Travel

Travel and tourism were entirely crippled because of the events of 2020. With the conclusion of the pandemic still a long way off, experts expect that the business will undergo significant changes.

The tourism industry has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The figures are startling. In 2020, tourism locations had one billion fewer international visitors than they did in 2019. A sharp drop in international travel resulted in a loss of almost USD 1.3 trillion in export income, more than 11 times the loss seen during the previous economic downturn in 2009. A total of 100 to 120 million tourism jobs were jeopardized, the majority of which were in small and medium-sized businesses.

Tourist arrivals were expected to be 74 percent lower in 2020 than in 2019, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The number of tourists visiting Spain fell by 77 percent in 2020, with only 19 million visitors - the lowest level since 1969.

This is a major source of concern for developing economies as they seek to recover. Tourism, which is supported by both the public and private sectors, is not only a key source of foreign money, but it also can reinforce supply chains, increase local company productivity, generate one out of every ten jobs, and provide income for women and young people. Tourism benefits local communities and how sustainable tourism generates economic value while protecting culture and natural resources.

Three clear steps emerged for Travel and Tourism to build better.
 

Tourism focused on consumer involvement

National Geographic reported in October 2020 that the epidemic had cost the travel and tourist business $8 trillion. As a result, the magazine advocated a number of significant reforms for the industry's future, all from the perspective of the visitor.

To begin with, the modern tourist is environmentally sensitive and prioritizes sustainability. Even the epidemic hasn't made this a worldwide issue go away, therefore visitors should be more mindful of environmental issues and seek out appropriate travel regulations. Lonely Planet noted the city of Valencia's aim to assess the carbon footprint left by tourism, while Engadget outlined the European Union's intention to collect and classify carbon emissions from aircraft as an example of such measures.

Clients seek out firms and brands that represent and fit with their own values, as large corporations have long known. As a result, following COVID-19, we're sure to witness more inclusive excursions — yet another proof that even the pandemic can't fix society's major problems. In this situation, we're talking about human rights advocacy social movements. Guided tours in American museums, for example, speak of "difficult historical themes, such as racism in the United States," according to National Geographic.

Another act of conscience is to place greater emphasis on smaller communities. Local tourism has been emphasized in this regard in Spain, particularly in the "Empty Spain" districts. Impact Travel Alliance is another example of a non-profit company that works to change the world through sustainable tourism while simultaneously supporting local businesses.

Tourism for forward-looking consumers

In general, the type of traveler that emerges in the post-COVID world will be more conscious of not only the environment, but also of their own travel habits. We're talking about quality above quantity in this case: We've had to reconsider how and why we wish to travel as a result of the pandemic. Journeys will be better prepared in the future, especially long-distance travel, and will be made less frequently. Travel experts mentioned post-pandemic travel obstacles in its March 2020 projections, including a (potential) need to hold multiple passports, more expensive travel seasons, and greater airport restrictions.

This is one of the reasons why road trips are regaining popularity: despite the fact that flights are becoming more affordable and potential locations are becoming further remote, national travel limitations have reignited the attractiveness of road journeys to places that aren't as far away. And we keep being closer to home in mind when on those road excursions. According to Euronews, following the lockdown, there will be a need to flee, but keeping closer to home, because the current situation has made us more wary.

Finally, according to National Geographic, travel consultants have become indispensable: Travel agents and tour operators are recovering confidence as a result of their business knowledge and connections, which ultimately justify the commissions they are paid. Despite this, we will once again take great joy in organizing vacations, with the hope of resuming our lives as they were before the coronavirus.

Tourism for the industry in transformation

Every day, we hear about a potential "COVID passport," or health passport, that would allow vaccinated people to travel freely. In Europe, no consensus has yet been reached on how such a certificate should be established, whereas in China, this project has already begun to revitalize tourism and combat the pandemic.

We don't know if similar restrictions will be adopted in Western countries, but we do know that they are being examined. In four points, McKinsey & Company summarizes the changes:

•Using a tourist hub to improve public-private interfaces
•Experimenting with new funding methods
•Ensuring clear protocol communication
•Enabling digital and data transformation in the tourism industry

As with the digital transformation, all businesses are now scrambling to adapt to this new reality. This not only causes problems, but it also brings new challenges to the fore. For example, the emergence of startups that meet new needs, such as Bespoke, a mobile platform that provides travelers with pre-trip health and safety tips as well as real-time tracking of travel interruptions; and Sitata, a mobile platform that provides travelers with pre-trip health and safety tips as well as real-time tracking of travel disruptions.

According to Euronews, Europe is the most popular tourist destination in the world, accounting for 10% of the European Union's GDP and employing 2.4 million people. In conclusion, numerous attempts are being undertaken to save this large economy, including the Re-OPEN EU service, which is a website with a dedicated mobile app that "provides tourists and travellers with the information they need to be safe in the EU."

