Is Europe ready to offer an effective digital experience to travellers? UNGUESS enables users to test the websites of the main European cities

The study "The state of digitalisation of European tourism", carried out by the innovative SME in collaboration with the research centre of the Politecnico di Milano School of Management, highlights the level of digitalisation reached by the most visited European destinations before the pandemic.

MILAN, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic has indiscriminately affected the economy worldwide and, in particular, the travel sector where a change of pace in the way people travel has caused a drop in revenue of between 40% and 90%^(source). To cope with this change, many tourist sites will have to reckon with and rethink their offer, starting with their online websites.

To meet the needs of travellers, UNGUESS conducted the study "The state of digitalisation of European tourism: a challenge between destinations", in collaboration with Osservatori Digital Innovation of the Politecnico di Milano School of Management.

The details: between June and July 2021, UNGUESS selected the 17 most visited European destination websites in 2019^(source) and engaged members from its community of users aged between 20 and 35 to discover the advantages and critical issues of each site (download the full study here).

The study findings: we must start from the basics of design to improve website user experience.

• With excursions being the first information sought by the sample before booking, only 9 out of 17 cities offer the possibility to buy excursions online.
• In 23% of cases, the purchasing website was not found, although it was present (UX issue).
• The tourist card is the tool for strengthening the brand of the location, but only 9 out of 17 cities offer the possibility to buy a card on the destination website.
• All sites present information on local mobility, but only 20% of cities show information on sustainable mobility.
• The Net Promoter Score (NPS) goes up where more services are available but especially if the website offers an effective user experience.
• The study revealed the need to start from the design basics of the UX of the traveller's first point of contact, especially that of a foreigner when deciding on a destination: the website. It is necessary to invest in the UI, and subsequently the UX, of the digital journey. To discover more results, you can download the study here free of charge.

"The search for information is a fundamental part of the user's journey that influences both the choice of the destination and the activities to be carried out while travelling. The survey revealed the need to start from the basics in the design of the user experience at the first occasion of contact with the traveller, the website," says Eleonora Lorenzini, director of the Osservatori Digital Innovation in Tourism of the Politecnico di Milano.

The study identified the information most sought after by users on tourist websites, but also highlighted how unintuitive it is to find it on websites. "Richness of functionality and user-friendliness are the most powerful driving force for generating a positive visitor attitude and consequent economic revenue. The real challenge is to keep these two often conflicting elements together. The only link that can hold this union together is the interface, the first contact that users have with what they seek. Then it is important to invest in the User Experience. End users, like real people from our community involved in this study, browse websites according to their habits. This is crucial to understanding what leads them to return to a given website or look elsewhere. These are virtuous modes of behaviour that can make the difference in the success or failure of your digital product or service," concludes Luca Manara, CEO and co-founder of UNGUESS.

UNGUESS's profile

UNGUESS is the tech-platform to bring collective wisdom in your decision making processes, fast and at any time needed. Its three powerhouses are Technology (flexible and easy to use platform with integrated digital solutions), People (its community and the team) and Methodology (fast, effective and consistent solutions delivered successfully across different industries and geographies). Its services include Software Quality Assurance, UX Optimization, Customer Experience & Insights and Ethical Hacking.

Angela Meduri, +39 3474211995, angela.meduri@unguess.io 

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