Eight out of ten travel agencies allocate a maximum of 10% of their revenue to innovation, according to industry professionals surveyed by the National Observatory of Outbound Tourism (ObservaTUR) on behalf of Beroni, based on a questionnaire sent to a sample of 5,000 agencies.
Specifically, half of those surveyed say they allocate up to 5% of their revenue to this area, while nearly 30% say they invest between 6% and 10% of their revenue. Two out of every 10 respondents, on the other hand, allocate between 11% and 20% to this area.
Another key finding from this survey is how respondents rate the level of technology in their businesses; the majority (53%) consider it to be moderate, while 30% of participants believe it to be high or very high, and 17%, on the other hand, consider it to be low.
Half of the travel agents surveyed through ObservaTUR believe that their businesses are only moderately technologically advanced.
A lack of financial resources (70%), difficulty finding the right partner (40%), and a shortage of qualified staff (37%) are the main obstacles to full digitalization, according to respondents interviewed by the technology company through ObservaTUR. The difficulty in making medium- to long-term decisions is also a widely cited reason among respondents, who were able to select multiple options in the survey.
According to the ObservaTUR study conducted for Beroni, the areas in which travel agencies invest the most are process management and internal operations, digital marketing, websites and e-commerce, and staff training. Cybersecurity and cloud-related investments do not rank highly among the respondents.
According to Josep Bellés, CEO of Beroni, the most striking finding of the study is the small portion of their budget that half of those surveyed allocate to innovation—even though it is one of the cornerstones of the future of travel agencies—especially given that the Digital Kit program is still open, offering non-repayable grants for the first time, something unheard of in our sector, as agencies have never before had the opportunity to access specific funding to adopt new technology that helps them improve their business. I am also concerned by the study’s findings regarding the low level of investment in cybersecurity or in storing their data in the cloud.”
A lack of financial resources, difficulty in finding the right partner, and a shortage of qualified personnel are likely the main obstacles to full digitalization
The areas in which travel agencies invest the most are process management and internal operations, digital marketing, websites, and employee training
Cybersecurity and investments in cloud computing do not rank highly among the respondents' priorities