In tourism, technology has a variety of applications that influence customer and provider behavior. At this time, travel software development companies are focusing on providing and deploying advanced technologies to cope-up with changed travel need post-pandemic.

At Sonata Software, we offer Rezopia – Integrated Digital Platform for End-to-End Travel Management.

Rezopia, with a holistic travel management approach, helps travel and tour operators to enhance traveler experience, increase operational efficiencies and adapt quickly to dynamic business models. With an integrated offering that includes travel applications, omni-channel commerce, mobile touchpoints, and analytics, Rezopia balances a rich feature set with the operational flexibility that a travel business needs.

Rezopia travel platform can be adapted to rail operations, corporate travel, and airline holiday services.

To know more, click on the link: Rezopia

Technology has transformed the travel industry drastically as we know it. How can brands utilize travel technology as an element of their competitive edge as the industry recovers from COVID-19?

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Consider this. In 1841, Thomas Cook, a Baptist Missionary, took a group of temperance campaigners from Leicester’s Campbell Street railway station to a rally in Loughborough, a market town eleven miles away. 

Ten years later, he was organizing another tour – of 1,50,000 people –so that they could visit the Great Exhibition in London. In 1855, he undertook his first international tour, taking parties to Belgium, Germany, and France.

As Cook expanded, he opened offices, established a network of travel agents, guides and escorts to manage travelers who signed up for one of his tours. And this huge network was managed mostly with the simplest of tools – fountain pens and meticulously kept ledgers.

Overview

Over the past few decades, technology has completely upended the travel industry. You can book your journey online, decide whether you want to check in to a hotel or go to an AirBnB host, choose your location on the basis of your interests or events during your holiday, book tickets for a concert that will take place a month later and a continent away – all from your computer or mobile phone.

For travel technology companies, hotels, airlines, restaurants, and other related sectors, this means that keeping up with the latest technology trends within the travel industry has become crucial. Especially now, in the era of COVID, as customer expectations shift. 

What is Travel Technology?

In simple terms, travel technology means using technology to plan trips and automate travel processes like bookings, inventory management, itineraries, payments, back-office operations for tour operators and travel agencies to enable online bookings for customers and increase bookings and revenue. 

It can also be described as the application of IT, e-commerce, and similar technology solutions within the fields of tourism, travel, and hospitality. The ultimate goal for implementing travel technology is to automate travel and related processes, time-saving, cost-effectiveness, and a more seamless travel experience for customers. 

Technology enhances the customer experience before, during, and after travel. Additionally, technology can optimize businesses through improved accuracy and convenience, while simultaneously assisting in reducing or eliminating human error. 

Hence, it is essential to always adopt the latest tourism technology trends, so that the best solutions are being used and businesses should gain a competitive edge. This is the right time to get your travel business to Enterprise Travel Technology Solutions.  

Key technology trends in travel industry

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We believe that these are the latest and newest technology trends in tourism and travel, along with tech trends that serve as an answer to the change in consumer behavior due to the COVID pandemic. 

• Contactless Payments 

These will allow travel companies, flight operators to process payments more quickly, including in situations where customers do not have access to cash, or their credit or debit card. It is also a time-saving process that helps in enhancing the customer experience. 

• Voice Search & Control 

Devices like Smartphones, smart speakers, and AI assistants have all assisted in increasing the relevance of voice search in the travel industry. Many travel customers are now using voice search to find and book hotel rooms, flight tickets, and travel experiences. 

Therefore, it is crucial to design your website with voice search capability to capitalize on the trend. Additionally, voice control is growing in popularity in enhancing travel experiences too. Voice-controlled devices in hotel rooms to control lighting and heating within the room, or to obtain tourist information without speaking to a staff member is likely to expand into other areas of the industry too. 

• Virtual Reality (VR) 

VR provides travelers the ability to experience distant locations from the comfort of their homes. Customers can experience everything by using VR from virtual tours of hotels, restaurants, various destinations, national parks, or even specific activities. 

Most VR tours are now compatible with web browsers and mobile-friendly which can help those who are hesitant to travel due to the recent pandemic to see the benefits more clearly. With its increasing popularity and its interactive features, this can assist to provide you with a competitive advantage over others who are yet to make a move to adopt these kinds of tech trends. 

• Robots 

One of the most exciting travel technologies is Robotics technology and is constantly evolving. For example, in hotels robots have been used in concierge-roles, helping to greet guests and provide information. 

Hotels are now expanding their use further like involving them in housekeeping and luggage handling. In airports, robots can be used to detect concealed weapons. Within restaurants, robots are being used to serve food and in a few cases food preparation also. 

The uses of robots have been increased drastically due to COVID, as they have the potential to reduce human-to-human contact. 

