Marketing strategy for travel metasearch business in ASEAN: a comparative case study between Singapore and Thailand

This research paper aims to study the needs, wants, expectations and desires of travelers in Singapore and Thailand with respect to the travel metasearch business. This paper recommends relevant marketing strategy based on qualitative and quantitative research conducted. The travel metasearch industry has shown growth potential in the ASEAN region along with the rise of disposable income of the middle-class population and their subsequent desire to travel more and explore the world around them. Both Thailand and Singapore has exhibited that growth in recent years as the GDP per capita of Thailand and Singapore is consistently increasing and it has resulted in an increased desire for travel amongst Thai and Singaporean people. The travel metasearch business is a highly competitive one globally with international players like Kayak, Skyscanner and Trivago all vying for market share. Having already established their presence in developed markets, they have, in recent years, been turning their attention to ASEAN as they see the opportunity to expand their business in this region. The size of the total addressable travel market in ASEAN is massive. The key to success for a travel metasearch business lies in its marketing strategy and how quickly and effectively it can acquire new customers and retain them to maximize customer lifetime value. In short, the opportunities are endless and the lion’s share of the market will belong to the travel metasearch company that can effectively deploy a world-class marketing strategy that is localized by country and yet regional in scale to reduce costs and maximize effectiveness. Online surveys were conducted with a sample size of 400 respondents in Singapore and Thailand. The results from my research showed that there is a strong relationship between customer behavior and the 4Ps Marketing Mix. In terms of marketing mix importance, respondents voted in favour of Product. To conclude from this study, the target market for travel metasearch business should be upper-middle class travelers, who are in the age range of 18 – 44 years old, and have an average monthly income higher than SGD 4,000 or THB 100,000 respectively.