Future trends in travel content

With ITB Berlin 2020 ahead we had the chance to speak to Kim Ciarlo, Content Editing Team Lead at GetYourGuide, a Berlin-based travel company that provides experiences for travellers all around the globe.

GC: What are the most pressing challenges for the travel industry in 2020?

Kim: The two biggest challenges are differentiation and the way users and customers are behaving. I have seen a huge change from when I started in the travel industry over 7 years ago to how it is now. Certain behaviours are still the same, but earlier you had bigger buckets of people behaving in the same way. Now, it is getting more and more fragmented, meaning smaller groups that behave in a certain way. But if you write for just one type of person, then maybe you are missing out on others. This is a challenge because appealing to a large audience is important. This also affects scalability. How is it possible to keep writing everything manually? It is great to have the possibility to outsource and scale up whenever that is needed.

GC: What role will user-generated content and AI play?

Kim: For now, our largest bulk of content is product-related. What is the experience about? What does the user need to know to book? In addition, we create other types of content which are connected to destination landing pages. For example, Paris: Where is the Eiffel Tower? In future, there might be other types of content, like user-generated content that we can collect and moderate. These are things that we are not yet working on, but I see them as possibilities for the future. 

Systems such as these have the potential to ease our workload and make us more efficient, as well as writing more accurate and relevant content. For now, it is less work for a human being to write from scratch. But this will definitely change. 

GC: How do you value localising content?

I myself speak several languages so I do have an advantage, but I know that this is not the case for most. So, there are a lot of challenges that can be overcome by having the website localized. But, this is not just about simply translating! Customers must have the feeling that when they look at the website, no matter if it is Italian or French, etc., that this is how the website originated. They will then understand that this is content relevant to them.

GC: Why does content still matter?

My team takes care of the majority of the product content. If you want to book a tour in Bali for example, then this is the information you will need to find. You need to know where it is, what it is about what you are going to do, for example. We get the information from suppliers, which is then copyedited.

GC: Are you using content types like photos and videos?

I have a very strong focus on photos and videos in general, so that is definitely something I look forward to. But, the creation process takes time and requires resources. A lot of variables need to be considered, but at the moment, we are still very much in the testing phase. 

GC: Why is GetYourGuide going to ITB Berlin 2020?

From ITB Berlin I expect inspiration, innovative ideas, maybe collaborative possibilities and even to consider options that we don't even know about. We want to find new collaborations, new companies that have a joint interest. And, of course, additional insights from the industry. 

Of course, I am also very much looking forward to meeting greatcontent in hall 5.1. 

About GetYourGuide

GetYourGuide is the booking platform for incredible travel experiences. Travellers use GetYourGuide to connect with the best things to do wherever they're headed ? including skip-the-line tickets to the world's most iconic attractions, walking tours by top local experts, immersive food and beverage tours, cooking and craft classes, bucket-list experiences, and niche offerings you won't find anywhere else. Since its founding in 2009, travellers from over 170 countries have booked more than 30 million tours, activities, and attraction tickets through GetYourGuide. Powered by a global team of over 600 travel experts and technologists, the company is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and has offices in 15 countries around the world.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GetYourGuide
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getyourguide-ag/