• AI Chatbots 

AI-powered chatbots are considered to be the most efficient travel technology investment as they are able to provide customers support on a 24/7 basis, regardless of staff availability. 

Typically, these chatbots are helpful in answering common questions with standard answers but with AI technological advancements, chatbots continue to improve as they have more and more interactions and developments. It has helped especially with queries about COVID policies and safety or hygiene measures. 

• Big Data 

Big data is essential everywhere. In the tourism industry it helps to improve personalization, as travel companies use the gathered information to make specific adjustments to their offerings. It also helps in analyzing current business performance. 

Hotels use big data for revenue management by comparing historic occupancy rates and past trends to better anticipate demand. Promotional and pricing strategies can be optimized if demand is predictable. 

• Recognition Technology 

Recognition technology has the features which have the potential for removing friction purchases and making seamless interactions. Some of the key features include fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, retina scanning, and various other biometric identifiers.

Such technology has already been adopted by some hotels that allow room access via fingerprints or allow semi-contactless check-outs. 

• Cybersecurity Measures 

Cybersecurity is a major concern, not only in travel management but in all companies as there’s an increasing risk from cyber-attack and more vulnerability to data breaches of other kinds. Travel companies are more susceptible to the threat of cybersecurity as it employs a large number of people who have access to an abundance of customer data. 

There are some biggest threats namely phishing attacks and ransomware attacks. With the emergence of technology, companies are trying to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks.

Key features of emerging technologies in the travel industry 

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• Travel Portals - B2B/ B2C
• Booking engine for hotels, flights, tours, activities 
• Third-Party integration 
• Itinerary builders 
• Reservation Management 
• Payment Integration 
• Multi-language support 
• Multi-currency support 
• Mobile-friendly design 

Advantages of technology in travel industry

• Cost effectiveness
• Enhanced operational efficiency 
• Automated travel processes 
• Time saving 
• Improve customer experience 
• Increased bookings 
• Maximized revenues

Conclusion

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today – Digital Travel Platforms are helping transform customer experience & significant online sales in the travel industry. From traditionally operating in one vertical and targeting one segment of traveler, travel companies are now transitioning into multiple travel verticals with the goal of providing consumer centric services and products to the entire lifecycle of the traveler. 

Digital travel companies like Expedia, Air BnB, Kayak to name a few have led the way to achieve massive success with their unique platforms to scale infinitely and grow to maximize their revenue model in new segments and enter new markets with ease. 

Rezopia – A modern, proven, out of the box, robust cloud-ready multi-tenant digital travel platform for the travel industry. Rezopia is a Ready-To-Deploy Platform for reduced TCO & improved ROI for end-to-end travel reservations, contracts, operations, and distribution management systems for Tour Operators, Rail Operators, Airlines Holidays & Tourism Board.  

Rezopia enables travel industry customers to transform business, innovate travel products and enhance to deliver unique customer experience.

 

 

The Railway network has always been the underdog in the transportation sector. Ever since the pandemic hit the globe, the logistics industry and rail operations played a crucial role in overcoming the hurdles in shipping brought about by the pandemic. With innovative foresight, the year 2021 and ahead could be pivotal for the rail industry globally.

Our study into this topic has led us to identify the below five trends and technologies that could drive the rail industry forward.

Technological innovation

Innovation is crucial for every industry. Be it the implementation of augmented reality or holographic projection, advanced fuel management systems, 3D laser scanners for shipment visibility solutions and, machine learning, the comeback of the rail industry is all about involving everything high-tech and smart.
For example, the Department of Transportation, U.S. developed the Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan to advance rail safety, promote collaboration and transparency, revolutionise the regulatory environment, and prepare the transportation system for various disruptions.
With the expansion of railways, investment in new technologies is crucial to monitor thousands of miles of tracks to avoid human intervention. A major focus will be on using data and artificial intelligence to create insights that can enhance services and reduce costs.
For example, Indian Railway plans to apply AI and data analytics across its operations — from passenger tickets to freight operations — to assist with maintenance challenges.

Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Rail Planning

AI-based tools and machine learning, combined with large-scale data collection and analysis, are being used to exhibit new insights that could lead to better decision making and strategic business outcomes.
The use of big data in the rail sector lays the foundation for train communication, predictive analytics, asset management, passenger information systems, and data management platforms. By applying smart railway sensors, we can analyse many data points to further improve the security, safety, and reliability of the infrastructure. The ability to predict possible failures further allows rail operators to plan repairs, thereby increasing the availability of rail backup. Startups and scale-up companies are developing IoT sensors to collect data for almost every facet of rail infrastructure, including railcars, tracks, and signalling units.

