Enthusiasm for travel remains strong,
particularly for European markets following a surge in post-pandemic travel
demand. Expedia Group's Q3 Traveler Insights report shows demand held steady for
Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with search volumes growing both
10% quarter over quarter and year over year. Additional research has shown that
this holiday season also looks promising for travel providers in the region,
with outbound travel from the United States to Europe up 21% compared with 2022, according to Allianz Partners' 2023 European Holiday Destination Index.
To take advantage of this growing demand,
travel providers in Europe have an opportunity to attract and engage travelers
throughout their entire purchase journey, from inspiration to planning and
booking. Recognizing this, Expedia Group has further solidified its presence in
the region with several new and expanded travel partnerships. Spanning across
B2B technology supply and advertising deals, these new collaborations will
help partners across the region accelerate their businesses and gain coveted high-value
travelers from around the globe. With flagship brands like Expedia, Hotels and
Vrbo, Expedia Group's platform delivered over 300 million net room nights to
lodging partners and approximately 50 million booked air tickets in
2022.
Showcasing Europe's charms through targeted advertising campaigns
Travel advertising can be highly
influential, especially at the start of the travel shopping journey. On
average, nearly 1 in 5 travelers (19%) said advertising influenced their
decision to book a trip, according to Expedia Group's most recent Path to Purchase study. Destination marketing organizations
(DMOs), travel brands and suppliers throughout Europe are partnering with
Expedia Group Media Solutions to unlock unique advertising opportunities that
inspire more travelers.
For example, the Croatian National Tourism
Board (CNTB) developed a series of impactful campaigns targeting both European
and U.S. travelers, highlighting Croatia's unique charm and natural beauty.
European travelers were encouraged to explore Croatia beyond the familiar
through gallery spotlight pages. The promotion connected the CNTB with Expedia
Group's high-value travelers, resulting in a 10% increase in the average daily
spend year over year on Expedia channels during the campaign period. In addition, travelers
from the U.S. were inspired to visit Croatia's distinct regions and
experiences through the "Always in Season" campaign. During the
CNTB's targeted campaign, Croatia experienced a 10% uplift in demand from U.S.
travelers across Expedia channels.
The European Travel Commission (ETC)
recently launched its "Creative Cities of Central Europe Campaign."
Running from August to October 2023, the campaign highlighted the undiscovered
culture, natural beauty and history of the Visegrad countries of Czechia,
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to U.S. travelers.
While bespoke campaigns make a big splash,
there are many other ways for travel providers to see results with impactful
advertising solutions. Deutsche Hospitality, which unites eight brands like the
prestigious Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts under one roof, is leveraging
Expedia Group Media Solutions' TravelAds and display advertising solutions to
help raise visibility and bookings among high-value travel shoppers. These
sponsored listings directly target the hundreds of millions of monthly visitors
to Expedia Group's websites, enabling partners to connect with the right
audience at the right time.
Purpose-built technology accelerates growth for European businesses
The era of digital transformation has
changed travelers' needs and expectations. Companies that embrace technology
are better positioned to expand their reach and connect with travelers. It's
for this reason that Germany's largest automobile association, the Allgemeiner
Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), has partnered with Expedia Travel Agent
Affiliate Program (TAAP) to give ADAC's travel agencies access to Expedia
Group's vast inventory of travel products, including hotels, flights, rental
cars and activities. The partnership enables Expedia TAAP agents and agencies
to access a range of Expedia Group technology and tools, including a virtual
agent that allows agents to self-serve and find answers to common questions,
quickly search for information or modify bookings.
Expedia Group's White Label Template
provides the building blocks a partner needs to deliver better traveler
experiences from booking to servicing, enabling partners to take advantage of
Expedia Group’s extensive supply. The tailor-built solution provides the
customers of our White Label partners with an end-to-end travel experience on a
site that is branded for the partner. Partners enjoy the same technology and
supply that powers our consumer sites while delivering a more personalized
experience to their travelers.
Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost airline,
is leveraging the White Label Template to launch “Ryanair Rooms.” The new
feature will enable Ryanair customers to book a hotel directly with their
flight. Customers can also use Expedia Group's AI-powered Virtual Assistant to
manage their booking. The tool uses natural language processing to enable
self-service, helping to resolve traveler queries quickly. In addition,
Icelandair will launch the Saga Club travel site, where loyalty members can
access Expedia Group's global supply of hotels, car rentals and activities to
redeem and earn Saga Points. By leveraging Expedia Group's White Label
Template, these partners will also benefit automatically from Expedia Group’s
platform updates as they happen, ensuring their customers are getting access to
the most seamless travel experience possible.
Supplying Europe's travel ecosystem
Research from Expedia Group shows that European cities saw significant increases in
search growth, with some cities, including Rome (30%) and Florence (40%),
experiencing double-digit increases in search volume. Partnering with a
platform such as Expedia Group creates opportunities for lodging and
transportation suppliers to sell, cross-sell, upsell and package their
inventory to unlock incremental demand.
Turkish Airlines offers exclusive discounts
to Expedia rewards members, driving better conversion and boosting revenue. The
carrier recently expanded Expedia Group's Member Only Deals to European
travelers after successfully launching in the U.S. The U.S. program,
conducted during the first six months of 2023, resulted in a 15% uplift in
ticket-booking volume on member-only deal routes for Turkish Airlines. Spain's
flagship carrier, Iberia Airlines, has expanded its direct new distribution capability
(NDC) connection with Expedia Group. As a result, millions of travelers who
shop for and book Iberia flights can now enjoy more options to easily customize
their travel on multiple European points of sale.
For travelers who choose to rent a car
during their trip, Expedia Group is also expanding its car rental offering in
the region through a series of new partnerships. Collaborations with leading
car rental companies, including Alma, Drivalia, Green Motion and Record Go,
will increase the distribution of rental cars available on the Expedia Group
platform, providing travelers more choices.
Expedia Group's supply lodging partners –
including Sonder and TravelStaytion – offer dedicated booking experiences for
fans attending the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League through Expedia Live. The
partnership attracts high-quality travelers by giving them an unforgettable
experience.
As demand for Europe gains momentum, it's essential to team up with the right technology, advertising and distribution partner to respond to the market conditions in the region. Expedia Group's commitment to innovation helps partners excel in today's landscape through technology, distribution and media solutions that power travel and accelerate growth for its European partners.