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ABTA 2014: Holiday ‘advent calendars’? They could become all the rage
The travel industry can benefit from the current shift from materialism to experientalism, author James Wallman told delegates attending the Travel Convention in Ljubljana.
Instead of people buying more and more goods, they were attempting to find happiness through experiences, said the writer of the widely-acclaimed book Stuffocation.
He said the travel industry should capitalise on this by providing different ways to increase a customers enjoyment of a holiday.
Citing MyThomson’s travel app as a good example, Wallman said it enables people to start enjoying their holiday before they go away. In particular, the countdown to the holiday it provided ‘amplified their anticipation’, he said.
However, the MyThomson app gets only a two-and-a-half-star rating on iTunes and four out of five stars on Google Play. Nevertheless, Wallman urged delegates to do something similar, suggesting other travel companies could provide clients with ‘holiday advent calendars’.
"It’s providing free happiness!" he said.
Companies should also think about ways to ‘amplify anticipation’ after clients return from their trips.
"If you do things like this you are really making a good start," he said.
Wallman said the travel industry needed to become evangelists for experientailism, spreading the word that happiness was found in experiences, not in material goods. He said it had ‘a pivotal role to play’ in encouraging people to switch from materialism to experientialism.
"Everytime people are faced with a choice between more material stuff, such as a new cooker …or a or an experience such as a trip to New York..you want to make sure they make the right choice.
"Do this and I think you will be leading your business on the straightest road to success."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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