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Privileges, upgrades, and tailored surprises: travellers have been updating their holiday wish-lists to be authentic and aspirational. With travellers’ demands surpassing the want for all-inclusive meals, brands must learn to surpass meeting basic needs, and immerse travellers in the authentic and meaningful holidays they crave. Barclaycard’s secure tokenisation, selective sharing protocols and aggregation unlocks value for guests and brands – with paramount privacy, travellers can relax knowing that their data is safe and that they will find a sunbed (if that is their personalised recommendation).
 

How personalisation is set to transform travel experiences

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all package tours and cookie-cutter itineraries. Today’s travellers want journeys that resonate with their unique interests, passions, and aspirations – experiences that go beyond the ordinary and leave an indelible mark on their lives.

For tour operators and travel brands, this shift presents an unparalleled opportunity to differentiate themselves and build lasting relationships with their customers. By leveraging the power of data and technology, providers can craft bespoke journeys that not only meet but exceed the expectations of even the most discerning travellers.

Securely identifying individual travellers

Personalised travel relies on the ability to securely identify and understand individual travellers. Our new research, surveying over 500 travellers, revealed that 84% are open to sharing personal or biometric data for a smoother travel experience, while 77% are already familiar with the concept of digital IDs.¹

Using advanced security measures that protect customer data across multiple devices, travel brands can safely store and verify personal information while ensuring that sensitive details remain confidential. With advanced biometrics further enhancing the experience by delivering seamless visitor identification while preserving privacy, these digital profiles can serve as the foundation for hyper-customised recommendations.

Traveller aspirations: supporting local communities

Modern travellers aren’t just after a cushioned lounge chair, they crave personalised experiences that can immerse them in their passions and enrich their lives. With growing interest in supporting local cultures and communities, nearly two-thirds of travellers would opt for a trip that explores activities within local communities regardless of price.² Employing intelligence frameworks such as segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP), travel brands can activate growth-oriented trip features that cater to the unique ambitions of each individual and perhaps benefit the local communities of these destinations.
 

Brand reputation through payment data

Payment data is an essential item for the flight towards personalised experiences, with 61% of travellers willing to share their travel payment data in exchange for tailored travel promotions and recommendations.¹ Jamie Evans, Director of Travel, Hospitality and Leisure at Barclaycard Payments highlights, “Successful travel brands understand that the payment process is an extension of their brand”, resulting in an opportunity to strengthen a brand’s identity and reputation through customer experience. This not only allows brands to gain reputation but also valuable insights into the financial context of each traveller through payment data.

The journey of tokenised card history and travel spending patterns can be taken further through consented wallet integration which provides indicators of willingness to pay. By securely integrating payment data into broader analytics, travel providers can improve targeting and offer flexible financing options. This enables brands to be held accountable for a seamless experience, by crafting dynamically priced offers that align with individual budgets and preferences.

Transformative experiences for brands and travellers

By recognising and catering to the diverse needs of travellers – from family holidays to adrenaline-inducing adventures – the industry can highlight its commitment to delivering meaningful and memorable experiences for all. Whether it be an ability to pay in their own currency for international travellers, or a tailored shopping recommendation for domestic holiday-goers, personalisation can promote a sense of comfort that can only be matched by a perfectly soft pillow. Through streamlining logistics, close collaboration, and mutual understanding between provider and traveller, hospitality brands can deliver experiences that resonate as more of a journey to brand loyalty, rather than simply a trip.
 

The future of travel

As travellers demand unique experiences tailored to their individual preferences, brands must position themselves as stewards to a unique journey by leveraging secure identity protocols, STP marketing, and payment insights data. With Barclaycard’s data frameworks, brands can identify preferences, entitlements, and other behavioural signals from payment data into unified customer profiles to craft itineraries that meet and anticipate the needs of each traveller. Travel operators’ understanding of individual preferences will ensure they take-off with travellers because in the world of travel, personalisation is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity.

¹Barclaycard Payments consumer research conducted by Maru, February 2024.
²Source: Inclusive Travel Insight Report, Expedia Group, 2022.

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