1) The document discusses travellers' intended future strategies for finding and booking things to do on trips. It analyzes survey results from 893 Finnish travelers on their expected use of online and mobile channels. 2) The results show that frequent travelers and more skilled internet users intend to rely more on personal mobile devices during trips for both finding information and making bookings. 3) This indicates attraction and activity suppliers will increasingly distribute offerings online at destinations. However, pre-trip searching and booking was still preferred by most respondents.

1. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 1
Travellers' intended future trip
arrangement strategies for things to
do during a trip: Implications for
travel distribution
Niklas Eriksson
Arcada University of Applied Sciences, Finland
niklas.eriksson@arcada.fi
http://www.arcada.fi

2. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 2
Introduction
• Travel distribution is in constant change and has emerged into a
complex structure (Kracht & Wang, 2010; Rensmann & Klein, 2011).
• The emergence of a hybrid era of three screens – computer, tablet
and smartphone – is further driving the change. (Thakran & Verma,
2013)
• Many travellers are nowadays connected to the Internet in all stages
of the traveller life cycle (e.g. Hjalager & Jensen, 2012).
• The activity and attraction sector of the travel and tourism market
sets a high focus on at destination distribution (Schott, 2007).
• Intelligent and context-aware mobile services aimed at the traveler
on the go may change the distribution of attraction and activity
services.
– Very little seems to be written about how the distribution may change

3. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 3
Objective
• The aim of this study is to investigate
travelers’ intended future trip arrangement
strategies for things to do during a trip
• To discuss the implication this may have for
travel distribution
– The focus is on the mobile ICT channel

4. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 4
The mobile ICT channel
• Increase in mobile use
– In the third quarter of 2013 the number of mobile subscriptions
increased to 6,6 billion globally and the number is expected to
grow to 9,3 billion by 2019 (Ericsson, 2013).
– In Finland the use of smart phones doubled between 2010 and
2011 and in 2013 61% of the population (16 – 89 years) had a
smart phone (Statistics Finland, 2014).
• Increase in mobile use in travel and tourism
– Both travellers and travel managers expect mobile bookings to
reach 25 percent of online transactions by 2017. (CWT Travel
Management Institute, 2014)
– The smart phone is influencing peoples’ everyday life and the
travel experience (Wang et al., 2014).
– Traveler use of mobile devices should not be overestimated for
travel related activities such as bookings (Douglas & Lubbe, 2014)

5. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 5
• In distribution of attractions a priority is often
placed on at destination distribution (Schott, 2007).
• For example direct sales on location, including
walk-ins and calls, and in-direct through local
tourist offices and travel agencies (Fodness &
Murrey, 1999).
• Pre-trip distribution is conducted through direct
web-sales and, depending on the target groups,
different types of distribution channel mixes are
executed e.g. through a wide range of middlemen
(Pearce & Tan, 2006).
Distribution of
activities and attractions

6. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 6
Distribution of
activities and attractions
• Online middlemen that focus heavily on a mobile
strategy or even mobile only strategies
– For example GetYourGuide and Viator are aggregating
tours and activities online.
– Different online travel agencies (OTAs) have also been fast
to move into three screen solutions
– Groupon is heavily relying on the mobile channel to provide
the best local deals for e.g. different types of travel services
Drive cybermediation
• The attraction and activity sector in travel and tourism
is less connected to global distribution systems (GDSs),
e.g. Amadeus, than the hotel and airline industry

7. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 7
Travelers’ trip
arrangement strategies
Strategies Look strategy Book strategy
Pre-trip - I try to do these types of
information searches before the trip
- I try to do these types of bookings
before the trip
During a trip
Off-line
- I visit the hotel reception or local
tourist offices
- I use paper brochures
- I call or visit local travel suppliers’
sales office
- I visit a local travel agent
During a trip
service
provider device
- I use Internet services with a device
provided by the hotel, Internet café
etc.
- I use Internet services with a
device provided by the hotel,
Internet café etc.
During a trip
personal laptop
or tablet device
- I use Internet services / mobile
services with my personal laptop or
tablet device
- I use Internet services / mobile
services with my personal laptop or
tablet device
During a trip
personal
smartphone
- I use Internet services / mobile
services with my personal mobile
phone / smartphone
- I use Internet services / mobile
services with my personal mobile
phone / smartphone
*I believe that I in the future primarily look for information regarding things to do during a trip e.g. attractions and activities….
** I believe that I in the future primarily book things to do during a trip (e.g. attractions and activities)….
* **

8. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 8
Research Questions
• RQ1: What are the respondents’ intended future look and book
strategies for things to do during a trip?
• RQ2: Are the respondents’ intended future look and book
strategies similar in character
• RQ3: Is there a difference in the respondents’ intended future
look and book strategies between frequent travellers and non-
frequent travellers?
• RQ4: Is there a difference in the respondents’ intended look
and book strategies between low- and high-skilled users of the
Internet?
In answering the four research questions -> gain some answers to
implications for future travel distribution of things to do during
a trip.

9. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 9
Data collection
• A large scale quantitative online survey in
Finland was conducted in order to answer the
RQ:s.
Variables Sample
N = 893
Variables Sample
N = 893
Gender
Male
Female
24,1%
75,9%
Internet proficiency
High skilled user of the Internet
Low skilled user of the Internet
75,7%
24,3%
Age
18 – 35
36 – 50
51 – 60
> 60
40,9%
41,4%
13,6%
4,1%
Travel frequency (business and/or leisure)
Frequent traveller
Non-frequent traveller
26,1%
73,9%

10. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 10
The intended future
look and book strategies (RQ1)
The proportions (N = 893)

11. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 11
The similarities between the intended
look and book strategies (RQ2)
Book strategy
Look strategy Pre-trip
During
trip
offline
During trip
service
provider
device
During trip
personal
laptop/
tablet
During trip
personal
smartphone Total
Pre-trip
340
75,7%
80
55,5%
23
28,0%
23
16,0%
7
9,5%
473
53,0%
During trip offline
43
9,6%
35
24,3%
10
12,2%
7
4,9%
0
0,0%
95
10,6%
During trip service
provider device
21
4,7%
16
11,1%
39
47,6%
8
5,6%
6
8,1%
90
10,1%
During trip personal
laptop/tablet
34
7,6%
12
8,3%
8
9,8%
95
66,0%
5
6,8%
154
17,2%
During trip personal
smartphone
11
2,4%
1
0,7%
2
2,4%
11
7,6%
56
75,7%
81
9,1%
Total
449
100,0%
144
100,0%
82
100,0%
144
100,0%
74
100,0%
893
100,0%
Symmetric Measures:
Cramer's V value 0,457, approx. sig. 0,000
Contingency Coefficient value 0,715, approx. sig. 0,000

12. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 12
Travel Frequency (RQ3)
FT: N = 217
non-FT: N = 676.

13. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 13
Internet proficiency (RQ4)
High-skilled:
N=660
Low-skilled:
N=233

14. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 14
Implications
• Especially many frequent travellers and/or skilled
users of the Internet intend to rely on their
personal mobile devices in during trip settings in
the future for both look and book strategies.
• Indicate that attraction and activity suppliers are
increasingly moved in the direction of online
distribution at destination.
• Note: the pre-trip look and book strategy was preferred by
a majority of the respondents. Also ‘during trip offline’
scored high proportions
– Traveler use of mobile devices should not be overestimated

15. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 15
Implications
• Opportunity for actors that focus on context aware and
smart mobile booking solutions for the attraction and
activity sector
– SMTEs have limited resources to invest in technology (Schegg
et al., 2013)
– Schegg et al. (2014), who looked particularly at hotel
distribution, the growth of the direct online distribution in the
future is scant as OTAs have the resources to apply new
technology and the market position to drive cybermediation.
– Ease, simplicity and reputation are key factors for visitors to
use intermediate channels in travel distribution (Pearce &
Schott, 2005).

16. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 16
Limitations
• Sample
• Speculative in nature as it may be hard for travellers to
predict their future intentions to make trip arrangements
– Especially when it comes to the mobile channel which has evolved
rapidly during recent years
– Longitudinal studies based on actual trip arrangements may
provide a better base for predicting future market structures
• Future studies could include information and booking
sources in order to capture differences between direct and
indirect mobile bookings
• The travel market is highly complex in nature and the impact
of ICT on the market structure is hard to estimate
(Rensmann & Klein, 2011).

17. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 17
Thank you!

18. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 18
References
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Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.cwtinsights.com/CWT-tap-into-mobile-service.pdf
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Ericsson (2013). Telebriefing: Ericsson Mobility Report - On the pulse of the networked society,
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19. ENTER 2015 Research Track Slide Number 19
References
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