June 11th, 2024, Samuel Tan
From Expedia to Tripadvisor, how effective are major online travel agencies in Thailand at converting awareness of their brand to an intention to book their next trip on their platform?
In today’s competitive travel market, brand conversion is essential for online travel agencies (OTAs) to maintain and grow their market share. Analysing data from YouGov BrandIndex – which continuously tracks key measures of brand health on thousands of companies around the world every day – we compare how successfully the most well-known online travel agencies in Thailand have been at guiding travellers and holidaymakers down the conversion funnel, as of the first four months of 2024.
Stage 1: Awareness – Which travel agencies are most well-known in Thailand?
Agoda leads the pack in brand awareness – more than half (56%) of Thais have heard of the Booking Holdings subsidiary – with Traveloka (47%) and Booking.com (46%) following at some distance.
Just under two in five Thais are aware of Trip.com (39%), which is a distance ahead of Expedia (29%) and Tripadvisor (21%).
Stage 2: Consideration – Which travel companies are best at guiding consumers from discovery to evaluation?
When it comes to converting awareness to consideration, Agoda comes out on top again: close to three in five (58%) Thais who are aware of the platform would consider making travel bookings with it.
Meanwhile, over two-fifths of Thais who are aware of Traveloka (45%), Booking.com (44%) and Trip.com (42%) would consider bookings with each platform the next time they travel, compared to around a third for Expedia (34%) and quarter for Tripadvisor (25%).
How did consumer consideration of major online travel agencies in Thailand change week-by-week across the first quarter of 2024?Get full report
Stage 3: Purchase Intent – Which travel agencies are best at getting consumers ready to purchase?
When it comes to being the top choice for consumers who are ready to make a booking, Agoda extends its lead over its closest rivals. Among Thais who consider the platform for travel bookings, about half (51%) are likely to choose it for their next trip.
“Agoda's dominance in brand awareness and subsequent stages of the purchase funnel can be attributed to its strong brand trust and visibility, as well as effective marketing mix. Agoda's strategic promotions and comprehensive service offerings are well aligned with customer expectations resulting in an impressive performance”, said Eva Stewart, Global Sector Head of Travel and Tourism at YouGov.
In contrast, closer to a third of Thais who are considering Traveloka (36%), Booking.com (35%) and Trip.com (29%) say they are most likely to use these platforms the next time they make travel bookings online, while less than a fifth of Thais who are considering Expedia (17%) and Tripadvisor (8%) express the same likelihood.
How did purchase intent towards major online travel agencies in Thailand change week-by-week across the first quarter of 2024?Get full report
This article is part of our regional series on the Purchase Funnel performance of Online Travel Agencies across key markets in APAC. Read the companion pieces for other markets below:
Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Awareness scores measure whether consumers have ever heard of a brand. Consideration scores measure whether consumers would consider a brand the next time they are in the market for a particular product or service. Purchase Intent scores measure how likely consumers are to purchase from a specific brand, out of various brands they would consider buying from. Learn more about BrandIndex.
Cover Photo from tawatchaiprakobkit