• Automated Trains

Automated tracking is advancing, and railroads will have to take the same route. Apart from being economic, it would also increase the velocity on their networks, due to the smart control of rolling stock. In the coming days, the railway networks will use new technology for automating marine terminals to rail intermodal yards, improving efficiency and safety. The automation of the railway industry goes beyond autonomous train operations. Startups and scale-ups develop robotic systems for infrastructure cleaning and maintenance and drone technology for remote inspection. Also, traction control automation will prevent delays and can improve the security of the infrastructure. Automation in the rail industry helps railway companies optimise their asset efficiency, monitoring, and maintenance, delivering an improved passenger experience and rail reliability for all their passengers.

• Asset and Crew Planning and Optimization

Using optimization tools for asset analysis and acquisition allows railroads to downsize their acquisitions to fit current and future capital planning. This allows rail management to form informed decisions on the quantity, type, and timing of purchases. In addition to savings in costs, optimised locomotive and waggon acquisition can reduce the continued cost of maintaining, storing, and moving unneeded rolling stock. With train automation, potential one-man crews, and related safety concerns, crew optimization will also become more crucial. Optimized crew plans reduce costs, increase network fluidity, and improve safety.

• Traffic Volatility and Modal Competition

Most global rail markets have seen huge volatility in freight rail traffic during COVID times and otherwise too, and need to re-plan their operations to deal with rapid demand changes. Trucking operations adapt to the changing demands and this might cause a permanent shift in the market share of railways for intermodal and general freight. Railways need to use smarter tools, including analysis and their planning processes, to provide the utmost agility required to meet this challenge.

Forecasting and visibility in the industry

Being able to forecast and somewhat prepare for future supply chain disruptions is the key to the supply chain maze. That’s why today’s rail and intermodal providers are incorporating supply chain visibility.
Transport Analytics is a powerful business intelligence tool that offers increased enterprise analytics across the rail supply chain. The visualisation of transport analytics tools and dashboards can help users analyse large data sets, aggregate key performance indicators, and identify and manage exceptions to improve asset utilization, inventory turns, and productivity.

Sustainability

Despite the pandemic, railways have continued to operate smoothly. Railways are, however, one of the greenest existing means of transport, and operators will continue to capitalise on this in the coming year.
In particular, hydrogen trains are set to continue this progress. Following ambitious net-zero emissions plans, governments are currently looking at further decarbonizing the rail industry. The most common solutions to decarbonization include replacing diesel trains with battery technology, hydrogen fuel cells, or electric trains. To further lower carbon-dioxide emissions, rail operators use electric locomotives that use energy from renewable sources, such as solar or wind energy.
Railroads have already deployed advanced fuel management systems, giving locomotive engineers real-time power and speed recommendations to enhance fuel-efficiency up to 14%, Fernandez-Willey says.

Passenger experience.

To improve the passenger experience, rail companies use automation in ticketing and video surveillance, set up train delivery services, and create hotel-like experiences in trains. Camera surveillance detects theft and helps optimise passenger load. Also, mobile apps are using automation techniques for booking a ticket or price comparisons for passengers and rail companies. Onboarding systems further improve last-minute booking, identification control, as well as seat assignments, and information cum entertainment systems engage passengers during travel. To further simplify the ticketing process, also as passenger identification, companies employ biometric ticketing solutions.
 

Rezopia by Sonata Software offers the next generation rail reservation, operations, and distribution management system for rail providers. We have built the world's most advanced and intuitive rail operations system to manage services, schedules, inventory, fares, and fare rules, enabling rail providers to improve customer service.
Through Rezopia, it can support multiple distribution channels. You can scale revenues by selling through your website, call centre and train stations as well as sell through your network of travel agents, corporations, and XML connectivity.
The reservations module provides advanced functionality to search & book, manage customer profiles, discounts and promotions, seat maps, automatic email and SMS notifications and social network integrations. You can also generate ancillary revenue by packaging rail with other travel products such as hotels, cars, attractions, and flights.

 

The travel industry undergoing a transformational change, thanks to rapid advances in technology. Innovations such as mobile applications, digital transactions, and online bookings are creating efficiency at an operational level. Plus, they add convenience to both the travel companies and customers alike. Here is examining a few game-changing trends that could potentially change the way travel industry operates.

Gigantic strides in technology over the last few years have begun changing the way people travel and how businesses operate. Technological innovations such as mobile applications, digital transactions, and online bookings have been a ‘shot-in-the-arm’ for the travel industry. These innovations or trends are creating efficiency at an operational level and convenience to both the travel companies and customers alike. As the New Year dawn on us,let’s look at a few game-changing trends that could potentially change the way travel industry operates:

More Mobile:

An increasing number of ticket bookings are happening through the mobile phone. Pre-travel activities such as search for flights, prices, destinations, hotels and even checking for tourist attractions are being done on the mobile. Users are more likely to use mobile phones to book tickets for flight and accommodation in ‘’on-demand’’ or urgent situations. Ticket booking companies have begun to collaborate with hotels using travel agency software or tour operator software to provide discounts to mobile users based on their real time location and need. This initiative by the booking companies canhelp forge a stronger customer relationship.

