This is an outline of XPLAIN’s Global Research about Destination Marketing “The Journey Before the Destination”. For the purpose of this Research we analyzed 80 Million Travelers' Public Conversations and Reviews and 25 Million Travelers' Searches from 71 Countries across the Globe in the last 5 years. Travelers' Behavior has changed and it’s constantly evolving. 98% of the Global Travel Content is User Generated and the main reasons by far for Travelers to Travel today are to gain Experiences and Escape from their everyday life. Do you want to know More and Become Better in Destination Marketing? Contact us, we are here to support you.

1. THE JOURNEY BEFORE
THE DESTINATION
Analyzing the Traveling Decision Making
and the Connected Consumer.
| Stefanos Karagos, XPLAIN | The Architect Show | May 2019

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FIRST THINGS FIRST

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WE BELIEVE IN THE GODS OF
MARKETING & DATA ARCHITECTURE
:-)

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we are

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Strategic A.I. for Marketing Results

6. We Love to Integrate Brands into
Consumers’ Life, every day.
XPLAIN.co

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Consumer Behavior Analysis

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Marketing Strategy & Advisory

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Content Pre-Testing
& Massive Micro-Targeting

10. Our Expertise After 10 Years
FMCG Retail
DestinationsTransportation
Technology

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Wide Expertise Across Industries & Markets
We Support Global/Local Brands in >70 Countries

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One of the Most Innovative
Global Marketing Analytics
Firm in the World.
2018: Double Gold Prize
For Global Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions
PEPSI & 7UP Global Campaign and Content Strategy (PepsiCo)
The Internationalists Awards 2018, New York

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The definition of Insanity is doing the
same thing over and over again,
expecting different results.
- Albert Einstein

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OUR GLOBAL RESEARCH
about the Journey before the Destination

16. What we Analyzed
Travelers Conversations and Reviews
>80M
Countries across the Globe in the last 5 years
71
Travelers Searches & Clickstreams
>25M

17. Our Unique Methodology
We Don’t Ask.
We Observe Cohorts & Brands.
We Deeply Understand
using our A.I.’s brain.
No Bias. No framed Answers.
Pure Unbiased Insights.
We are Certified with ISO 27001 for our Data Security Processes and are fully compliant with EU’s GDPR Regulation

18. What you can do with Artificial Intelligence?
Deeply Understand Cohorts and their Motives,
Needs and Objectives
Predict White-Space Opportunities and
Geopolitical Influences on Tourism
Design Dynamic Pricing and Impactful
Experiences
Rapid Evolve your Business in a fast-changing
World using Strategic Innovation
and more

19. WTF!Welcome To Facts!

22. So what?
86%
are far more likely to choose a
destination based on someone
else’s photos than on any other form
of media!
97%
of tourists read reviews before
booking

23. 92%
are more willing to spread the
Bad Experience than the Good one.

24. 91%
are focused on specific
experiences, and not price,
in the early stages of their
travel planning
92%
influenced by online
content posted by
their peers
87%
are booking their
holidays online
either on their own
or through online
travel agents.

25. 94% Experience
71% Escape
23% Wellbeing
12% Bleisure
and …Weddings
The 5 Main
Traveling
Reasons
today.

27. XPLAIN.co - 2019
9+1
TOP GLOBAL TRENDS
Shaping The Future Of Destination Marketing

28. Sustainability, Business with Leisure and Foodies
THE CONSCIOUS
TRAVELER
Social issues, from women’s rights and
working conditions to sustainability and
environmental protection play a major role in
selecting a destination.
BLEISURE
TRAVEL
Travelers combine business with leisure by
extending their stay in their destination
beyond the time needed for business, to enjoy
the place separately.
FOOD
TOURISM
Culinary travel is a rising trend with people
seeking in other cities or countries food and
beverage experiences that are not available
at home.

29. #INSTA_TOURISM
Travel & hospitality business is more and
more driven by a location’s Instagram-ability,
an important factor for travelers when
choosing a go-to destination.
ROADS
LESS TRAVELED
No more overcrowded destinations. People
now opt for new & authentic experiences like
living, eating and entertaining themselves like
(& with) the locals.
EXPERIENCES
UBER ALLES
Activities & Emotional drivers as Experiences
are the dominant drivers of Travel Decisions.
People want to create life-lasting memories,
from Airbnb Concerts & ”Secret" locations to
"Live-like-a-Nomad" vacays.
Intsagrammability, Overcrowded Places and Unique
Experiences

