Asia’s New Last-Minute Booking Habits Open Ways to Generate More Demand Across Travel Ecosystem

Asia's domestic travelers and their last-minute booking habits are opening new ways for travel operators in the region to generate demand. Mobile and social media, already gaining traction before Covid-19, have risen in eminence as sales channels. Providers that are adjunct to travel, such as ridehailing, food delivery or chat messenger apps that have huge local followings, are increasingly seen as effective partners to reach the domestic market. Live streamings — whether outright tactical sales or inspiration sessions to induce desire to visit — are on the rise. Dramatically-shortened booking lead times, coupled with technology-savvy Asian customers, have “significant ramifications for our industry as it looks to rebuild,” said Cyril Tetaz, executive vice president, airlines, of Amadeus Asia-Pacific. For a start, airlines, hotels, and tour operators now have a much shorter window of opportunity to engage travelers, and urgently need to adapt their marketing and busine