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What are the Technology Trends Ruling the Travel & Tourism Industry

Travel & Hospitality Tech Outlook | Wednesday, August 26, 2020

In the travel and tourism industry, technology plays a crucial role in increasing the business and customer base. It will not only improve the efficiency of business but also improve customer experience.

FREMONT, CA: If a mere look is taken at the number of customers involved, it will become clear that the travel and tourism sector is one of the largest industries in the world. The industry has a phenomenal target audience base, and with that, any business will want to flourish in this sector from hotels to travel companies, to flight and cruise operators. To win more customer loyalty and survive profitably in the intense competition of the travel and tourism sector, businesses are seeking the help of technologies.

Today numerous technology companies have transformed the traditional travel and accommodation experience for the consumers. The technology companies have successfully shifted the power of choice to the consumer from the hands of the service provider to get more customers. To remain in the competition, many traditional players of the industry have also shifted their priorities to technology as it will help them provide better service to their customers, that too, at a lower cost.

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Earlier consumers used to depend mostly on the travel agents for everything starting from confirming their tickets to booking their hotels. But now the situation has changed, and people can accomplish all the tasks from the comfort of their homes. The increasing number of smartphone users and a broad base of digital-savvy guests have forced the industry to continuously invest in technology through which they can connect their potential clients all over the world.

Here are some of the top emerging technology trends that the travel and tourism sector needs to keep a close watch and invest wisely to be successful in the future.

1. Mobile Friendly

Nowadays, most websites are being viewed on mobile phones. This means irrespective of the travel and tourism service offered, a company has to make sure that every presence of their business on the internet is mobile-friendly. Moreover, tourism businesses also have to make sure that they offer their customers with critical services on their premises through smartphones. For example, a hotel offering customers auxiliary functions such as cabs, restaurants, spa, and other activities through the mobile application.

2. Internet of Things (IoT)

One of the exciting emerging technology trends in the travel and tourism sector is the Internet of Things (IoT). The technology includes internet-based connectivity between the devices that are used for everyday purposes, allowing them to send and receive data. For example, IoT is used in the hotel rooms to provide the customers with a device that connects everything from the lights to the air conditioner, and it can be controlled from a single place. At airports, sensors can be installed in the luggage that will alert the passengers when they pass by.

3. Recognition Technology

Recognition technology is impressive within the list of crucial trends because of its capability to remove friction from purchase and make interaction seamless. The technique consists of fingerprint recognition, retina scanning, facial recognition, and other biometric identifications. The technology is being used in hotels so that they can allow access to the rooms through fingerprints or use a semi-contactless checkout.

4. Robotics

A few years ago, the idea of using robots regularly within the travel industry was like the work of a science fiction writer. But, nowadays, some of the hotels are using artificial intelligent robots, and these are equipped with speech recognition technology as they can deliver information to the customer according to their queries. Robots are utilized for many different reasons. For instance, they can be used to detect concealed weapons at airports. Some manufacturers are using robotics for creating luggage cases that will intelligently follow the passenger. Besides, travel agents are using robots so that they can conduct pre-screening and also make the waiting time more productive for the customers.

5. Virtual Reality (VR)

In recent years, the market of virtual reality has exploded with its virtual reality headsets as home entertainment products. Most of the focus was on video games, but businesses and marketers have made use of the technology to make it interactive with 360-degree images and videos. This is one of the promising trends for the tourism sector as they can digitally transport travelers to a virtually recreated place. With this, the hotels can show every corner of the area to the tourists and encourage booking.

It is incredibly essential for the companies who are operating in the travel and tourism industry to keep up with the latest technology trends. They must understand and adopt the trends that will allow them to provide a better experience to the customers and also help them to optimize revenue management along with overall business performance.

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