4 technology trends that are already shaping the future of the travel and tourism sector

It's all about technical innovation these days. How else do you stay ahead of the competition and ensure that younger and more flexible tech companies don't overrun you? And how else will you keep up with the fast-changing and high demanding customer needs?

The average traveller performs nearly 50 online searches, visits 38 sites, and reads 12 reviews during 15 weeks, before they book their holiday, according to Amadeus' Online Travel 2020 research. This modern customer of the travel industry is digitally orientated and expects a fully personalized and smooth running online experience when researching for and booking a trip. Travel companies should be already adapting to their expectations and the fast digitization by investing in new digital innovations. Here's a list of the four innovation trends that will keep you on top of the competition. 

1. The Cloud

Too many companies in the travel sector are saddled with old-fashioned organizational structures and technology platforms that don't accommodate the new demands. Technical trends that will grow the upcoming years, like artificial intelligence, voice assistants and real-time analytics, are hard to implement if you don't have a flexible and scalable database that makes it possible to integrate every possible data touchpoint and combine all your data.

Flexibility and scalability are keywords here. The cloud makes it possible for the travel sector to maximize their efficiency by delivering end-to-end online customer experiences based on real-time data and hyper-personalized services.

2. Artificial Intelligence, Bots and Machine Learning

We've come to a time where the collection of data is not the issue anymore. It's now about what you DO with this data, and this can be quite a challenge. One of the big advantages of big data is that it can be used for artificial intelligence. AI is behind the many technologies and innovations in travel these days, for example, the internet of things, and voice- and face recognition. Artificial Intelligence is also behind the chatbots and travel bots that are being used more and more in the travel industry. AI uses machine learning and deep learning so operations can be automated, in the meanwhile decreasing costs, saving time and improving quality and performance. 

3. Voice Technology & The Internet of Things 

The enormous rise in the sales of smart home speakers is significant; in the upcoming years, customers will switch from typed-in search to voice interactions which will influence the travel industry big time. This rise happens simultaneously with the growth of the well-known Internet of Things. Smart rooms that know the guest that's staying perfectly will offer a fully personalized experience from the moment the guest enters the room.

The first companies have already started experimenting with this. The Marriott hotel, for example, has begun using Amazon devices in the rooms for voice-activated commands so a guest can easily adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity, curtains, artwork, etc. in their rooms.

4. Hyper-connectivity 

When travelling, people always want to be connected, to get destination ideas, search options regarding places to visit or eat, find directions to points of interest, or share their experience with friends via social media or other connectivity platforms. As a result, investing in network services helps companies offer a more seamless and highly personalized experience to customers, boosts operational efficiency, real-time decision making, strengthens the physical (via CCTV) and the cybersecurity, along with data privacy. 

Is your travel company up for an innovation boost but no idea where to start? Give us a call so we can have a look together!   

+31 (0)85 00 70 246 

Or drop us an Email.