PhoCusWright Long Tail Predictions

PhoCusWright, the travel industry research authority released their five predictions about the future of the long tail in travel. The article is excellent and is a clear acknowledgment that technologies such as online booking systems and tour operator software specifically designed for sme tour operators are where the industry is going. Bob Offutt states:

“There are low cost and shareware packages that provide the capability for a small travel supplier to accept and confirm reservations online. With the low cost of hardware, it only takes a small investment to put a simple reservation system online. We are seeing a proliferation of these systems from parking reservations to dining, bed and breakfast (B&B) reservations, preshipped luggage, weather, traffic, flight information and event tickets.”

We have known for several years that the landscape of travel, especially online, was changing. It is very re-assuring to see that groups like PhoCusWright have done the work to justify our business model and prove that the traditional model of distributing travel products has to change in order to compete in the new travel marketplace.

In summary, the five predictions are:

• The little guy’s (product, channel, site, business) influence is significant
• The sum of the niches is embraced
• The 80/20 rule is debunked (“law of the vital few”)
• The size of your reputation matters more than the size of your marketing budget
• Distressed, “out of print” or discontinued product now has value

Sphere: Related Content

Similar Articles

• The Long Tail of Travel
• Web Reservations International and Boo.com
• Steve Barnhart, CEO President Orbitz: Economics of the Long Tail
• Overview of Global Reservation Systems Tomorrow - Today
• PhoCusWright Travel Innovator: Adventure Link