Travel marketers just need to shed their 'one-track' marketing approach

"NOT all those who wander are lost," once mused The Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien. And why would they be, with the advent of technology?

Thanks to Google Maps and Uber, gone are the days of fearing disorientation and feeling obliged to follow a pre-drawn path on a paper map. Even in unfamiliar cities, we can now head off the beaten path, but easily recalibrate and get back on track. To book flights and hotels, we would previously consult brick-and-mortar travel agencies and select from a few given options. Today, we can piece together our own travel itineraries with little to no human interaction - we take digital detours across the Web to shortlist the most suitable alternatives, before settling on an online purchase.

Consumers can now make dynamic, seamless and informed travel plans on PCs, laptops and mobile devices. While technology has presented an unprecedented growth opportunity for travel businesses - with digital travel sales in the Asia-Pacific region worth US$121 billion by the end of 2015 - the emergence of self-reliant and digitally enabled travellers means traditional travel suppliers are bypassed and no longer privy to consumer travel preferences. Travel marketers who fail to understand online consumer behaviour and offer personalised digital options will be left "holidazed" - losing out on 21 per cent of potential revenue.