WI-FI a must have for Irish holidaymakers Webloyalty reveals the role technology plays in our holiday journey

New research by Webloyalty examining the impact technology has on our holiday experience finds that complimentary Wi-Fi is now a ‘must-have’ for Irish holidaymakers. The research entitled ‘Digital Destinations: how the web is shaping today’s holiday experience’, surveyed over 1,000 Irish people to examine their online holiday habits over the past two years.

Of those who had taken a holiday in the past two years, almost two thirds (65%) say they take advantage of free Wi-Fi at their accommodation and over half (56%) sought out free Wi-Fi at cafés and restaurants. Such is the need to stay connected, 16% say they bought extra data when away to ensure they were online and 10% had an international data deal with their mobile network provider.

The research also finds that, we are more likely to upload our holiday pictures to social media when we are on holiday (51%) rather than when we are home (47%) indicating that many of us want to show off our destination in the moment to family and friends. 

Other key findings in the research include:

• 87% of people who have been on holidays in the last two years took at least one device with them.
• Two thirds (65%) packed their smartphone, a third (31%) took a tablet and 29% say they took their laptop on holidays.
• Booking a holiday via a mobile app is relatively low with only 6% saying they have booked in this way in the last two years
• 84% of survey respondents booked their most recent holiday online
• 74% book their travel and accommodation separately

Commenting on the research Guy Chiswick, Managing Director of Webloyalty Northern Europe said, “Whether it’s researching or booking a holiday or sharing your experience while you are away, technology now plays a huge role throughout our holidays. This represents a great opportunity for travel companies to start the conversation with consumers from the very beginning at the research phase rather than waiting for feedback after the holiday has happened. With the majority of consumers uploading pictures in the moment, there’s an opportunity for online providers to boost engagement on holiday and after getting back by linking the two. Review sites can boost user-generated content by enabling ‘in the moment’ reviews for example a picture and a star rating and then asking consumers for a more in-depth review post-holiday.”