Importance of Technology in the Tourism industry.
Technological Advances in Tourism
Technological advances are making significant changes to the tourism industry (Revfine, n.d.) (Hooijdonk, 2019):
AI powered Chatbots are being used as part of customer support; these are able to provide customers with answers to commonly asked questions on a 24/7 basis. These are used to improve the overall customer service.
Contactless Payments are being increasingly used in the industry as it saves time and is a more convenient option. It’s also safe for the traveler as well as the staff considering the spread of virus.
Robots are being increasingly used to provide concierge-like roles, they are used for greeting guests and to provide basic information. Some hotels are even using these for cleaning and luggage handling.
Virtual reality (VR) tours help customers experience virtual hotels tours, landmarks, and other popular attractions. The interactivity and immersive nature of this technology helps in increasing conversions of customers wanting to book their holidays.
Technology and Productivity
Here’s how technology can be used to enhance productivity (Revfine, n.d.) (Hooijdonk, 2019):
Hotels and travel agents can use Robots to provide concierge-like roles, for greeting guests, to provide basic information, for cleaning and luggage handling, thus freeing up other staff to attend to more pressing needs.
Use of AI chatbots will reduce the work load of support staff, who can focus on attending to more important queries of customers.
IoT technology in rooms will enable gadgets such as lights, heaters, air conditioning, to be switch on and off from one place thus saving time while housekeeping.
Recognition technology will allow access to rooms via fingerprints or can allow semi-contactless check-out freeing up the staff.
Using contactless payments will free up staff to attend to other important things.
Technology and Communications
Here’s how technology be used to improve both internal and external communications (Revfine, n.d.) (Hooijdonk, 2019):
Email and phone are no longer the only options for internal communication as well as external communication.
It’s easier to collaborate within the company as files and data stored on the internet (cloud) can be easily accessed by other team members.
In general, Technology creates more avenues of communication (sms, chats, intranet, internet, apps, social media) that can be used for internal or external communication.
Online portal can be used to offer a variety of services to customers as well as serve as an effective communication channel
Chatbot technology is increasing used for external communication for answering queries, appointment bookings. It can also be used for internal communication.
Internet and Tourism Services
Here’s how Internet has affected the delivery of Tourism Services.Tourism companies now create apps for customers that let them create their own personalised itineraries based on what activities and locations interests them, instead of handing them maps with pins that represent local attractions.
AI-powered chatbots now make planning trips a breeze, and these are increasingly becoming popular.
Apps, based on user preferences, provide tailored airline and hotel booking recommendations and can even create personalised itineraries for users.
Robots are now being used to provide concierge-like services, to provide basic information, for cleaning and luggage handling.
There are options for contactless payments, which can be convenient both to customer as well as to the service provider.
Technology and Customer Service
Here’s how technology can be used by businesses in the travel/tourism industry to enhance customer service (Revfine, n.d.) (Hooijdonk, 2019):
Robots can be used to provide concierge-like services, greet guests when they arrive, provide them with information, and can also be used for cleaning and luggage handling.
Contactless payments make it convenient for customers to make payments, and also ensures safety in the post-Covid19 world as one need not come in close proximity to any staff or need to handle any cash.
AI-powered chatbots can be used to provide customers with quick answers to commonly asked questions and they can work 24/7 basis, regardless of staff availability.
Apps and AI-chatbots can also help create personalised itineraries for customers based on their interests.
IoT technology in hotel rooms provide customers with a device that lets them control lights, heaters, air conditioning, and other appliances from one place.
Technology today enables companies to collect wealth of information about customers, which can be used to enhance customer experience. For example, based on existing data about customers, flight attendants can recognise passengers, celebrate birthdays, and deliver several innovative services.
Revenue Tools for Financial Performance
Here’s how technology (revenue tools) is helping improve the financial performance of a travel business (Revfine, n.d.) (Hooijdonk, 2019).
Emerging technologies such as Virtual reality provide an immersive experience which lets customers take virtual tours of hotels, landmarks, and popular destinations. Such an immersive experience helps in convincing a potential customer to complete a booking faster.
Robots, Chatbots, contactless payments can help reduce dependency on the support staff and help a travel business save on costs.
Improved customer service (based on the data collected of customers) will help a travel business retain customers for a longer period of time resulting in repeat business from such customers.
Data collected about customers, when analysed, can reveal interesting patterns, that can help a travel business save costs or reveal more money-making opportunities.
References
Revfine (n.d.) 11 Key Technology Trends Emerging in the Travel & Tourism Industry. (revfine.com/technology-trends-travel-industry)
Richard van Hooijdonk (June, 2019). Technology is transforming travel and tourism. (richardvanhooijdonk.com/blog/en/technology-is-transforming-travel-and-tourism)
Academic Questions on Technology and Tourism
Q. What technological advances have had the most significant changes on the tourism industry?
Q. How can technology be used to enhance productivity?
Q. How can technology be used to improve both internal and external communications?
Q. How has the Internet changed the delivery of tourism services?
Q. How can technology be used to enhance customer service?
Q. How can technology be used to enhance customer service?
Q. How can revenue tools be used to improve financial performance for a travel business?
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