Today, millions of people all over the world enjoy traveling both for business and pleasure. The average person visits at least 14 different countries in their lifetime, with UK residents alone making over 65 million visits overseas in a single year. Many of those travelers use the internet heavily when researching, planning and booking their trips. Sites like TripAdvisor, Expedia, Trivago and Booking.com are just some of the popular travel websites that help to arrange the perfect holiday. Any website that bases its business on the travel and tourism industry needs translation services to ensure that their site is properly localized. That’s why every business should be aware of the importance of website localization services.
The Importance Of Localization Services To The Travel And Tourism Industry
Many travel and tourism websites are created originally in the English language. However, the native English market is only a tiny amount of the entire market. Only a quarter of all people in the world are capable of speaking English at even a basic level. Therefore, if travel sites only address those with English as their native tongue, only around 20% of the potential market is being targeted.
If a visitor arrives at a website that has no content in a language they can understand, they’re more likely to go elsewhere. As a result, a customer is lost. It only makes sense that customers only browse websites in depth when they can understand the information and content that is being presented to them. This is why localization services are so important. By utilizing translation services to localize a travel website, users will use its services, regardless of which language they speak.
Removing The Barriers
Professional translation services offer the best way to break down the barriers caused by cultural and language differences. It isn’t only website language translation – it’s also about removing the cultural barriers that could stop travelers from wanting to visit the country. Professional website translation services will use keywords and phrases to appeal to each target audience so that the message appears to originate from the same culture.
Protecting The Country’s Economy
Localization services don’t just help the travel brands to reach a wider target audience, they also help the country itself. Language and culture barriers are likely to deter travelers from visiting that destination. This prevents countries from benefiting from the additional revenue that tourism can bring in. For some countries, this is a substantial proportion of the nation’s GDP. Visitors spend money in hotels, restaurants, attractions and shops in their chosen destination, driving up the local economy. Therefore, it couldn’t be more important to optimize travel and tourism websites for an international audience in order to maximize income.
Preventing The Possibility Of Errors
Without effective localization for a travel and tourism website, customer errors can occur. It can be very easy for non-English-speaking travelers to misunderstand terms and conditions surrounding bookings, misread pricing or be confused about what is included in the cost of their reservation. This can cause a loss of confidence in the brand and as a result, overall revenue can be negatively impacted.
It isn’t all about desktop sites either. Travelers today need a range of localized tools when they’re going overseas. More people are now using smartphone or tablet apps to plan their trips while on the move. This means that apps and mobile versions of travel and tourism sites need to be fully localized too.
Website Translation Services – Helping Travel Brands To Expand
Although investing in website language translation may seem expensive, it is a necessary expense if travel brands wish to expand and grow. By utilizing professional translation services, it’s possible to maximize revenue. When potential travelers from all over the world are able to fully understand every element of a tourism website, they are much more likely to book a trip. Localization services can help companies such as Expedia expand and improve by removing cultural and language barriers that prevent travelers from taking the next step towards making a reservation. As a result, the brand benefits and so does destination the country as a whole. Without translation services, the potential for an expanded market is exponentially reduced.
So, don’t risk turning clients away and profit from Future Trans’ website localization services and contact us today.