Technologies Changing the Travel Landscape – How, When, Why? Image Courtesy – Travel and Leisure
Technologies are changing rapidly, with components that are directly or indirectly related to the business. Simultaneously, travellers are adopting it to save their time and money to achieve the ultimate comfort in life.
If you are an agent, you should always keep an eye out for innovative technologies that power this industry. New mobile breakthroughs, as well as innovative solutions, provide customer satisfaction.
Here’s how technology has taken over the industry –
The advent of mobile technology
Today’s travellers spend most of their time connected to their mobile devices. They use their mobile devices to search for flights, hotels and holiday packages. A portal design must be responsive to provide easy searching, purchasing and reviewing destinations by the travellers. If you do not have a responsive design, then chances are that you will lose your potential customers. This technological issue can ruin the overall goodwill of your business.
In order to avoid this situation, you should integrate online booking as well as payment functionality into the mobile app of your business. This way, you can remain competitive in an increasingly digitised industry.
Read: How Will Technology Control the Future of Travel Agencies?
Use of online travel booking systems
Technology has made it possible for travellers to book from the comfort of their home. By using a booking system, they can book in minutes. For hotel booking, there is an online hotel booking system, and for flight booking, there is an online flight booking system. There are other booking engines as well for booking cars, buses, cruise and many more.
Some other changes that technology is making in the travel industry include –
(i) Use of wearable devices, such as smartwatches through which they can board a plane
(ii) Payments for bookings can be made digitally
(iii) Automation
You may ask, from when is this technological change taking place? Over the last few years, technologies have been changing the travel landscape, of course, in a positive way. A number of studies have been conducted on the change of the travel industry through the use of technology. According to research, over the next few years (2018-2024), digitalisation in the travel and tourism industry is expected to create up to $305 billion of value for the industry through increased efficiency and profitability. This is great indeed.
Read: Impact of Application Programming Interface on Travel Business
Why is technology changing the travel landscape?
Well, there has been a digital revolution in the field of the industry. Things are getting technologically advanced.
Those days have gone when travellers had to visit a local travel agent and book their journey. Today, technology, along with high-speed internet, has made it possible for travellers to book travel, flights, hotels and transfers from the comfort of their home. In short, digitalisation has given travellers and also to travel agents a wide range of options to choose from.
From a business point of view, if you own a travel agency and want to grow your business by integrating the latest technologies, such as mobile technology, then there are a lot of travel consultants who can guide you properly. To maintain goodwill for your business, you have to offer mobile applications, with the help of which your potential clients can book travel while on the go, thereby increasing your revenue.
