OpenTable has announced a new local language booking function that enables Australians to search for and make restaurant reservations in non-English speaking countries.
The new language feature means Australian diners travelling overseas can view menus, read and submit restaurant reviews and find key information – including directions to selected restaurants – in their local language at more than 38,000 OpenTable restaurants across more than 20 countries and in global cities renowned for their dining, including Berlin, Dublin, London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Toronto.
In August 2016, OpenTable asked 12,000 diners to contribute to the survey, which ran across the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Mexico and Japan, and it found that almost all (97 percent) of diners that travel internationally eat out at least once a day, with nearly half (49 percent) dining out at least twice a day. The research also revealed the top two challenges international diners face when making a restaurant reservation abroad are avoiding ‘tourist traps’ and navigating language barriers.
When it comes to how much travellers are willing to fork out on dining experiences, the research found 73 percent of OpenTable users are willing to spend more on dining out while overseas, while one in four (25 percent) said they have travelled with the main goal of dining at a specific restaurant.
Lisa Hasen, VP of APAC, OpenTable said “Australians are adventurous travellers and actively seek dining experiences that are immersive to a destination’s local culture and traditions. As more Australians travel to hotspots such as Japan, where the language barrier can have an effect on a diner’s travel experience, OpenTable can help travellers dine like a local without the language breakdown.
“All restaurants on the OpenTable network now appear on all international sites, in all languages, giving our Australian restaurant partners increased visibility to a growing global audience of discerning diners,” Hasen added.