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Bookability in a time of uncertainty

Wednesday October 14, 2020

When a socially distanced Les Misérables concert went on sale this week, the tickets sold out in less than 48 hours, even amidst the current uncertain landscape. Consumers are desperate to return to some degree of “normality” with regards to travel, entertainment and cultural attractions, and whilst we all recognise that this return may still be some time away, ensuring that your bookability and distribution are “match ready” has never been more important.

As countries across the world face new waves of restrictions, and businesses face renewed uncertainty, our minds turn to survival. And rightly so. But just as individuals have been taking the time to undertake “life maintenance”, now is the time for businesses to ensure that they are fully bookable across the entire distribution landscape for when the months ahead are a little more certain.

With that in mind, we wanted to share our “bookability maintenance” tips:

  1. If you haven’t already got online bookability on your own website, then make that a priority. This will allow you to take bookings and payments online. Either choose from one of the booking systems connected to TXGB, or use TX Load (the manual loading part of TXGB).
  2. Remember that social media can be used to grow bookability too. Putting book buttons on your social media posts costs nothing and will drive visits and sales via your website e.g. via Facebook.
  3. Make sure you’re connected to your local destination website – this offers a low commission sales channel targeting consumers who are already interested in your destination. It’s really easy to opt into destination websites from your TXGB account and, as they work on a direct payment model, you receive payment at the time the booking is made. The most recent VisitBritain consumer sentiment tracker shows a marked increase in people looking to book domestic trips via a destination website.
  4. Think about your distribution plan, so that it covers direct sales, OTAs (especially useful for international reach), but also niche channels – such as the Rugby League World Cup Squad Trips platform (a TXGB exclusive) – that help you reach your target audience. There are already over 120 distribution channels to choose from on TXGB so pick from those that work for you.

We recognise that the months ahead are going to bring challenges, but believe that by getting a solid foundation for bookability in place, businesses will be well positioned to respond to the pent up demand when it returns domestically and, in due course, internationally.