth $50,000, which included a three-night stay for four in a luxury suite and four tickets to the concert, sold out. That's just one example of countless impacts that experiential travel is having on suppliers."
Taylor Swift might seem like a unique case study, but K-pop group BTS are estimated to have fuelled a US$32 billion tourism hike in South Korea. In 2017, one in 13 visitors admitted they were visiting because of their love of K-pop, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation.
"The three main drivers behind experiential travel... are music, film and sports events."
It isn't just pop-star devotees searching for experiential travel; plenty of travellers are looking to their screens for travel inspiration.
"New Zealand, after the Lord of the Rings series, saw an increase in tourism by over 50%. Dubrovnik, which laid the scene for King's Landing in Game of Thrones, has seen a notable shift in why travellers are visiting since the series.
"There are plenty of examples proving sports' role in travel. Three million supporters from 120 nationalities headed to Germany for the recent European Championships. Eight or nine times the capacity of the host stadium visited Las Vegas during the Super Bowl, spending US$700 million during the weekend of that event alone."
How to stay one step ahead of the experiential travel curve
Bertrand believes agents must adhere to a three-point plan to keep ahead of the experiential travel curve.
“Step one: you need to acknowledge that experiential travel is important and that there is a theme towards travel of this kind, separate from other trends we see. To be ahead of the curve, you need to know what these phenomena are and capitalise on them while they’re happening.
“You need to be aware and be connected. Social media is key to keeping one step ahead of the curve. Just by looking at where big artists announce tours, or when mass events like the Olympic Games are on the horizon, agents can be made aware of what is coming next at the same time as the fans or travellers themselves.”
"Be aware and be connected... agents can be made aware of what is coming next at the same time as the fans themselves."
“The second step is to capture clients' interest as soon as possible. The event is often just a part of the journey. Years ago, people were selecting a destination and then figuring out what they wanted to do in the destination after the fact.
“That is changing; more and more people are thinking about what they want to do, then choosing where and when they can do it.”
What does this paradigm shift in decision-making mean for agents, and how can they respond to it?
“When guests book, they need so much more than the event ticket. That is where the opportunity lies for travel agents, from flights and transfers to accommodation and experiences that go far beyond the initial event.”
“The third point is to find the right data to find out when or where corridors increase and discover as early as possible why that might be because there are heightened opportunities that come from that.
“That is where HBX Group comes in; we are managing 5.6 billion searches every day and share so much of that data with agents. We can give them access to these changes in frequency or demand and help them predict and adjust to future trends.
"...we are managing 5.6 billion searches every day and share so much of that data with agents."
“Then, when it comes to changing that demand to the booking stage, we can offer accommodation, transfers, and the experiences themselves. In that context, we are the end-to-end provider for responding to such demand and helping agents find everything they need for their travellers.”
Bertrand Sava is the general manager of retail travel agencies for HBX Group, which operates Hotelbeds, bedsonline and Roiback.
Read more on the rise of experiential travel from Adido, who said “it’s imperative for the industry to stay ahead of the curve” after the Eras Tour here and insights from the Olympic Games’ impact on international travel here.
