Dear WuBookers,

at the TTG Travel Experience, the fair for the promotion of tourism that took place in Rimini in mid-October, the focus was placed on tourism situation after the year of the lock-down, and on new tourism trends in 2021.

Among the most interesting evidences that we have noticed are the data relating to the e-commerce of the tourism market which has started to grow again, as noted by the Digital Innovation in Tourism Observatory, reaching a share of 10.8 billion euro (+ 51% compared to 2020). A figure that goes hand in hand with the growth of online travel bookings: as many as 65% of bookings made are made from desktop and 35% from mobile.

In this scenario of growing importance of tourism digitalization, Neverending Travel has been included among the 2021 tourism trends. We tell you what it is and what you can do to attract new bookings thanks to this tourism innovation trend.

What is Neverending Travel?

The pandemic has led to a reformulation of the desires of travelers and of the 2021 tourism trends. No more hit-and-run holidays but the desire to get to know the travel destination in depth, often thanks to technology.

Neverending travel extends the tourist experience before and after the trip, for example with the offer of online content (how long have you not updated your blog?), cooking courses related to the territory (Airbnb docet!) Or an e-commerce of typical products.

How neverending travel works ?

The first step is to share digital content to attract people. The emotional impact of images, videos or stories is a lever for the enhancement of the territory, especially of lesser-known villages. Taking care of your social channels is now essential. In your blog, on the other hand, you can provide information on the location from your point of view, or recommend the best restaurants to eat, green beaches or unmissable museums, in order to capture attention.

During the stay, it will be necessary to offer experiences that allow people to get in touch with local realities, be they typical products or craft brands, cooking classes, the same goes for farm experiences, making available agritourisms or real farms. These are just some of the endless possibilities.

Finally, the link with the tourist destination remains thanks to the post-travel service. 42% of the structures are thinking of having an e-commerce for the sale of handicraft products. Since this is an important step, we advise you to evaluate it well. Instead, among the activities that you can do more easily is that of the newsletter, a really useful tool to continue to stay in touch with the people who have stayed in your structure, providing information, news from your territory, thus fueling the desire to return. In Zak WuBook, for example, always in the cloud and within the various tools of the Zak suite, you will find the Email Branding module, which you can use to communicate directly (manually or automatically) with your customers in professional and safe manner. Take a look here to brush up on some features.

In summary, neverending travel is based on the ability to create a pre–holiday engagement, offering experiences that can be used during the stay and, finally, an e-commerce service or post-travel content.

An example of neverending travel: Sciacca – The city of the 5 senses

Ok everything sounds amazing, but are there any examples? We tell you about one. is a project to enhance the territory and the cultural, natural and artistic heritage that corresponds perfectly to the description we have just given you. Reality of craftsmanship and hospitality, tourist guides and the citizens themselves, with competence and passion, have organized a set of experiences and hospitality dedicated to those who visit the city and the area. The revolution underlying the project is that all the people, who are part of the community, helps and supports each other, driven by a single vision: to welcome those who travel as if they were a temporary resident. A winning strategy that is capable of attracting new smart workers.

The extension of the tourist experience, at the basis of the concept of neverending travel, cannot be separated from a digital implementation, providing for a new tourist offer made up of contents and services to be distributed through digital channels.

Is neverending travel an opportunity? Yes, when it offers a tourist experience that can be continuous and not limited to the traditional holiday period: just think that in 2020 39% of properties hosted clients in remote working.

Digitization in the hospitality sector starts from the website

As you will have understood, in a hyper-connected world, where the real and the virtual are mixed, the website of your property is increasingly important. A usable site rich in well-distributed content of interest, combined with an effective booking engine suited to the needs of the structure and its target, really make a difference on the percentage of direct bookings. Easy use from all devices and booking orientation are the key elements for the proper functioning of the site and for obtaining the maximum conversion from the digital activities implemented.

A site for b&b, holiday homes or apartments that performs well and brings you reservations? The answer is our Zak Mini Site

In Zak, our cloud management software that also offers you channel manager and booking engine in a all-in-one interface, we have added an internal area called Mini Site that allows you, with just a few steps, to create your web pages and related content. A real professional site or a simple and clean mini site, you choose how to structure it. Obviously the booking engine will be the heart of your site, with prices and availability always updated by Zak. At WuBook we always think of everything!

Do you want a site that increases your bookings? Contact us for all the info!