【Original Survey】End of 2023 400 consumers look back on the fraud problem in the "travel industry" and their next concerns and expectations - Industry trust declines 40%
The travel and tourism news site "Good Travel News Communication" conducted a survey of 400 men and women in their 20s to 50s nationwide about fraudulent activities in the travel industry (5 questions in total).
According to the survey results, fraudulent activities by travel agencies against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic are reducing consumers' trust in the travel industry, and there are concerns about fraud in public works such as large-scale international events (such as the Osaka Expo), nationwide travel support, and in-band in the future. In addition, the expectations of the travel industry are for safety, security, trust, and reliability, and it was found that there is a gap between consumer needs and the development of the travel industry in terms of travel content.
【Survey Background】
Since 2020, the travel and tourism industry has been hit hard by the impact of the pandemic. During this period, there was an increase in public works to support travel agencies, but at the same time, there was a series of fraudulent acts by travel agencies, such as fraudulent receipt of travel support services such as GoTo Travel, inflated claims for coronavirus vaccine-related projects, and bid-rigging bidding. Much of the fraud came from some of the biggest names in the travel industry. In the post-corona era, we looked back on these and confirmed consumers' awareness of travel agencies and the travel industry.
【Survey Summary】
- title : Questionnaire on the travel industry
- Announcement : Please answer in light of the respondent's view of work and lifestyle.
- Number of questions : 5 questions in total (9 questions in the main survey + 2 questions in reference (test survey)
- Date of implementation : December 6, 2023
- Methodology : Internet survey "Use of Freeasy affiliated panels" (iBridge Co., Ltd.)
- Eligibility : Equal collection allocation of 400 people nationwide / 20~59 years old (100 people × 10 years old, 50 men and 50 girls each)
[Q1] Recognition of the problem⇒ From violation of the Travel Agency Act to fraudulent conduct of public works
During the pandemic, the opportunities for travel agents to get involved in public works have increased, and new problems have emerged. The most common issues cited by respondents were "fraudulent receipt of funds in travel support projects (46.5%)" and "inflated claims in consignment projects (36%)." Compared to these, the recognition of violations of the existing "Travel Agency Act" such as "misrepresentation of travel products (20.5%)" and "inappropriate advertising content" (7%) is lower. In addition, "leakage of credit card information (31.7%)" is also recognized as a serious problem. Recently, there have been reports of system troubles on accommodation reservation sites and fraudulent practices by travel agency staff (two choices).
[Q2] Fraudulent activities and consumer ⇒: Decreased willingness to purchase travel products (approx. 70%)*
About 70% of respondents have a negative view of the willingness to buy products from fraudulent travel agents. Specifically, 32% of respondents said they would not buy as much as possible, and 34.5% said they would never want to buy one. These results suggest that fraudulent activities are likely to undermine consumer trust and, as a result, reduce travel agents' willingness to purchase products (single).
| * I was planning not to add the options "None that applies" and "Other", but I set it by mistake. Omitting them, the survey target is 324 people. |
Next, we analyzed the impact of fraudulent travel agents on the overall image of the travel industry. When asked about trust and confidence in the travel industry, 49.5% of respondents said there was no change, while 20.5% said there was a slight decrease in trust and confidence, and 20% said there was a significant decrease in trust and confidence. In total, nearly 40% of respondents felt a decline in trust, revealing that fraud is creating a new layer of concern and affecting the industry's overall image (single).
[Q4] Concerns about fraudulent activities⇒ Nationwide travel support, large-scale international events (such as the Osaka Expo), and inbound tourism
When it comes to public works related to potential future misconduct, the most common concern was expressed for "large international events (e.g., the Osaka Expo)" (40%). This was followed by 38.5% of respondents concerned about the screening process for the National Travel Support Project, and 34.75% concerned about the expansion of inbound tourism. Concerns about "large-scale international events (such as the Osaka Expo)" may reflect the memory of the injustice at the Tokyo Olympics and the sentiment about the Osaka Expo, where the budget continues to expand. Concerns about the "National Travel Support Project" may reflect memories of fraud in the GoTo Travel business. There is also growing concern about the occurrence of fraud in the "expansion of inbound tourism". From these results, it becomes clear that there is a need to ensure transparency and strengthen the monitoring system in public works (binary choices).