Big Data:

A fast growing trend, big data is being adopted by several industries as we speak. With the aim to collect valuable data about customers’ preferences that can be translated into plausible solutions for business growth, big data is indeed creating waves.Travel industry is hoping to benefit a lot from big data; we now have mobile applications and software solutions that predict airfare pricing.Some hotels have startedusing data to understand a guest’s preferences to make the experience more personalized.

Cloud Passport:

Sometime in the future, passengers may not be required to carry their passports to board the flight. Technology might just help establish the concept of Cloud passport that will store all the relevant and required information necessary for a travel. This will help save a lot on time and make the travel experience even more effortless and pleasant. It will also reduce the number of stolen passports.

Blockchain Technology:

A new technology in the field of financial transactions, Blockchain has caught the attention of quite a few industries including travel. In the current scenario, there is a lack of transparency across the several intermediaries in the travel industry such as credit card, settlement services, and travel management companies leading to mistrust. The payment process is lengthy and costly too. Blockchain solves the problem by making commercial transactions more transparent and by preventing fraud.

Artificial Intelligence:

When it comes to personalized communication, Chatbots are fast becoming the ‘’in-thing’’. With the deadly combination of their ability to operate everywhere and their higher language processing capabilities, chatbots may well be the next big things for travel brandsin their efforts to pep-up the customer interaction experience. You might as well be prepared to interface with what we can term as a ‘virtual travel agent’ which would carry out tasks such as finding the best airfare, hotel prices and even book tickets upon confirmation.

Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR):

These concepts have captured the imagination of stakeholders across industries including those of airlines and hotels. It is only a matter of time before travel brands embrace these concepts that could help them with brand promotion and customer experience. Imagine a traveller benefiting with a ‘’taste’’ of his trip and accommodation virtually,before actually experiencing it.Enticing enough, isn’t it?

Internet of Things (IoT):

The IoT with the inter-connectivity of devices has managed to move closer into the lives of human beings. With its huge dependency on devices and applications it’sonly a matter of time the travel industry will begin upgrading itself by embracing IoT. Eventually, we might see more efficiency in the processes - from ticket booking to information on travel delays and to the travel experience as a wholedue to IoT. Intelligent systems will enable faster detection of malfunctions and predict issues an operator could otherwise miss.

The travel industry undergoing a transformational change, thanks to rapid advances in technology. Technological changes mentioned above and other exciting ideas from start-ups wouldinevitably spread their influence to the travel industry to redefine travel for both business and pleasure.

Until recently, travel planning and travel was the privilege of the elite few. The advent of digital age has just about transformed that altogether. With digital technology and mobile, the travel industry has reinvented itself. Internet proliferation across masses began a change that was so unprecedented and massive that even as we speak, the travel industry is being re-invented and its stakeholders are still getting a hang of it.

A few decades ago, nobody could have assumed how the travel industry would evolve to its current position. Travel was one segment that has not been extensively influenced or affected by turbulent economic or financial times. While for some travel was a necessity, for others it was leisure. Holidaying and big vacations were restricted to a certain class of people whereas minor celebrations and getaways to nearby places were the options for most others; blame it on costs and time availability.

The turn of the century brought about more options in the form of packaged tours that allowed people to travel to previously unvisited destinations. Internet proliferation across masses began a change that was so unprecedented and massive that even as we speak, the travel industry is being re-invented and its stakeholders are still getting a hang of it.

How did it all begin and how is it reinventing the global travel industry?

Commercial Transactions:

Between the late 90s and the beginning of the millennium, the internet enabled commercial transactions between airlines and customers. Payments could be done via the internet as both stakeholders saved on time and effort. While this provided better efficiency and productivity for the airline work force, it created convenience and comfort for the customer.

Desktops and OTAs:

The growth of personal computers supported with internet access is changing the way travel is viewed. Travel planning is made easier and research on destinations is providing quicker results. We also have online travel agencies (OTAs) that are abruptly changing the game. Equipped with easy-to-navigate interface, technological back-end processes, the OTAs are pulling all tricks out of the hat to create that wholesome experience for a traveller and provide tour management and airline reservation software convenience and comfort.

Social Media evolution:

Initially, social media was for social interaction and communication – to stay in touch, virtually. But soon business and individuals alike realized the importance of social media. Social media platforms have become promotion grounds for travel companies, airlines and hotels. It is a huge virtual world in itself that is constantly changing the way travel planning is done. While the suppliers (airlines, hotels, and comfort stays) and intermediaries (OTAs, travel, and tour operators) are pulling all strings to make their presence felt, the customers are sharing, communicating about their travel experiences and even providing recommendations on these platforms.

