Technology has become a crucial part of the global travel industry, helping businesses with routine operations while also delivering exceptional client experience. This is why most businesses like airlines, restaurants, hotels and other businesses must keep up with the emerging tech trends within the global travel industry. This is particularly vital in the era of coronavirus pandemic. Here are the latest tech trends in the tourism industry that could help respond to the changing travel needs.
Voice search
Smart speakers, Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants, and Smartphones have helped emphasize the relevance of voice search in the travel industry. A growing number of travellers are using voice search to find or book hotel rooms, airlines, and more. You can ask or command Google Assistant and other AI assistants to provide information about your travel destination. No need to type any search query.
“Hey Google, what are the top attraction sites in Put-in-Bay?” This is a simple voice search query that can give you a lot of information about the island. That means it is crucial for travel agencies, hotels, and other key players in the travel industry to optimize their websites for voice search.
Additionally, voice control is playing a critical role in delivering excellent travel experiences. Within hotel rooms, various voice-controlled devices can help control heating and lighting or obtain tourist information without having to talk to the hotel’s members of staff.
Virtual reality
VR has been an emerging tech in different sectors, but its unique role in the tourism industry is particularly significant. It offers travellers the ability to experience far away travel destinations from the comfort of their homes and can make a huge difference in whether the traveller will complete a booking.
VR tours allow travellers to experience nearly everything, from virtual hotel tours and restaurants to national parks, landmarks, and destination-specific activities. This means you could be sitting at home in London while taking Airlie Beach tours to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The overall interactivity and immersion experience also gives various organizations in the travel industry a competitive advantage over competitors that aren’t implementing such technologies.
Contactless payments
An important form of technology that becomes an integral part of modern travel during the coronavirus pandemic is contactless payments. This allows travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses to process payments quickly and contactless. Even in situations where a traveller doesn’t have access to cash or credit cards. This can increase client experience because it saves time.
The availability of contactless payments began as a convenience, but it emerged as a necessity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most travellers were nervous about their safety, and most of them were reluctant to pay using cash. For example, most visitors to South Bass Island prefer Put-in-Bay hotels that accept contactless payments. Besides, most countries recommended the use of contactless payments as a way of minimizing exposure to the coronavirus.
Most travellers perceive contactless payments as a viable hygienic solution. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the notion of “usual business” is now refined. Travelers are now more concerned about their health and prefer to minimize contact while maintaining social distancing. Even car rental and golf cart rental service providers should implement contactless payment systems in response to the changing travel industry.
It is beyond doubt that technology will continue to play a key role in our everyday lives, and global tourism & travel are not an exception. Most analysts unanimously agree that advancements in technology will continue to transform tourism and travel worldwide.
