Subsciption models, an opportunity to restart tourism

The forced cessation of most tourist activities has challenged several industry mechanisms, but at the same time has led players to adopt new business models or take inspiration from other sectors.

This is the case of the so-called subscription models, i.e. offers based on periodic, often monthly subscriptions, similar to what we experienced with TV on demand services or with gyms, a model that the European Travel Commission also supports in its recommendations to restart tourism.

How and where have these models been applied to travel & tourism?

The pandemic has increased the demand for long-term stays and there are innovative portals as well as traditional platforms that have adapted their offerings on a subscription basis to accommodate the demand driven by the workcation trend.

Similar mechanisms can be found in offers for digital nomads, such as subscription rates for 29 consecutive nights within CitizenM‘s Global Passport network.

In addition, there are many proposals focused on co-working spaces, such as Selina, which offers a monthly subscription for accommodation, use of working spaces and some interesting extra activities.

Finally, Tripadvisor has recently launched its Plus Program, which is very similar to a loyalty programme, where the user who subscribes receives, among other things, a series of discounts for the facilities affiliated with the platform.

At Twissen we observed that the growth of the Subscription economy and the emergence of new tourist behaviours are giving rise to new opportunities and business models that allow, among other things, greater customer loyalty.

Francesco Redi

President and founder at Twissen. Manager in Local Development, Tourism Policies,  EU Funds. He cooperates with several European universities, public bodies, development agencies, DMOs and enterprises.