Travel technology is a broad term, which is used to describe the application of IT, e-commerce and similar technology solutions within the fields of tourism, travel and hospitality. Hotel and tourism technology may be intended to assist businesses and their employees, improve the travel experience for customers, or both.
Ultimately, the goals or motivations behind implementing travel technology include automating travel and related processes, saving time, reducing costs and creating a more seamless travel experience for consumers. Technology can be deployed to enhance the customer experience before, during and after the trip itself.
Why is Travel Technology Important for Businesses Operating in the Tourism & Travel Industry?
Travel technology can help businesses to streamline their processes, or even automate processes that would traditionally require active human involvement. This can then potentially help a business to reduce staffing requirements, cut costs and increase the amount of income they generate, leading to improved financial results.
In addition, technology can assist businesses through improved accuracy and convenience, while simultaneously helping to reduce or eliminate human error. It is, however, essential to always keep up with the latest tourism technology trends, so that the best solutions are being used and so that other businesses do not gain a competitive edge.
Businesses should always keep up with the latest travel technology trends, because your main competitors will too. This means you risk providing them with a significant advantage if you allow them to adopt new technology while you rest on your laurels, and that is especially true if the technology is designed to benefit customers.
As trends emerge and new technology becomes established, customers start to expect a certain level of experience and they want the convenience associated. If your business fails to meet these expectations, it is likely that customers will feel disappointed. This could then, in turn, lead to negative reviews and damage to your reputation.
At the same time, keeping up with travel and tourism technology trends can also help employees and may make recruitment easier, as candidates will want to work with the latest tools, especially if it can reduce stress.
A trend can be defined as a general development within a particular field, or as a general shift in behaviour. Within hospitality, there are a number of factors that are responsible for changes in consumer behaviour and, therefore, are also responsible for many of the travel tech trends that are most relevant right now.
Emerging technology, including voice search, virtual and augmented reality, facial recognition technology, and the Internet of Things, has led to the adoption of smart speakers in hotels, virtual reality tours from travel companies, and new, seamless ways to check-in, without having to queue and speak to reception staff.
Within our personal lives, we are increasingly using contactless payments, voice search and mobile solutions, so it makes sense that tourism technology trends have followed this same basic pattern. The COVID-19 pandemic also helped to accelerate some of these behaviours, while increasing the need for solutions like cleaning robots.
We piled up the latest and newest technology trends in tourism and travel, along with tech trends that serve as an answer to the change in consumer behaviour due to the COVID virus.
Smartphones, smart speakers and AI assistants have all helped to increase the relevance of voice search as far as technology trends in the travel industry are concerned. In particular, a growing number of travel customers are using voice search to find and book airline tickets, hotel rooms and travel experiences.
It is, therefore, crucial to design your website with voice search in mind, so that you can capitalise on this trend.
On top of this, voice control is also playing a growing role in actual travel experiences too. Within hotel rooms, voice-controlled devices can be used to control lighting and heating within rooms, or to obtain tourist information without needing to speak to a member of staff. This is likely to continue to expand into other areas of the industry too.
Take a look at “How Can Voice Control Benefit the Travel Industry?” to find out more about controlling devices by voice.
Robotics technology is one of the most exciting forms of travel technology and it is constantly improving. Within hotels, for example, robots have been used in concierge-like roles, helping to greet guests when they arrive and provide information. Some hotels have expanded their use further still, involving them in cleaning and luggage handling.
Within restaurants, robots can potentially have a role in food preparation and food service. In airports, they can be used to detect concealed weapons, while some manufacturers are also using robotics to create luggage cases that intelligently follow you. Moreover, travel agents are using robots for pre-screening, making waiting times more productive for customers.
As with many other technology trends within the travel industry, the uses for robots have actually increased in response to COVID, especially as they have the potential to reduce human-to-human contact.