Mobile-on-the-go:

People are known to predominantly use PCs and laptops for work and personal requirements. The last 2 years, however, has seen a change – using mobile phones and tabletsfor personal requirements are the ‘’in-thing’’. People on-the-go are relying on their smartphones to browse, plan, and book tickets for their travel. This is the beginning of a significant shift; a shift that is makes travel planning easier and faster, a shift that is set to change the way airlines and hotels wish to engage their customers. Experts say, that we have just started on our ‘’mobile’’ journeys and it’s a long way ahead!

Data Analytics:

With the help of data analytics the amount of customer data availablein terms of preferences, habits, likes, dislikes and lifestyles, through social media and mobile applications is exceptional. Global travel in the time to come will be moving a level up as airlines and hotels are finding ways to use big data and create a customer experience based on theirpreferences and lifestyles. Though it might sound a bit stretched, some OTAs, airlines,and hotels are pushing boundaries of technology to implement measures to provide a more personalized experience to their customers. Travel planning and travel was exclusive to a certain sections of the society; the advent of digital age has just about transformed that notion. With digital technology and mobile, the travel industry has reinvented itself. It has become more open to all demographics andis set to expand at a faster pace courtesy theincreasing number of travellers and the incentives of convenience and low costs.

The 1950s and 60s saw the ‘’birth’’ of the travel agent segment of the travel industry. The airlines could not have asked for a better partner in business as their front end. And for long, the travel agents played an important role to the extent that they soon became ‘’powerful’’ enough to be a threat to the profits of the airlines themselves; a section of the revenues does go as commission to the agents.

Rapid technological changes have brought airlines closer to the traveller through the web interface. Now suddenly, the travel agents seem to be no longer as important as they were and there is an imminent need for the traditional business model to evolve leveraging technology. So, how then can these businesses evolve with the help of technology? Here are my top 4 technology trends that can grow your business:

1. Going Mobile:
   The world (at least among the developed nations) is going mobile as more and more people resort to the smartphone for their daily needs and tasks. The customer has lesser time, is ever more demanding and is mobile driven. Airlines and travel agents have realized the need to cater to the mobile driven crowd and have leveraged on technology to extend their services in the form of mobile applications. Imagine a traveller getting alert on a flight delay or on her boarding gate or even on the cab arrival as soon as she lands at the airport – one could not have asked for more!
2. Enhanced Booking Experience:
   OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) have taken a direct online route to play the role of travel agents and in fact, have a predominant presence. With the mass usage of and activity on the internet, these OTAs came up with an online interface powered by the booking engine software that just about changed the way booking is done – the frantic running around for a ticket came down to just a few clicks!
3. Seamless Travel Experience:
   The average customer of today is internet savvy, well researched and almost always on-the-go. She is looking for a wholesome and seamless experience, it isn’t just about booking a ticket, it’s about the organization of the entire trip altogether. Technological integration has ensured a seamless connect with all the stakeholders of the industry starting from the travel agent to the airline to the cab to the hotel. Some travel agents often use the tour management software that provides for a comprehensive planning of the trip.
4. Personalization:
   Every Company wants a loyal customer and with so many options available from flights to cabs to hotel stays, loyalty demands a high price. The various stakeholders of the travel industry have realized the need for personalization as the means to getting closer to the customer. Using technologies such as data management and data analytics, Companies can now gather and analyze data to understand customer preference and needs. Specific customer programs can be planned and executed based on these preferences and needs. Thanks to such technologies, Companies have begun to understand their customers even better and that there are several service layers for the same travel objective. Example, two people travelling from Delhi to Berlin for a popular music concert can prefer to fly in two different classes; they can stay in the same hotel, but prefer two different service levels.

The stakeholders of the travel industry have, until the dawn of the millennium, operated largely in different lanes. Thanks to technology and the need for greater customer service levels, there is a need for business integration at various points in the service loop. Aided with technology, not only will businesses collaborate more than ever, but also evolve together to achieve their end objectives.

See how Sonata Software was able to transform the business for one of the world’s largest tour operators and help them evolve into a digital ready Company through technology.

In just a couple of decades, the Internet has completely changed the way we travel. In the past, travel planning often meant relying on a travel agent to get all details about destinations, transport, costs, hotel options, sightseeing options etc.

At most, you could get tips from a friend who might have travelled to a particular destination before. The role of the travel agent, however, was not just about facilitating bookings etc., but it was also very much about acting as an expert consultant who would educate and make recommendations.

But the proliferation of the Internet changed all that. Access to Information was no longer restricted to just the ‘experts.’ Instead, practically everyone with an Internet connection can now search for information, read reviews and recommendations, search for the best deals and go ahead and book everything from flights, hotels, meals, local transport and even tickets for tourist attractions without having to even step out of their house.

So, where does this leave travel agents? Is their role now obsolete? That need not be the case. Instead, the new digital landscape throws up a number of new opportunities to deliver value to travellers. And using the right technology framework can help enable this.

