Maximise bookings with travel analytics: Turn browsers into bookers

The rush to fill seats (and suitcases)

Everyone loves a holiday, and that includes travel companies as well as us holidaymakers. The good news for travel brands is that the demand for holidays is back, but so is the competition. With squeezed margins, shifting customer expectations, and endless new destinations popping up on social feeds, the pressure is on to maximise holiday sales.

The secret to making this happen is the clever use of data. Travel companies are sitting on a treasure trove of insight – and with the right analytics tools you can dig into that data, understand what your customers really want, and use it to send personalised, timely offers that boost conversion.

Why travel businesses are feeling the squeeze

The post-pandemic travel boom gave the industry a much-needed boost. But the sector still faces challenges. The rising cost of living means that travellers are choosier, booking patterns are less predictable, and costs – from fuel to staffing – are going up. That flash sale you sent last week? It’s battling with hundreds of others in an already cluttered inbox.

Meanwhile, today’s travellers expect more. More value, more personalisation, more relevance. They want offers that feel like they were crafted just for them – not copied and pasted from a generic campaign.

So how do you meet those expectations without burning through your budget? The answer lies in travel analytics, using the data you already have to understand who your customers are, what they want, and when they’re most likely to hit “book now.”

What is travel analytics?

Travel analytics is all about turning your data into useful insight. It’s not just spreadsheets and dashboards – it’s your passport to better marketing.

At its best, travel analytics helps you:

• Understand who’s travelling, where, and why
• Spot trends in booking behaviour (hello, last-minute city break lovers 🌆)
• Predict what customers might want next
• Create targeted campaigns that lead to more bookings

Let’s say you identify a segment of customers who always book skiing holidays in February half-term. With the right analytics, you can identify them early, tailor a “Book early and save” offer in autumn, and capture bookings before your competitors even start thinking about the slopes.

From data to action: How analytics powers smarter targeting

Let’s take a closer look at how you can turn all this data into meaningful campaigns that drive bookings:

Segment your travellers 

There are many different types of holidays and holidaymakers. You’ve got adventure-seeking soloists, sun-chasing families, city-loving couples, and business travellers who just want a decent Wi-Fi connection and a quiet room.

Travel analytics lets you group people by:

1. Travel type (solo, family, luxury, budget)
2. Frequency of bookings
3. Destinations and spend levels
4. Engagement with past campaigns

When you segment your audience you can tailor your messages and offers to meet specific needs. For example, a family of four booking a school holiday trip probably don’t want to hear about a last-minute romantic getaway in Mykonos (although the parents may dream of such a trip).

Spot behaviour patterns 

Are your customers booking last minute or months in advance? Are they browsing on mobile and booking on desktop? Do they always open emails at 7am on a Tuesday? Analytics gives you these insights so you can tailor your strategy, optimise the customer journey, and run multi-channel campaigns that engage your would-be-bookers in their preferred channels.

Imagine knowing that one segment always books during lunch breaks. That gives you the information you need to schedule campaigns for midday. It's the little things that can turn a browser into a booker.

Even better, these behavioural patterns can be used to trigger automated messages that keep them engaged. You can set up gentle reminders to book or incentives to complete a reservation based on user activity, ensuring you always stay top of mind.

Use predictive insights 

Want to know who’s likely to book a summer trip next month? Or who’s ready to upgrade from budget to boutique? Predictive analytics can tell you that so you’re never relying on gut instinct.

By analysing past behaviour, you can:

• Identify who’s likely to book next
• Predict which type of bookings they’re likely to make
• Suggest relevant upsells (car hire, insurance, spa packages)
• Prevent churn with timely messages and offers

🔮 Historical data allows you to more confidently predict future activity and boost your sales.

Optimise campaigns over time

With the right marketing software you can monitor your campaigns and track what’s working – and what’s not. That means you can test and learn to maximise the performance of your campaigns, such as: 

• Testing subject lines, images, offers, and timings
• Seeing which segments respond best
• Refining your targeting to improve performance over time

Every campaign teaches you something new. And with each tweak, you get closer to the sweet spot: high engagement, low spend, and strong ROI.

More bookings, better ROI, happier customers with Apteco

Apteco’s platform is ideal for travel analytics. We can help you make sense of their data – and turn it into action. Whether you're working with CRM records, booking systems, loyalty data, or web behaviour, Apteco brings it all together in one convenient place where you can:

1. Unify your customer data to create a single customer view
2. Segment audiences with precision
3. Build and automate campaigns with ease
4. Use predictive modelling to get ahead of customer needs
5. Deliver personalised experiences
6. Track performance and refine as you go

We give you the tools to understand your customers better, engage them more effectively, and drive more bookings – enabling you to benefit from:

• Higher conversion rates: because your offers are more relevant
• Lower acquisition costs: because you’re making the most of existing data
• Increased customer lifetime value: through better upselling and retention
• More loyal customers: who feel understood and valued
• Smarter planning: thanks to real-time demand signals and insights

Travel companies already have the data they need to win more business. With the right analytics in place, you can use that data to deliver personalised, relevant offers that feel timely and thoughtful – not spammy. You’ll build trust, boost conversions, and turn happy customers into repeat bookers.

So don’t leave your data gathering dust. Let Apteco help you turn it into your most powerful marketing tool.