Ready for the future? 5 upward trends in the travel tech industry

Technological advances have changed the way we travel and this progress is quite promising for an even more interactive and exciting travel and hospitality experience for years to come!

Nowadays, there is no doubt that technology has a huge impact on tourism, by influencing and shaping the way we travel; from the vacation destination we choose, all the way to what we do once we are there and even in the time after we’ve come back from our trip.

The travel and hospitality market is finally moving from traditional areas like online bookings and search platforms, to newer technologies like AI, VR and machine learning. All things considered, some of the most progressive technologies, which are coming out to play in the field of e-travel and hospitality services in the near future, are the following:

Personalization

Nowadays, the vast majority of travelers worldwide admit that personalized traveling is more necessary than ever. People tend to appreciate a unique experience wherever they go, rather than an ordinary, touristy approach. So, it’s essential for brands and startups working in tourism to introduce customized offerings and personalized services to their clients. However, we should not omit to mention that there is a challenge in capturing the necessary data and not to violate the principles of personal privacy.

Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence does not mean robots alone! The other way of its application, obvious for the travel and hospitality sector, is for the purposes of customer support, which are realized via chatbots. It’s estimated that approximately 40% of large business brands will adopt the technology by 2020 and, of course, travel and hospitality industry companies belong here as well.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Recently, virtual reality technology has gained the market of entertainment; however, distinguished specialists of the travel and hospitality industry have already realized it to be one of the most promising tech trends! It can allow the traveler to digitally get into the virtual surroundings of the place he is just going to visit, be it a hotel or a tourist hotspot, e.t.c.

Additionally, the main advantage of augmented reality in tourism is its being relatively cheap, especially for the users. By having only a tablet or a smartphone with a special app and active internet connection, a traveler can find out more about the location, a building or a landmark he is in, in real time. This possibility of getting information right on the go, allows the travel and hospitality industry professionals to enhance their clients’ experience.

Blockchain

Those who can see the opportunities have already realized that blockchain technology has a great, disruptive potential, among others, for the world of tourism. Although this technology is currently mainly referred to the terms of digital currencies, the importance of the blockchain lies in the data storage and transferring through special clusters, where the information is always secure and transparent.

So, it’s especially important for the industry of tourism, as it relies on data transfer between multiple companies — travel agencies, air carriers and hotels. With the blockchain, the personal details of a traveler are always securely stored and transmitted across the network. Probably, we will soon be able to entrust our whole flight booking, hotel reservation and car renting formalities to the chatbots and robots interacting through the blockchain-based technology.

Mobile applications – The obvious!

Last but not least, in the modern market of travel and hospitality services, mobile apps can not only facilitate the booking and reservation procedures, but also, combined with the IoT (Internet of Things) technology, can help hotel guests, for instance, control the devices of their room.

At the same time, promotional push notifications can be used as a part of the travel marketing strategy. As a matter of fact, combined with the GPS tracking technology, mobile apps are able to make such messages more relevant to the individual’s location and preferences.

*With information from: Business Insider, medium.com, traveltechreport.co