57 per cent of UK travellers would be lost without their phones on holiday
- Wednesday, November 8th, 2017
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British holidaymakers are becoming ever more digitally dependent before and during their travels, but still the UK remains one of the countries with the least digitally-advanced travellers.
Travel commerce platform Travelport surveyed 11,000 travellers in 19 countries. Based on a sample of 500 people in the UK, who took at least one return flight last year, it was found that 40 per cent of travellers research and book trips on their smartphone, while 33 per cent use voice search for their research. Furthermore, 46 per cent of respondents said they believe a good digital experience is important when choosing an airline.
The research also found that 57 per cent of UK travellers would be lost without their phone while on holiday, with 53 per cent avoiding hotels that charge for wi-fi and respondents using an average of 14 different categories of apps when travelling.
62 per cent of UK travellers said they believe that digital boarding passes make travelling far easier, although this is below the global average of 71 per cent. On top that, the UK ranks 17th out of the 19 countries surveyed in terms of how digitally advanced the nation is. Only Germany and Japan scored worse. 
“The Global Traveler Survey clearly shows that the future of travel is digital,” said Paul Broughton, country manager for the UK & Ireland at Travelport. “Travelers are becoming increasingly digitally dependent when it comes to planning, booking and experiencing travel, and the $7.6trillion global travel and hospitality industry must adapt to provide responsive, relevant and timely services for customers.
“Whether young or old, and in whichever continent, providing relevant and timely digital tools and content is no longer an accessory but an essential means of reaching and satisfying the modern traveler from the moment they search to the moment they return from their trip.”
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