India tops Travelport’s global ranking of digital travelers

For the second consecutive year, India is being ranked as number one on Travelport’s 2018 Global Digital Traveler League Table.

These are among results from the Travelport 2018 Global Digital Traveler Survey of over 16,000 travelers from 25 countries.

Mobile remains crucial, but travelers want a consolidated experience:

Seven in ten of leisure travelers say they will “feel lost” without their smartphone.
Over two-thirds of them are reliant on their smartphone during their whole travel experience
Three out of four travelers prefer seeing all their trip itinerary in one place and half find it unsatisfying to have to book their travel arrangements separately.
Flight related mobile apps are key features to the traveller, particularly the ability to search and book flights (81%) and real-time alerts (78%)

New technologies continue to grow in prominence:

69% are using voice search to research their travel using tools such as Apple Siri, Google Home or Amazon Alexa
85% of travellers have used a digital wallet/payment app while travelling e.g. Apple Pay, Alipay, etc
Over half of the respondents say they always use payment apps
Almost two thirds of travellers indicate that they would prefer to check in to a hotel via an app rather than at a reception desk

Travelers want technology to continue simplifying and enhancing travel experience:

84% of travellers are open to offering their biometrics to reduce waiting in security lines
In cases of travel disruption (e.g. natural disaster, strikes, etc.), over a third of travellers prefer to be served by a person via chat service, e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat, etc. and one in every five travellers would consider using their mobile to be served by self-service bots
80% of respondents think that digital boarding passes make travel so much easier

Commenting on the research, Travelport Managing Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Mark Meehan said:“India, as an emerging nation, is moving forward with a strong momentum of digital transformation across businesses and consumers alike. Irrespective of the age group, consumers want the convenience of mobility and technology on their finger-tips for all their travel related requirements. The growing proliferation of internet and smartphones in India will further strengthen this trend. We, at Travelport will continue to innovate, inspire and experiment with ways to use new technologies to enable the industry to ride this trend and enhance the experience of selling, buying and managing travel continually better.”

The report also includes the 2018 Digital Traveler League Table, with India crowned champions for the second year in a row as the country with the most digitally-advanced travelers.  

The standings are based on a combination of the main indicators of using technology to enhance the travel experience. 

For example, India’s top position is maintained due to 69% of the country’s travelers using voice search, over 60% wanting digital room keys and 88% saying they are influenced to travel by friends on social media.