Multiple digital touchpoints

Compared to earlier times, a typical buyer cycle in the travel industry has several digital touch points all along. Throughout this journey travellers are constantly seeking engagement in a manner that is consistent, useful and informative.

For travel agents, this provides several great opportunities to engage with customers and deliver valuable services that generate revenue. The sheer amount of data available today means that there is scope for personalisation like never before. To understand this closely, let’s look at the typical traveller’s buyer journey:

Inspiration, search and purchase

For most travellers today, the inspiration to plan a vacation or holiday, comes from an online source. It could be a friend’s holiday pictures on Facebook or Instagram, or maybe an interesting article on an online travel portal.

Also, travellers search for options online, whether through a meta search or from an online travel agent. What’s great about this is that this provides an opportunity to engage with the prospective traveller through personalised and targeted offers. For example, if someone searches through your portal, you can quickly offer up a convenient shopping cart, give recommendations that can help you up-sell and cross-sell and ensure a consistent omnichannel engagement.

There is also scope to sweeten the deal and encourage a purchase by offering reward points and flexible payment options such as multiple-currency, payment gateway and ensuring PCI DSS.

Post booking engagement

Once a purchase is made, there is still ample scope to engage through notifications, reminders, proactive disruption management and relevant cross sell based on the data. For example, travellers will explore local activities, look for guides etc. A Destination App can improve engagement and boost revenue opportunities.

If the data tells you that the group is travelling with a child, you could recommend suitable sightseeing options or suggest pram rental services, to achieve customer delight. Once the trip is completed, visitors are likely to share, refer, review. Keep the engagement open by soliciting feedback to encourage customers to stay connected.

The Internet has undoubtedly transformed the travel industry is many ways. But the basics of engagement, customer-centricity and delivering value remain the same. Luckily, technology can help transform the customer experience and drive revenue in new and hitherto unimaginable ways.

Because travel is so closely linked to lifestyle trends, it is no surprise that it was one of the first sectors to get digitised with the advent of the Internet. In the early days, the internet was mostly seen as a source of information, while the actual planning and reservations happened offline, mostly through the traditional travel agent booking systems.

The advent of aggressive reservation technology start-ups such as Expedia, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor changed that. These have fuelled the growth of online travel bookings, with the industry expected to reach $183 billion by 2020.

Smartphones are the next big trend. Consumer Research states that every month, out of 78 million people who look online for travel information, 30 million people use their phones.

A New Generation of Travellers

The millennials are a tech savvy, travel loving generation. A Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker Infographic, shows that 75% of people say that their favourite travel companion is a mobile phone. The mobile phone actually ranked higher than ‘loved ones’ in this category. This is not entirely shocking considering the degree of dependence that we see on mobile phones.

Making the Most of the Mobile

For travel companies, this clearly means that it is time to embrace the mobile phone as a key channel for customer interactions. Here are some essentials as far as a seamless mobile experience is concerned:

• Travel apps: Apps make the whole planning process easier – letting the traveller research and compare rates and deals. Also, with a user-friendly interface, apps are becoming more popular than accessing websites on desktops.
• Consistent experience across channels: customers nowadays use a variety of devices to browse for information. The first visit might happen on a smartphone, glancing through the website; the second on a tablet, looking for a specific offer; and a shift to a desktop or a laptop to make the booking. According to Skift publication, a customer makes an average of 38 site visits before booking. A responsive website across all devices can keep the customer engaged on your website.
• Beyond voice: Various statistics show that millennials would rather instant message than make a voice call. Ensuring a self-service platform that eliminates the need for 1-1 interaction is important, and could impact bookings.

Ready for a mobile-first transformation?

At Sonata, we’ve worked closely with customers to build various applications such as an enterprise app management platform with built-in analytics for contextual intelligence, a mobile-oriented middleware platform for quick mobile first integrations, a traveller companion app (booking and post-booking features) for tour operators, a responsive delivery platform for accelerating mobile optimized web deployments and a travel analytics platform for personalized promotions delivery on travel apps.

If you’d like to bring your customers’ mobile experience up to speed, write in to us at [subhash.s@sonata-software.com]. Also, check out Sonata’s Travel Mobility Suite here

Over the years, we’ve seen the rise of travellers who are choosier than ever before. While they may certainly be more adventurous and open to new experiences, they are also incredibly sure about the level of interaction and assistance that they’re looking for. We’re seeing trends like adventure travel, experiential travel, bleisure (Business + leisure) travel etc. becoming buzzwords in the travel industry.

What does this mean for the travel industry? For one thing, it’s clear that providing the level of customization and convenience that travellers seek is impossible without embracing technology. It is something that travellers today seek and expect across the travel lifecycle right from deciding where to go.

