How much we all love to travel we could realise last year. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, we had to face many restrictions such as a travel ban and lockdown. Fortunately, in 2021 everything is beginning to go back to “new” old reality, it’s a good time to look around and realise how significantly the travel industry transformed during the last decades. Let’s look at a few main trends that revolutionized tourism.
Personalized tourist experience
All travellers are different – one would prefer a cheap hostel with an amazing view, another would choose an expensive hotel in the city centre. That’s why the personalization trends needed to influence also travel industry. Big Data and AI help to provide customized bundles of travel products and the surveys show that customers are able to pay more for such packages based on their preferences. Big data analysis can show which destinations, types of accommodation, airlines or snacks travellers prefer. Moreover, thanks to the use of mobile data, personalized emails and notifications can be sent to maintain high engagement.
Mobile connectivity is a must
Have you ever experienced sleeping in a hotel room without Wi-Fi or mobile Internet coverage? What a nightmare! Not only accessibility to high-speed wi-fi has become a standard for tourist places, but some of them offer special mobile packs including power banks and selfie sticks. Mobile apps are also gaining popularity and almost all travellers can’t imagine using at least one of the –Google Travel, TripAdvisor, Booking or Airbnb are only a few examples.
Rating and reviews
Would you go to a restaurant in a foreign city without checking its Google rating? Have you ever checked top attractions in the city you were currently visiting? Or maybe you had a chance to post a review of the hotel you really liked? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it means you were a part of the reviews and rating social network. Its capabilities not only help customers find the best choices but are also really insightful for businesses that can understand travellers needs and expectations. As the result, they know which elements need improvement and how to maximize customer experience.
How will the travel industry transform in the future? Will AI and virtual reality revolutionize the way we think about tourism? Let’s realize, that change has begun and in the nearest future, we can expect even more to happen.
References:
- Digital transformation in travel industry. (2020, July 29). Adamo Digital. https://adamodigital.com/blog/how-digital-transformation-affect-the-travel-and-tourism-industry/
- Zamiatina, A. (2021). Top 7 digital transformation trends in the travel industry. Blog Datumize. https://blog.datumize.com/top-7-digital-transformation-trends-in-the-travel-industry
- Pham, L. (2021, May 7). 5 Trends of Digital transformation in travel and tourism industry 2021. Magenest – Run Your ECommerce Store with Ease! https://magenest.com/en/digital-transformation-in-travel/
Modern technology for sure makes travelling easier, but in my opinion you can lose a part of the magic of travelling, which are the unexpected moments. Do you think a division will be created between the ‘planners’ on one side that use a lot of technology while travelling, and the ‘go with the flow-ers’ on the other side?
Hi Paweł, I think that we all miss carefree travelling from the pre-covid times. I agree that the trends mentioned are highly likely to be adopted by many tech-savvy travellers. They may be caused by the fact that now travelling is not an everyday activity as before, and people travel less often. Therefore, the travellers may be more encouraged to travel more consciously and will be more likely to use AI- and users-based recommendations.
What an inspiring article, Pawel! As a travel lover, I really hope to travel freely as before again. I usually use Booking.com to book accommodation, and it’s really convenient since they offer the relevant hotel information that I look for in organized and recommendation-based ways. Also, I would never travel safely and satisfactorily if I could not use Google maps in various countries. Indeed, those digital platforms are essential for a satisfying trip.
Now I hope the translation app will be advanced further because sometimes I encounter situations in even English that are not working to communicate properly with the local people. Also, it is still mandatory to bring our passport and all the necessary travel documents when we are supposed to travel abroad. However, maybe in the future, I expect the passport and travel docs will be in our smart wallet app, too!