Tourism industries around the world have consistently done well, and there’s no sign of this stopping. In 2018 alone, the travel and tourism industry contributed $8.8 trillion to the world’s combined Gross Domestic Product.
With so many people visiting other countries, tech companies are finding new ways to make travel easier. This includes the booking process.
In 2020, we’ll see new travel technology that tourists and booking agencies can both take advantage of. Let’s have a look at five upcoming trends.
1. Booking With Virtual Reality
When many people think of virtual reality, they think of video games. However, it’s starting to become commonplace in travel marketing.
Instead of reading a brochure about a destination, travel agencies can give customers a virtual sample. Someone may have told you a Caribbean cruise is a great change of scenery, but with virtual reality, you can see why.
Hotels will also use virtual reality as a marketing tool more and more. Customers can take virtual tours of rooms and amenities before they book.
2. Radio Frequency Identification
Arriving at your destination without your luggage puts a huge damper on your travels. The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) will cut down on the chance of this happening.
This is a type of wireless communication used to track luggage. A bag or suitcase will need to have an RFID chip embedded in it.
In 2020, expect to see more people using these chips. In addition, more airlines will start using the technology to track luggage.
3. Artificial Intelligence
Tools that harness the power of artificial intelligence are common in the customer service industry. This technology is now changing the way travellers book trips and move through airports.
Tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants can help people book trips with ease. This is all possible through a mobile device. Similarly, hotels and rentals are becoming more sophisticated on their marketing and pricing strategies, which benefits both consumers and their occupancy rates. As a matter of fact, hotels are more intentional now about optimizing room revenues and occupancy through variable pricing strategies based on factors like demand, booking windows, and market conditions. Eventually, this evolved into a more comprehensive approach known as revenue management, which puts the consumer at the center of the equation
Other functions such as mobile flight check-in and hotel confirmation will continue to become more automated.
4. Voice Recognition
As if artificial intelligence isn’t making the booking process easy enough, we now have voice recognition. This technology allows people to communicate with an app by speaking to it.
Some companies are starting to allow customers to book their flights through voice recognition. This makes the process faster and easier.
More and more airlines now use voice recognition technology for passenger check-in and flight statuses. This will become more common in 2020.
5. Super Apps
There are already countless apps for airlines, travel agencies, hotels, and other travel-related resources. In 2020, expect to see the advancement of super apps that consolidate all these functions.
With a super app, you’ll be able to access flight updates, boarding times, hotel bookings, restaurant finders and much more. You’ll get all this on a single app instead of having to download several.
Get Your Hands on the Latest Travel Technology
If seeing the world is on top of your priority list, you need to find ways to make the travel process easier. Taking advantage of the latest travel technology is the best way.
Keep these five tech trends in mind and travel smart in 2020.
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Founder Dinis Guarda
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