Samenvatting

In recent years there has been a noticeable change in how people book their holiday. In the past traditional travel agencies were the places go, with offline stores and direct face-to-face contact with experienced travel agents. Nowadays, however, the internet plays an important role for companies to keep up with the big players, and it’s no different in the world of travel agencies. Studies by ING and Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) have shown that over the last couple of years there has been a notable rise in online bookings: 4 out of 5 times holidays are booked via the internet. Due to this, traditional travel agencies have to go along with the trend of online booking, otherwise they won’t survive.
D-reizen is one of the foremost Dutch traditional travel agencies in the Netherlands. In this study, research has been conducted on how D-Reizen presents itself in relation to its customers, and recommendations are given in how D-Reizen can cope in the age of the internet.
First of all, research has been based on the buying behaviour of Dutch people regarding holidays bought in 2013 (CBS, 2013). Though the number of people going on holiday has been stable since 2002, the last couple of years the destination of holidays have been closer to home, due to the economic crisis. Customers are more conscious about money; the average spent on a long holiday in a foreign country is 810 Euros per person. In total D-reizen has three target groups, divided by age: people of 25 - 44 years old, 45 - 65 years old and 65 - 75 years old. D-Reizen offers suitable travels for each of the age groups, while in co-operation with travel operators.
An important key factor that has led D-Reizen to become an important player in the online market was the decision to become a part of the combined travel agency D-RT Group. This agency, also consisting of VakantieXperts and the German company Raffeisen Touristik Group (RTG), made sure it had a wide and strong online base so it can compete with the rest of the online travel agencies.
An internal and external analysis of D-reizen has been made in order to identify it’s SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats):
- Strengths: Being independent and a market leader, maintaining good relations with many travel operators and the concept personal travel agents.
- Weaknesses: Website not having RWD and lack of knowledge of its staff.
- Opportunities: Online marketing, customisation and introducing new concepts.
- Threats for D-Reizen: Unfamiliarity with the internet, other competitors, knowledge of staff and heavily taxed holiday pay.
In order for D-reizen to cope with the trend of online booking it is recommended to go with a mixture of functional and competitive strategies. The only way for a travel agency to survive is to remain relevant. This can be achieved with the concepts they offer, online marketing, the services they provide and by having both offline and online stores. Furthermore, it is necessary to continue exploiting technological opportunities, collaborating with other parties in this industry and using online marketing effectively through personalisation and customer service. By doing so, D-reizen will have an added value for customers and will be better able to cope with the trend of online booking.