Creating Seamless Travel Experiences With The Right Payment Methods
The tourism industry has been a huge contributor to the revitalisation of the UK's economy. In fact, between inbound and outbound travel to and from the UK, the tourism industry is projected to be worth over £257 billion by 2025, factoring in almost 10% of the UK GDP. For travel agencies, this growth underscores a need to be more adaptive and proactive to contemporary traveller needs.
Today, among the most relevant travel agency initiatives is adopting contactless payment methods, as around one-third of all local payments are now done this way. However, it's important to make sure we're offering the right payment methods. These should not only help make transactions easier and more secure for customers, but be beneficial for the travel agency, as well. In this post, we'll explore some of the ways we can work towards more seamless payment methods for the best travel experiences:
Improve credit card processing
While brick-and-mortar travel agencies are still relatively popular and draw in significant amounts of cash payments, travellers today show a preference for paying with their cards. This is especially true among younger generations, who now hold the most purchasing power. As such, using a mobile card machine that accepts contactless payments is ideal for travel agents. Some providers offer devices that accept major credit cards, along with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay, while staying compliant with the Payment Card Industry Security Standard for safer payments across the board. The more payment flexibility you offer travellers — along with the added comfort of knowing that their private information is secure and safe — the more likely they'll want to use your travel agency services.
Improve the post-ticketing sales process
It may be a trivial detail, but focusing more on aspects such as increasing hotel attachment rates can benefit your travel agency's growth. We've previously written about the need to innovate the post-ticketing sales process and how dismissing hotel attachment rates may harm your potential income as an agency. For example, measures such as tracking unsold hotel opportunities and using those insights to provide suggested hotels and rates in follow-up e-mails can make a difference and boost hotel attachment rates. For travellers, working with an established post-ticketing sales agency can be mutually beneficial since it allows them to make seamless travel additions. This means that customers can enjoy an inclusive travel plan through a single agency’s integrated payment channel rather than making redundant transactions.
Double down on cybersecurity measures
With so many new payment methods being introduced into the market today, don't overlook the security aspect of these new technologies. Keep in mind that cybercrime in the UK has increased by a massive 40% in a single year. As our financial transactions take on more and more digital forms, it's important to set cybersecurity protocols in place. On your end, make sure you implement sufficient data handling measures in your own organization. This includes boosting your firewall, using a VPN, investing in the latest antivirus tech, and limiting who has access to your customer database. Through this, you can ensure that sensitive banking information is less likely to be breached. These steps can also further enhance the credibility of your payment methods and improve your agency's reputation.
Ultimately, ensuring a seamless travel experience requires a focus on continually improving payment processes and post-transaction handling, all while taking the necessary safety measures to protect your customers.
The above tips can help you do just that.
