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TRUST levels in travel suppliers and travel agencies in Indonesia (RI) will directly influence the speed and significance of the local travel industry’s recovery, according to new independent research commissioned by worldwide leader in travel retail, Travelport.
The research also revealed the top three areas that travelers in the country say have the biggest influence over their trust: COVID-19 health and safety measures, price transparency and information credibility.
Travelport study of 11,000 travelers across 10 countries, including 1,000 in Indonesia, was conducted by Edelman Data & Intelligence (DxI), the research and analytics arm of Edelman, which has studied trust for over 20 years through the Edelman Trust Barometer. It uncovered clear evidence that, in Indonesia, trust directly influences traveler purchasing behavior.
Due to COVID-19, for example, over half (54%, versus a global average of 46%) of travelers in the country said they prioritize trust over all other factors when choosing a travel supplier (such as an airline) – more than those from any other country included in the study.
Many travelers in Indonesia also stated, when trust is in place, they will consider purchasing multiple travel related items (69%), upgrading their package (66%) and buying non-travel-related items such as credit cards (51%) – once again higher levels than in any other country assessed.
According to President Director of Galileo Indonesia Perdana, Travelport’s Official Partner in Indonesia said 67% of Indonesians trust the travel industry – the highest number globally. But the research has also highlighted the most important issues for them. The industry must build on its position of trust by focusing on these areas, and thus accelerate industry recovery.
“The most important trust-building area for Indonesian travelers was whether a travel company had implemented COVID-19 health and safety measures, with 56% naming it a top priority – the highest globally, and 12 percentage points higher than the global average of 44%. Going forward, however, around one in three said they would like more reassurance on how robustly some measures are being enforced, in particular, improved air filtration, social distancing and contactless services,” he said.
Meanwhile Gary Harford, Regional Director, APAC Operator Territories at Travelport said the travel industry should be proud of how quickly and effectively it responded to COVID-19. What we learned from the study, however, is that travel suppliers and agencies will benefit from being clearer in their communication on certain measures, like social distancing.
“The importance of price transparency can’t be overstated. To put it into context, having fully flexible or refundable products is a full 11% more influential on trust than an airline’s long-term safety record. The request from consumers here is clear; the time has come to eliminate hidden fees and improve the overall transparency of pricing and communication,” Harford concluded. [traveltext.id]
