Website Localisation Solutions For The Travel & Hospitality Industry

The travel business and the internet are interconnected with each other in countless ways. In fact, the internet has completely changed our travelling habits: We rely on online resources when we make destination choices, book transport and accommodation, pick sightseeing spots to visit, etc. It is obvious that businesses in the travel industry must use website translation and localisation services to attract customers with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Today we will look at some typical website translation needs of the travel industry and discover how recent developments, changes and trends can be strategically considered for successful website localisation.

Using professional translation services for all sorts of websites in the travelling industry – a long-established, indispensable standard practice

Many different businesses as well as public institutions are involved in the travel and hospitality industry. That is why the spectrum of travel related websites for which localisation solutions are requested is very broad and includes (among many others):

– Websites of hotels/hotel chains, airlines and tour operators; while many sections of such websites (particularly booking-related information, purchase conditions, etc.) typically require very precise and accurate translations, other sections (those with a PR and advertising function, destination guides, etc.) are often transcreated rather than translated; a professional website translation service agency will advise you which website localisation process should be taken

– Accommodation profiles on booking sites; as typically there is very limited space on such websites, accommodations have only a couple of sentences to convince customers to stay with them; multilingual creative copywriting that considers culture-specific preferences can help accommodation owners post the right content to succeed and land deals with guests

– Booking platforms for transport & accommodation; operators of such websites often also have their own apps, which means that besides website translation services they also require app and software localisation

– Online guides; translation solutions for this type of websites are typically requested by public tourism authorities; providing multilingual information will not only attract tourists, but can also help communicate importantmessages on responsible travel, environmental protection, safety issues, etc.

Developments, trends and changes and their significance for successful website localisation in the travelling business

Website localisation as in the examples above has been indispensable standard practice for a long time. However, the development of new trends in travelling and internet usage has led to a strong demand for many new online content and website translation solutions, that were pretty much unheard of before. Trends come and go, and companies and institutions know that it is essential to constantly adapt PR and advertising strategies to win customer loyalty in the tourism industry. Let’s look at some of the key issues/developmentsover the past few years and see how they are reflected in online content/website localisation service needs:

– Over the last decade, the one big group of tourists that no country could possiblyignorehas been from China; this has led to a spectacular surge in demand for website translations into Chinese

– Many tourists want to experience an immersive local lifestyle and rent properties from individuals rather than hotel accommodation; that is why more and more individuals want to have information on their property professionally translated

– Many travellers have developed a strong awareness regarding climate change, environmental protection and sustainability, and consider all those factors when they make purchase decisions; that is why airlines that share information on emission compensation programs or hotels that inform prospective guests about measures they take to protect the environment, etc. in different languages will have a significant competitive edge

– Many countries have recognised the problem of overtourism and now try to re-direct visitors to less frequently visited areas; online travel guide translations can be an efficient tool to do so

– When they are touring around, most travellers will access websites from their mobile phones, which makes responsive design solutions indispensable; IT engineers’ expertise has often proved indispensable in the localisation process for mobile websites

– Years ago we mainly relied on recommendations by friends or relatives, but now social media postings, blogs/vlogs by influencers and online reviews have a massive impact on the destination, accommodation and service choices that we make; tourism enterprises should not remain passive; options to actively engage in online activities include social media campaign localisationor publication of own travel blogs with multilingual copywriting services

Adhering to long-established standard practices and responding to new trends: A winning combination for website translation in the travel business

As you see, website localisation has played an indispensible role in the travel and hospitality industry for many years. More recently changes in the industry, new travelling habits and trends of internet usage have also had an impact on what type of online content needs to be translated. A quality language service provider can help