Self-guided trip platform expands into themed travels
Nov 06, 2019 (Gmt+09:00)
Planning a trip is no vacation. Booking a flight and hotel isn't the end and searching for activities and mode of transportation is a must. This is why vacation packages were born. It became a solution to customers who wanted to travel without the fuss. The idea was to eliminate the headache out of vacation planning, but the result wasn't so fun. Consumers turned away and self-guided tours began taking over, especially among 20- and 30-something travelers.
Revisiting the red ocean industry
Self-guided travel platform My Real Trip is going against the market trend. It jumped into the vacation package market, which doesn't jive with its own business model. Lee Dong-gun, CEO of My Real Trip, said, "We knew that adding a variety of contents on top of the comfort of vacation packages would drive a market change." Lee singled out "discomfort" as the reason why the packaged vacation market took the plunge. Cutthroat competition among service providers led to forced shopping trips and undesirable extra options. And demotivated tour guides, who get uncompetitive pay, failed to deliver a satisfying experience for tourists. But the biggest problem, Lee said, is how the tour groups are made up. Dozens of people ranging in all age groups with different interests and preferences call for trouble. Discomfort looms on all sides and no one enjoys anyone's company.