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ONLINE travel agent (OTA), Tiket.com believes flexibility is a crucial part of building trust in the travel industry, especially when consumers face uncertainty.
“As consumer expectations increase, booking platforms must be efficient and adaptive, as well as responsive to emergency situations. Ultimately, in an unpredictable world, flexibility is not just added convenience; it is the primary foundation for building trust,” said Tiket.com co-founder and CEO Dimas Surya Yaputra in a Jakarta press release on Thursday, (07/24), 2025.
Technological advances over the past 14 years have simplified the travel planning process. However, disruptions caused by external factors, such as extreme weather, operational issues, and geopolitical situations, can render even the best-laid plans obsolete in a matter of hours.
According to TravelPerk data, 78% of global travelers experienced travel disruptions throughout 2024. Forty-three percent of these travelers experienced delays of more than an hour, while 27% faced cancellations.
Similar conditions occurred in Indonesia. In February 2025, extreme weather in Bali and West Nusa Tenggara disrupted dozens of flights. Then, in June, the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki disrupted routes to and from Bali and Labuan Bajo.
Not only was tourism affected, but business travel was too. As many as 85% of business travelers reported decreased productivity due to disruptions, with 45% being late or unable to attend important meetings. Furthermore, 40% incurred additional costs, and over a third worked overtime due to delays.
Approximately 80% of travel change requests on the platform ticket.com were due to personal reasons such as health issues, bereavement, and visa problems. This suggests that the demand for flexible travel services is growing beyond emergency situations.
Dimas concluded that consumers are now more selective when choosing travel services and consider flexibility, among other factors. Flexibility is also a key foundation for building consumer trust in the travel industry. [sources/photo special]
