Many Singaporeans love to travel and with the increasing number of people desiring to see new things, personalized traveling has become a new business opportunity for some startups in the city-state.
According to Channel News Asia, Anywhr is one of the startups that is changing the way travel bookings are being made. The company now has thousands of people booking for trips compared to when they started with just hundreds of clients.
The idea of visiting places that most people still don't know is conducive to unique travel experiences that many Singaporeans are starting to appreciate. Ting Xuan, a travel counselor, said personalized travel allows a traveler to venture into "less crowded places" where the destination's culture can be experienced in solidarity.
Ting added that she is among traveling citizens who would rather see places unexplored. She said she likes "hidden gems" as she explores the place with a flexible itinerary that does not limit what she can do when she travels.
The travel model that Ting and other backpackers experience with personalized traveling has found its way into the brilliant minds of travel agencies focused on providing people with a custom-developed plan for their trips.
Anywhr stands out in the business of traditional travel planning. The company makes travelers take personality quizzes to learn more about the kinds of trips and adventures they're looking for.
Personalization of trips continues to gain traction as traditional travel agencies start closing down. The downtrend for traditional agencies was felt by the entire world when Thomas Cook collapsed last week.
Industry experts noted that travel companies of today should start adapting to changes in traveler behavior such as wanting new experiences and not just the usual packaged deal that sees sight-seeing and souvenir-buying sprees.
A recent contributor report on Forbes noted that travel firms of today should also start focusing on what a client really wants besides the destination. Offers should be more personalized to make sure a traveling group or individual is catered to appropriately.
In personalized travels, industry experts said providers should leverage advanced technologies available today such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data so they can make more relevant offers.
Even in China, designing personalized tour packages is becoming more rampant. Customized travel first popped up in the country in 2000 but took a slower turn. Since 2016, growth in the segment has been unstoppable.
Shanghai-based online travel agency, Ctrip, said earlier this month that travel reservations in this segment saw a hike of 180 percent last year. It remains to be seen how personalized travel will also start gaining popularity in other Asian countries.