30. TECH WINDS OF
CHANGE
AR & VR tourist guides, digital concierges,
facial recognition access, smart rooms, AI
personalized travel recommendations are
taking the industry by storm.
THE WELLNESS
TAKEOVER
Twice as fast vs. general tourism, travelers
growingly seek out healthier, more active
vacations, from medical tourism to fitness
retreats and culinary sensations.
SOLO
TRAVELERS
Solo trips become more interesting.
Sometimes, people travel alone to explore
their roots and find information about their
ancestors.
Tech, Wellness and Solo Travelers on a rise

31. THE POP CULTURE
HOOK
Europeans love traveling to places where
movies have been filmed, e.g. Croatia, and
popular Game of Thrones. Pop Culture is to
remain as a powerful driver.
When TV & Hollywood Inspire Travel Decisions
Dubrovnik, Game of Thrones Skopelos, Mamma Mia

32. The Airbnb
phenomenon

33. 8,989 Airbnb
Rentals
70
Hotels
VS
Athens, Greece

34. Historical Market Revenue
Athens, Greece
2016
2017
2018

35. NEW COMMUNICATION
& BUSINESS MODELS ON A RISE

36. Build/Design the venue
with Instagram in mind!
Give your guests a reason to
advertise your venue for free!
Airbnb rentals which have created
an Insta-Corner have on average
+11% Revenue versus all others.

37. Transform the venue
into a… marketplace!
Some Boutique Hotels and many
Airbnb places are collaborating with
local artists to offer the latter’s
artwork in their venues for selling.
Give to guests the opportunity to
buy anything from your interior
design decoration and beyond.
It’s time to expand your income!

40. Travel
Inspiration
The Traveler’s Journey
Which Becomes
Other Peoples Inspiration!
Research Booking Experience
In Destination
Sharing
The Experience

41. Travel
Inspiration
1
Inspiration is all about
Storytelling, interestingly
connected to the overall
axiom that 92% of all our
choices are emotion-driven.
Through
1. Social Media
2. Email
3. Search Engines
4. Review Sites

42. Travel
Inspiration
1
The case of:
Iceland’s official board of tourism became aware that
Social Media is a top factor for travelers to consider the
country as a future trip destination.
They took advantage of the content posted online as well
as funded Travelers to visit and photograph Iceland in
order to reach an even wider audience.
Since 2014, Iceland has seen an approx. 25% yearly
growth.
Source: Global News

43. Research
2
35 days and up to 40
touchpoints across
devices and websites on
average
Through
1. Search incl. YouTube on the rise
2. Online Advertising
3. Reviews

44. Research
2
The case of:
TripAdvisor nails the search game with more than 90%
organic traffic to their website, holding the lead for the
travel industry’s online organic search traffic.
Their key is the frequent use of the phrase “Things to Do
in”, followed by the names of various destinations.
Source: SimilarWeb

45. Booking
3
51% research flights and
accommodation on mobile,
but 23% switch to desktop
for booking due to UX &
security concerns.
Through
1. Owned Website
2. Email
3. Online Booking Sites

46. Booking
3
The case of:
Flight cancellations in US leave an avg. of 90K
passengers stranded every day. Red Roof Inn developed a
way to track flight delays in real time and trigger targeted
search ads for their hotels near airports.
"Stranded at the airport? Come stay with us!” timely ads,
drove a remarkable 60% increase in bookings.
Source: Google

47. Experience
In Destination
4
More and more Travelers are
looking for “Experiences”
and not a “break” or a “trip”.
Over 75% of them want A.I.
to help them achieve this
and over 39% will pay more for
them.
Through
1. Customizable Experiences
2. Owned Assets & Media
3. Unique to Destination and Brand

48. Experience
On Property
4
The case of:
The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples did a
survey on Facebook and asked fans how
they take their coffee.
Visitors arriving at the hotel who had taken
part in the survey, were surprised with a
personalized cup of coffee, according to their
taste.
Source: ReviewPro

49. Low
Satisfaction
High
Low
High
Fulfillment
BASIC FACTORS
Self-evident, not pronounced,
almost unaware
Toilet’s effect: the KANO Experiential Model

50. Sharing
The Experience
5
The #1 Influential Content
Shaping perceptions and
Impacting purchasing
decisions at scale

51. Sharing
The Experience
5
The case of:
SNFCC Cultural Multifaceted Experiences
(Entertainment, Education, Exercise
Destination) is one of the most Instagramed
destinations in Greece after… Parthenon.

52. Let’s keep this in mind

53. Our Brands Are Not What We Say They Are.
They Are What Consumers Discuss
Between Them.

54. “Story-Telling” is Still at the Heart of Things,
But We’re No Longer the Authors.

55. We are the Source Material
for the New Authors.
And We Can be Damn Inspiring!

56. BECOME AN
INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER!
Do you Want to Know More and Become Better in Destination Marketing?
Contact us,
We Are Here to Support You:
MoveAhead@xplain.co XPLAIN.co