With 94% of people bringing at least one mobile device when they take personal vacations and 97% bringing at least one device on business trips, according to results of the 2014 Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index, modern travelers are showing an ever-growing deep dependence on their mobile devices.
A global study of mobile-device-related behavior and preferences among 8,856 employed adults across 25 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific by online travel site Expedia.com and its business travel brand Egencia revealed mobile devices effectively serve as a concierge, guide and companion for travelers.
On the whole, 76% of travelers say their smartphones are “very important/critical” to their daily lives, 70% say the same about their laptop and 48% say the same about their tablet device.
Indians are the most dependent on smartphones with 95% categorizing the device as “very important/critical.” The world’s least smartphone-dependent people can be found in Norway, where only 57% consider their smartphone to be critical/very important.
More than one-third (35%) of the world’s travelers use their smartphones more when they travel than they do at home.
Complimentary Wi-Fi top hotel perk
Given the ubiquity of mobile devices in travel, travelers increasingly prioritize Wi-Fi accessibility. Fully, 56% of travelers report Wi-Fi availability and pricing impact their purchasing decision when selecting a flight and hotel.
When asked to rank mobile-related hotel amenities, leisure travelers ranked complimentary Wi-Fi first, ahead of high-speed Internet access, wired in-room connectivity and a business center with computers and printers. Business travelers deem complimentary Wi-Fi even more important, with 86% of travelers rating it as very or somewhat important when booking a hotel for business travel.
While laptops and desktop computers are the most common way to book travel, 78% of business travelers have used their smartphone in a travel-planning capacity, and 71% use tablets.
The most common uses for both devices are managing itineraries (37% and 32%) and researching destinations (35% and 32%). Other popular activities are shopping for hotels, receiving flight alerts and checking in for flights. Globally, 28% of employed adults who own a mobile device have used a smartphone or tablet to book a hotel.