New pricing models are making inroads into the the travel industry according to the WTM global trends report.

Techniques such as pay what you want, auctions and core free goods “provide opportunities for brands to engage with consumers and build brand loyalty”.

The concept of pay what you want started in industries such as music, for example Radiohead allowed people to download their album and pay whatever they felt it was worth.

In travel, Sandeman’s New Europe tours gives free tours as a showcase for its paid tours.

Companies who offer free products in this way hope that giving a positive experience will encourage consumers to return and buy other things.

Priceline.com invites customers to name their own price. E-bay style auctions in which hotels and sellers act anonymously take place which offer another revenue stream.

In the aviation industry, Ryanair and Air Asia were mentioned in the report for their frequent promotion of free flights. 

The airlines hope to make up their money on ancillaries, although easyjet's load factors were revealed to be higher than Ryanair’s during these "free" flight promotions.

Couchsurfing.com was named as a strong example of the new pricing trend.

The website lines up lines up individual hosts who offer free accommodation with worldwide visitors and now has 780,000 members worldwide.