Traveling has changed as a result of technological advancements, and these new innovations deliver an even more engaging and thrilling experience. What does it have in plan for us over the not-too-distant future?
No one today questions the ideal pairing of travel and technology. From the vacation spot we pick to the activities we engage in while there and even during the time following our return from our experience, this united force is vital to the way we travel. Because it is so common, Google Travel research found that 74% of travelers book their vacations online whereas only 13% are still using travel agents to do so.
This paradigm change has also been significantly influenced by millennials. They are enthusiastic about both new technologies and travel. This amalgamated interest has given place to a new setting where blogs, apps, social media, and other platforms play a significant role when it comes to planning a vacation. By the same token, as the industry grows more conscious of this trend, it has imitated it by modifying its business strategy and line of products in order to appeal to this highly sought-after market.
Who hasn’t traveled somewhere only to take advantage of Ryanair’s 30-euro round-trip ticket deal? We simply search online to see what the low-cost airlines are offering, determine which location will be the least expensive, and then, ta-da, we’re off! This scenario, which is so commonplace today, was unimaginable a few years ago.
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Travel and Technology Trends and Updates
The tourist sector is going through a significant transformation right now. There are many complicating circumstances, but some of the key players are the new technical solutions that are emerging.
The shift goes beyond enhancing processes or the tourist experience; it entails reinventing the tourism system itself. The development of new business models, as well as process, customer, and relationship enhancements inevitably results in advantages for the traveler, allowing them to streamline and frequently improve the vacation preparation process.
Through the development of products, features, and services that make traveling the world smoother for everyone, the travel industry will attempt to meet the needs of a category of travelers more worried about sustainability and with more tech skills or curiosity in this decade.
We’ll then examine a few of the technological developments that are already having an impact on the market and that, based on numerous studies, are expected to have a big short-term impact on it.
The Top 7 Technological Advancements for the Travel and Tourism Sector
Smartphone Technology
The protagonist of the new modes of transportation is unquestionably this. Our cell phones now serve as our tourist guide, travel company, best restaurant finder, map, and other functions. Throughout the entire purchasing process, it’s by our side. In fact, 45% of TripAdvisor customers say they conduct everything related to their vacations on their phones.
To accommodate these gadgets, corporate services, and communications must be modified. For instance, KLM has already developed a Facebook Messenger-based information service for travelers. Once a reservation is made, this system provides the user with their boarding card, ticket information, and notifications about the status of their flight via Facebook Messenger. By using an app they already own, the user can have all the information they need regarding their journey in the palms of their hands without having to download anything additional.
5G
With the aid of 5G networks, travel technology becomes even more potent. They guarantee significantly quicker download and upload times, more coverage, and more reliable connections. Beyond making content downloads 20x faster than it was before, 5G opens up new technological possibilities for us that were previously restricted by 4G. As a result, smart device connections will be more effective, and we’ll be able to begin fully utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT), which we’ll talk about in a minute.
Travelers will actually become the protagonist of their experiences thanks to technology, which is known as immersive tourism. Additionally, 360-degree video and augmented reality (AR) will be increasingly widely used and available.
At the Roman Baths in Bath, England, the BBC conducted a test experiment using 5G and an AR application that allowed users to travel through time and visit replicas of the location at significant historical events. The pilot study, which is seen in this video, revealed that more than 80% of participants said they would be more likely to come to a museum if it offered experiences of that kind. Find it on YouTube, it’s quite interesting.
IoT
The tourism sector is expected to experience considerable changes as a result of the Internet of Things (IoT). They incorporate Internet-connected sensors into a variety of products, such as automobiles, luggage, buildings, and more.
In reality, the Internet of Things will over the next few years be the primary revolutionary element in the personalization of the consumer experience, according to Spain’s Hotel Technology Institute (Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero, or ITH).
Customers at some Virgin Hotel locations can interact with the thermostat or the television in their rooms using an app. In order to prevent lost luggage at the airport or other public areas, some suitcases feature electronics that let owners use their cell phones to track where their suitcase is at any time.
AR and/or VR
Due to all the opportunities they can provide, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have also joined the travel industry. More businesses are using technology to show customers a stateroom on a cruise ship or briefly transport them to the Great Wall of China.
Today, we don’t even need to leave the sofa to “teleport” to the farthest reaches of the world. By using the EVEREST VR software, which allows you to view the top of the planet without having to climb there, you can obtain this. Alternatively, if you’d like, you can paddle across the Grand Canyon while taking in its views and sounds.
Blockchain
The world as we perceive it is about to change thanks to a technology called a blockchain. Despite being mostly related to finance, it also seems to have an effect on travel.
Although there hasn’t been a lot of testing, it may be useful for identifying travelers at the airport, ensuring honesty in visitors’ reviews, and facilitating safe and simple payments.
Big Data
Big Data has received a lot of attention lately, but its potential benefits for the travel sector haven’t yet been fully demonstrated. But a lot of industry participants are already utilizing it.
The Meliá hotel group determines the optimal target for marketing initiatives by using information about its customers. In order to create the most accurate customer profile and increase their success rate, they first look at their databases to examine the amount paid, the reason for the trip, and the nation of origin and cross-check this information with open data from government sources. They can improve the segmentation of their campaigns in this way to boost their effectiveness and minimize the amount of money needed to run them.
How the Use of Mobile Technology Looks Like in the Travel Practice
This is the impact that technology has had on traveling, whether or not you admit that you’re one of the people who values the comfort that accompanies mobile technology.
Making Bookings Online
You can make all of your hotel reservations online while you organize your trip. You’ve certainly been doing it for years, however, nowadays there’s a new thing: you have the choice to download a free guide to each place you’re going to visit. Although you, just like all, enjoy learning more about the places you visit, you’re also aware that doing so is an inbound marketing strategy designed to encourage visitors to make additional reservations through that website in the future.
All of these bookings, for both hotels and flights, will remain in your inbox, saving you the effort of having to print out everything and then worrying that you’d lose something.
Your Cellphone Is the Finest “Co-pilot” While on the Road
Due to the elimination of roaming in Europe, using a smartphone and mobile data while traveling is a revelation. It will serve as a reminder for all of your travel plans and bookings; a companion when you get lost more times than you can count in a city; a diversion during long rides; or a resource for learning fun trivia about the locations you are visiting.
Post-trip Sharing Stuff
When you return from a vacation, you surely enjoy reviewing the accommodations, dining establishments, and activities you participated in so that you may share your experience with others and assist them in planning future travel. If you adhere to the Internet’s shared knowledge and collaboration ethos, you can accomplish it all from the comfort of your sofa at home with your phone, just as easily as you’d play a few rounds on some of your favorite casino sites in Cape Verde. Mobile technology tendencies improved many other areas of living and pastimes, right?
Conclusion
The travel sector is one where client engagement is becoming more crucial, and technological advancements are allowing businesses to get closer and get to better understand their clients a little bit better.
Technology is nothing, as paraphrased by Steve Jobs. What matters is that you believe that if you give people the right tools, they are generally decent and intelligent and will use them to great effect.
We are equipped with tools. What will we do with them now is the question.
