The year 2026 has opened in a context of significant international instability.
Geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and shifts in global flows continue to influence traveller behaviour, making it increasingly complex for the tourism sector to rely solely on traditional forecasting models.
Tourism, historically sensitive to global dynamics, now operates in a scenario where demand no longer follows linear patterns. Booking windows shift rapidly, markets react asymmetrically and travel decisions become more fragmented.
In this environment, the challenge for hospitality is no longer simply to predict the future, but to interpret in real time what is actually happening.
From Historical Forecasting to Reading Intent
For years, tourism forecasting has relied on seasonality, year-on-year comparisons and consolidated data. While still valuable, these approaches are becoming less sufficient in a market shaped by multiple external variables.
In recent years, a paradigm shift has emerged: observing travel intent as it forms, before it converts into bookings.
Searches on official hotel websites, selected dates, source markets and the evolution of interest over time become critical signals to understand how future demand is moving.
Data-Driven Decisions to Guide Hotel Strategy
Within this context stands Optimand, the first platform focused on real-time tourism demand analysis since 2017, now used by international hotel brands.
Optimand differentiates itself from traditional Revenue Management software by offering an integrated view that aligns strategic and operational departments around the same data, supporting decisions that involve not only Revenue, but also Marketing, General Management and Ownership.
The approach starts with analysing future demand. Understanding who is searching, for which dates, with what lead time and from which markets allows hotels to anticipate flows before they turn into bookings, overcoming the limitations of historical data — particularly in unstable contexts.
These insights are then applied to conversion strategies: demand data powers tools designed to guide users towards direct bookings on the official website, helping reduce OTA dependency. At the same time, the same information supports smarter marketing budget allocation, enabling investment only in segments and periods that show genuine interest.
The Hotel Website as a Strategic Observatory
The premise is simple yet strategic: the official hotel website is one of the richest and most underutilised data sources in the industry. It is where travellers express intent and evaluate options.
Optimand aggregates this data and integrates it with pricing and market context information, delivering actionable insights through customised dashboards.
From Individual Hotel to Destination Level
This model has also been applied at a territorial level, as demonstrated by the project launched on the island of Capri in collaboration with Federalberghi Capri.
An initiative that highlights how real demand analysis can support not only individual properties but also hotel associations and local institutions.
Data remains the property of the hotels and is shared exclusively in aggregated and anonymised form, fostering a collaborative and network-based approach.
Transparency and Measurability
Given its strongly data-driven nature, Optimand offers hotels the opportunity to test the platform through a free trial, allowing them to assess its impact directly on their own performance metrics.
In a context where uncertainty has become the new normal, the ability to interpret demand as it forms, translate it into operational decisions and align different business functions represents one of the key competitive advantages in today’s tourism industry.
