While travel tech has existed for quite some time now, there have been new iterations to the existing as well as new tech-based solutions that are now elevating the travellers’ experience, optimizing travel business owners’ bottom line, and in turn benefiting the global economy at large. With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning taking their course of adoption by consumers across industries, the travel sector doesn’t remain untouched in making the travellers’ experience as personalized as they like.
Here are some latest trends in the Travel Technology space that are here to stay:
- Self-Booking Tools – Large corporates today majorly depend on self-booking tools that are easily available online. Mobile App-based and website-based flight, cabs, and hotel aggregators have been the priority tools when it comes to bulk or individual travel plans for leisure or business. Given the ease of accessibility and time-saving aspect of real-time bookings, online travel aggregators have been a boon to the travel sector.
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): The Indian travel industry saw increased adoption of AR and VR during the Covid-induced lockdown times. The trend though it existed even before the Covid pandemic, AR and VR in the travel sector has picked pace in recent times. Several travel firms have been using tech to organize virtual tours for prospective visitors with real-life-like experiences of destinations, attractions, hotels, and eateries, ahead of them cherishing the moments in person.
- Sustainable Travel Solutions: Sustainable tourism has picked pace among corporates wherein they are trying to travel smart while being conscious in their comprehensive approach to contain carbon footprint strategically. The concept has been thriving in the connected world, wherein, cloud-based travel guides help travellers to choose from a range of sustainable souvenirs and experiences that support and contribute to local income generation, reduce ignorant disposal of non-biodegradable waste, and promote conscious usage of fuel and other energy vitals, etc.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Chatbots: In the connected world, travellers want to be heard out about their queries at any hour of the day. Be it about the specific airline ticket asking about the perks that they offer or about the hotel that they will be staying at asking about the nearby attractions, etc., chatbots are pre-fed with ample information based on frequently asked questions to relive users with real-time solutions to their open-ended questions. An advanced stage of providing customers with customized solutions is integrating AI into travel platforms.
- Social Media Integration: Influencers on social media have gained immense fan-following in current times. People rely on travel influencers to know more about budget-friendly destinations, attractions nearby, spend estimation, culinary and other sensorial experiences, etc. Travel firms and hotels are increasingly relying on user-generated content by travel-based social media influencers to fuel their brand mileage.
- Biometric Authentication: Face recognition and fingerprint-based authentication have been widely in application across destinations, especially during airport security. The system has reduced turn-around time regarding verification of the travellers while making the security mechanism robust.
- Big Data Analytics: Travel firms by and large are collating big data analytics to deep learn traveller behaviour and trends to be able to provide tailored, sentiment-based solutions to prospective users.This data-driven approach helps in personalizing travel experiences, optimizing pricing strategies, and improving overall customer satisfaction.
With that being said, travelling, in this digital, connected world, has certainly become more convenient and hassle-free given that almost everything can be managed just at the fingertips, i.e. smartphone-level. The aforementioned trends will stay for long until the travel sector sees any new and emerging tech-based concepts.
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