Already, a recent study on travel trends revealed that 35 to 40% of all holidays were booked entirely on a mobile phone in 2017. And while on holiday, the mobile phone often becomes a sole reference item for ideas, places to visit, reaching the destination, eating, shopping and sharing on social media.

But apart from mobility and online bookings, which travellers have come to expect as standard, there are some major technology trends that we can expect to transform travel in 2018.

Virtual Reality (VR)

Virtual reality has the potential to allow the travel industry to provide truly immersive experiences to travellers right from the decision stage. What to experience deep-sea diving in the Bahamas before you book the tickets? Want to really ‘see’ your hotel room to check how big the bed is? VR can make this a reality for travellers. It can be a great marketing tool for tour operators and activity providers. Experiencing something over VR will beat any video or brochure hands down!

AI and Chat-bots

AI such as chatbots has the potential to transform various aspects of travel right from bookings and reservations to customer care. What’s more chatbots can also potentially work as highly effective tour guides too. Given that chatbots can be trained to effectively mimic human behaviour and draw from existing data, it holds immense promise for the travel industry as a tool to enhance traveller experience while managing costs. While it may never completely replace human interaction, it can certainly augment it to a very large extent.

In conjunction with chatbots, voice search is another area that the travel industry can leverage in 2018.

Smart Accommodation

While IoT and Smart devices have been buzzwords in hospitality for a couple of years now, 2018 may just be the year that its impact becomes mainstream. Given the immense scope for personalisation that IoT brings on, it will definitely have a big impact. From allowing guests to control their room temperature and lighting via their smart phones even before checking in, to blinds that close themselves when the sun hits to selecting TV channels remotely, the applications of IoT in hospitality are almost infinite.

For the travel industry, these trends not only allow for a superior and differentiated customer experience, they are great channels for enhancing marketing, security, and providing differentiated experiences. If you want to know how you could make the most of these trends, we’ll be happy to discuss. Write in to us at subhash.s@sonata-software.com to schedule a quick chat.

In the good old days, planning travel or vacations was a pretty straight-forward process. You went to your local travel agent, looked through all the brochures, decided on a place based on our interest and your budget and that was pretty much it. Recommendations from friends or family who were raving about a certain destination that they recently visited might have had an impact on your choice. Likewise, an interesting article in the local newspaper or a show on TV might have given you ideas on planning your next holiday.

Today, the process is not drastically different, but the number of options has exploded as has the number of influencers. Today, there are literally hundreds of websites that vie for a traveller’s attention each offering a deal better than the other. Your choice of destination can be inspired not just from your immediate circle, but also from your fourth-grade classmate’s Facebook pictures or an online review from someone you don’t know.

What does all this mean for a travel company? In an era of extreme choice, how do you ensure that your customers come back to you when they plan their next vacation? The biggest differentiator is customer experience. If you give your customers an unforgettable experience, then there is a good chance they won’t forget you either. The right technology can help!

Personalisation and Customisation

While unsolicited ads popping up on social media pages is a big turn off, promotions that are relevant are quite welcome. Therefore, personalized and targeted offers via multiple touch points can boost interest and convert. Since there is already a degree of basic understanding about the behaviour of existing customers, providing them with targeted offers is even simpler.

Consistent Omnichannel Experience

Your customers may find you in different ways. It could be through meta search, targeted ad, or by manually looking for your website. In any of these scenarios, what matters is that they experience consistent omnichannel engagement, get the right recommendations (based on their past behaviour) and a convenient Shopping Cart to help close the sale. A consistently superior experience is a great driver for loyalty.

Engagement Across Customer Journey Touchpoints

Your relationship with the customer does not end with the booking. To ensure that the customer decides to pick you even for their next trip, post booking engagement in the form of notifications, reminders, as well as proactive disruption management is valuable. For example, once on the trip, travelers explore local activities, look for guides etc. A Destination App can be a great way to not only improve engagement, but also boost revenue opportunities through relevant up-sell and cross sell. Continued engagement post the trip by soliciting feedback will encourage customers to stay connected. Of course, the more your customers share, refer, review, the better it is for you.

Flexibility and choice

In an era of abundant choice, customers appreciate the flexibility to use their preferred devices, terms of engagement and modes of payment. Allowing flexible payment options such as multiple-currency, payment gateway, ensuring PCI DSS to encourage purchase can go a long way in boosting loyalty.

Providing superior customer experience requires that the organisation have access to the right data and the right tools at the right time. In our work over the years, we’ve worked with leading travel organisations across the world deliver a superior customer experience through personalization, recommendations and multilingual capabilities. Through its Digital Transformation initiatives, our client, a leading leisure tourism company was able to achieve a 30% increase year-on-year in sale of web packages. It also enabled dynamic marketing, and an ability to cross-sell and upsell products to existing customers.

If you’d like to know more, write in to us at [subhash.s@sonata-software.com] or visit http://www.sonata-software.com/travel