Why Travel & Hospitality Companies Must Localize Their Content

With customers who speak many different languages, companies in the travel and hospitality industry can set themselves apart from competitors by localizing their websites, mobile apps, and other digital content. In our new #TravelLocalization series, we break down everything you need to know to take your travel company global and reach your global audiences. In this post, we explore some key industry trends that are influencing and transforming the global travel and hospitality landscape, what this means for your travel-related business, and how you can start taking action to begin reaching and engaging new international travel audiences. 

Global Tourism on the Rise

Today, over one billion people travel to foreign countries annually, spending over $1.15 trillion USD on things such as transportation, lodging/accommodations, food/drinks, entertainment, and shopping in their new destinations … a statistic that is expected to continue growing exponentially. In fact, an industry report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that the number of international tourists will almost double by 2030, bringing it to over 1.8 billion travelers.

And as we move towards 2030, international tourist arrivals in emerging economy destinations at double the rate. Emerging economy destinations include Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa. On top of this, these emerging economies will also see their own increase in tourism, specifically as the middle class in regions like China are growing in size and wealth, resulting in increased tourism across tourist hot spots in Europe and the States.

Why Travel & Hospitality Companies Localize Content

In order to speak to these growing international tourist consumer audiences, travel companies will need to get in the minds of these new travelers think of creative ways to build content that resonates beyond their current market. One of the most effective ways to do this is through localization – translating and adapting your current content for the local audience of your respective target audience. Whether your travel, tourism, review or hospitality company does business overseas or strictly within your own borders, in today’s go-global mentality, you need to understand the importance of these foreign travelers and find a way to connect with them.

How to Take Your Travel Website Global

Looking for some more actionable steps for taking your travel website global? Check out our #TranslationmMustKnows series, built to equip everyone in your localization process – from developers to localization managers – with the knowledge and resources necessary for achieving translation and localization success. Explore the full series to learn everything you need to know for translation success:

• 6 Things to Keep In Mind When Selecting Content to Localize
• 2 Simple Ways to Calculate Your Translation Budget
• How to Easily Automate Your Localization Efforts
• 3 Steps to Successfully Maintain Your Global Websites
• 3 Ways to Build an International URL Structure
• 5 Resources for Translating & Localizing Your Content

Get The Complete Guide to Travel Localization

In today’s global world with rising rates of tourism and increased wanderlust amongst the generations with the highest purchasing power, it’s important to understand how to connect with your travel audiences across the world. Whether your travel, tourism, review or hospitality company does business overseas or strictly within your own borders, you can set yourself apart from competitors with effective localization.  In our latest Travel & Hospitality Localization Guide, learn all the fundamentals of travel localization – from how to invest in it and critical elements to be aware of when marketing to multilingual audience, to how your travel company can effectively localize across websites, mobile apps, and other digital content. Download the complete Travel & Hospitality Localization Guide to learn how to take your travel-related company global.