[Q5] Consumer expectations⇒ Gap between safety and security, trust and trust, and consumer needs and industry developments
In the survey, we asked people to choose from four options and analyzed which one they preferred in contrast. The most popular responses were "providing safe and secure travel content" (65.75%) and "trustworthy and reliable corporate behavior" (64.5%), which may reflect the influence of consumer behavior during the coronavirus pandemic and distrust of travel agencies. This was followed by "travel content suitable for Japan people" (53.24%) and "inexpensive and easy-to-participate travel content (49.25%)". On the other hand, support for "travel content suitable for foreigners" (18.75%) and "high-priced, high-value-added travel content" (16.75%) was low, indicating that there is a gap between consumer needs and the development of the travel industry (four choices).
| [References 1 and 2] are the results of a test survey conducted on the same theme among 279 active workers working in 16 industries in early November, prior to this survey. Although the sample size is different, here are the answers to questions that are different from the main survey. |
[Reference 1] Responsibility ⇒ It is a problem almost within the organization, and the government, industry groups, and especially the mass media are low.
Regarding the location of "responsibility for misconduct and problems," we have subdivided the internal and external stakeholders of the company into options. About 80% of respondents said that "managers and executives" were most responsible, followed by about 60% of respondents who pointed out that "middle managers" were responsible. On the other hand, the perception of responsibility for the "national government" and "local governments" and "industry associations" that supervise travel operators remained in the 20% range. Moreover, in terms of the "press" it was no more than 5%. Based on the results, active workers surveyed pointed out that the responsibility for fraudulent activities is only an internal problem of the travel operator. The fact that the responsibility of the media was rated at 5% or less may indicate that the role of the media in monitoring and reporting is not expected (three choices).
In addition, the low score (4.3%) of the PR department alone within the company may suggest that active workers rate the role of the public relations department in the company poorly. Therefore, it is possible that they compared the general employee with the public relations department and chose the general employee. On the other hand, the public relations department is tasked with monitoring misconduct within the organization by maintaining moral standards within the company and acting as a social window. This role is important for corporate transparency and accountability. The public relations department of Japan company disseminates only convenient information, and as the basis of public relations, Public relations It may be that the practice of (creating a desirable relationship between the organization and society) is being neglected.
[Reference 2] How to take responsibility⇒ Seek improvement (approx. 80%)
About 80% of respondents answered that "improvement is needed" when asked how to take responsibility for fraudulent travel agents. If fraud is found in a public works, there is a tendency not to be criminally prosecuted, but only to refund the fraudulent amount or suspend the appointment of the public works (single).
In the case of inflated claims for the coronavirus vaccine business by a major travel agency, the names of many of the municipalities involved remain undisclosed. When the editorial department asked the public relations department of the travel agency about the reason for not disclosing the name of the municipality, they replied, "We cannot disclose it (from our company) because the local government is refraining from making it public." The budget for the coronavirus vaccine project between travel agents and local governments shows the lack of awareness of the use of tax money by the public.
[Efforts by industry groups to prevent recurrence]
The Japan Association of Travel Agents, a major industry organization, announced on December 7 that it will strive to prevent recurrence by establishing a committee of experts on compliance and a whistleblowing consultation desk to address fraud problems in the industry. Specific measures to prevent recurrence are scheduled to be compiled by the end of this fiscal year. On the other hand, there have been a series of fraudulent activities in the past, as travel agencies have appealed to consumers and shareholders by expressing their commitment to compliance and governance on their official websites. Based on this, it will be interesting to see how the Japan Association of Travel Agents will announce its evolved compliance plan.
| * The contents of this survey can only be published by the media. Please contact us if you are interested in the press. Depending on the content of the project, we will also consult with you about the provision of raw data. |
[Survey] Good Travel News Communication about
"Good Travel News Newsletter" (officially released in June 2022) is a news site that handles the latest information on travel and tourism-related topics such as local tourism, accommodation, food and drink, transportation, and travel goods. In addition to news reports, we also distribute guide content such as "National Local Office Cafeteria" to increase "good travel" throughout Japan. That's why we also look at the negative aspects of the travel industry. We receive a variety of information from the field of the travel industry.
