The differences between business and leisure travelers

By Jumia Travel Tanzania

2016 is over, and has been substituted by 2017 towards a long-run of 12 months to come. The tourism sector is still a strong foreign exchange earner, generating US $ 2.2 billion during the previous year.

According to a report by the Tanzania Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Phillip Mpango, about 1,020,816 tourists entered the country in the duration between January and October 2016.  

The hotel business involves several categories of customers such as business and leisure travelers. These two types of travelers have got their preferences and in order to win them, hoteliers must make sure they meet their needs and wants. Jumia Travel (www.travel.jumia.com) shares the differences between business and leisure travelers.

Business travelers

Location is key to them: Business travelers are very selective with the location where they will stay due to their tight schedules. For example, being at a hotel just a few meters away from a conference center is an advantage to them. Therefore, this is a key point to be noted by hotel managers when they market their hotels.

To be connected all the time: Business travelers like to stay in a place where there is a guaranteed electricity, and internet connection. This will guarantee a full-time connection for their devices such as laptops or smartphones as well as be assured to get in touch with their clients and colleagues.   

Loyalty: Hotel managers should invest in winning their customers’ loyalty. For instance, business travelers have a tendency to stay in the same hotel regularly once offered the best services. Most importantly, they rarely find enough time to look for other alternatives due to their fixed schedules.

Collective services at one point: Business travelers prefer a place with all their necessary services available, to simplify their routines. For example, services such as breakfast, coffee maker or ironing in the morning. Hence, a hotel with such amenities has got a chance to fit this kind of travelers.

Leisure travelers

Cost sensitive: Since they are traveling for leisure, this group usually is searching for best hotel deals to cater their needs. To win leisure travelers, hotel managers must be clever in offering best price deals to beat others in the market.

Consider reviews and recommendations: Most of the time leisure travelers seek advice from their family, friends and colleagues before making decisions. Recommendations from their closest people do matter a lot and play a great role towards their decision making. From this point, hoteliers must consider following and working on reviews left by their customers on different platforms.

Attracted to special offers: There is nobody who doesn’t like an offer, and since this group’s top priority is to have leisure, they consider much hotels which offering the best offers to them. Hoteliers are advised to be very creative in designing special treatment to their customers.

Exceptional services: Exceptionality in business must be highly considered so as to differentiate your business among others in the same field. Leisure travelers like to go to places having unique amenities such as fitness gym, spa services, water sports, a boat trip to an island and so forth.  

In order to have a successful business, one must be aware of the needs and preferences of the customers for both business and leisure categories.