Both the Boston Globe and Travel Weekly articles, posted previously, mentioned that tour operators specializing in women’s travel have a high repeat customer base and rely heavily on word of mouth for new customers. And it’s no wonder. Searching on the web is overwhelming.
A Google search for Adventure Travel for Women gave 63.5M results ranging from articles ranking adventure packages and experiences, to the tour operators and travel agents that can make them a reality.
Google Search Screen Shot: Adventure Travel for Women, February 2018
Looking for an escorted tour of Europe catering to women, or, an independent travel itinerary? Well, wade through these 47.1M results.
Google Search Screen Shot: European Tours for Women, February 2018
And if you narrow your search down to Girlfriend Getaways you only have to look through 1.6M options!
Google Search Screen Shot: Girlfriend Getaways, February 2018
Going through just the first page or two of results for each search and trying to compare between multiple open browser windows would take hours (too many clicks!) and only scratch the surface.
How about OTA’s? Wouldn’t Expedia or another online travel agency have been a good source? No. No they wouldn’t. A recent search for Girlfriend Getaways on Expedia came up with just one listing…for Daily Deals…that did not connect to anything having to do with the subject.
Expedia Screen Shot Search: Girlfriend Getaways, February 2018
Expedia offers a couple of filtering options on the nav bar. Things To Do takes you to a page based upon whatever destination you were already searching and let’s you know activities available in those locations. But those activities don’t have lifestyle or genre filters.
Expedia Screen Shot: Collections Nav Selection, February 2018
Clicking on Collections in the Expedia nav bar brings you to a first page which is bereft of a filter for women’s travel. There are a few enticing options that might do, like Gastronomy.
Expedia Screen Shot: Collections Cities, February 2018
However, when you click that link you come to a page highlighting foodie cities and once you click through to your city of choice….
Expedia Screen Shot: Collections Hotels, February 2018
…you’re served up a list of hotels. No restaurants. No cooking classes. No fresh markets or anything that would go into creating a fabulous gastronomy tour. Disappointing.
So where can one search and sort options by theme, destination, activities, length of stay, and more? Where are the independent reviews in a simple interface? Without a third party filtering options there are no user reviews, just testimonials – definitely not the same thing. Word of mouth has always been a travel supplier’s best source of new business. But few travel businesses can survive on word of mouth alone. Even women using a Travel Agent are apt to go on the web first to do a little research.
Which brings us back to Google. Too many clicks! And legacy OTA’s are not built as experience finders but rather airfare and hotel room night peddlers. The tech is out there. The inventory is out there. The legions of women travelers are out there. I’m working to put them all together soon.
If you’d like to see video of the top three web searches click below:
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