Technology plays a major role in the tourism industry. It has the capacity to increase the efficiency of a business and improve the customer experience. Therefore, it is very important to be up-to-date with the emerging technology trends that are as follows:
- Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of Things (IoT) involves internet-based inter-connectivity between everyday devices, allowing them to both send and receive data. It can, for instance, be used in hotel rooms to provide customers with a device that connects to everything from the lights, to the heaters and air conditioning thus allowing everything to be controlled from one device.
- Recognition Technology
Recognition technology includes fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, retina scanning and various other biometric identifiers. It’s already being used in some hotels to allow access to rooms via fingerprints or to allow for semi-contactless check-outs. In the future, it might even be used for paying meals in the hotel
- Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality is one of the most promising tech trends for tourism-related companies because it allows them to digitally transport customers to a virtual recreation of a specific place. This way, hotels can showcase their rooms, reception areas and even local tourist hotspots on their website, in order to encourage bookings.
- Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality is similar to virtual reality, but involves augmenting a person’s real surroundings, rather than replacing them. For instance, details about local destinations can also be displayed as a customer points their smartphone at them, providing information at the exact time.
- Robotics
Robots are utilised in a number of ways. Hotel chains like Hilton use artificially intelligent robots who are often equipped with speech recognition technology as information points. In airports, they can be used to detect concealed weapons. Robotics is also used to create luggage cases that intelligently follow you.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is mostly used for customer service, with chatbots possessing the ability to deliver rapid response times to problems or queries while simultaneously learning from the interactions with costumers. It can also be used to accurately and continuously sort through data and draw conclusions about business performance or trends.
- Big Data
One of the biggest uses for this data is to improve personalisation, with travel companies using the information they gather to make specific adjustments to their offerings. It is also used to analyse current business performance, e.g. analysing historic occupancy rates and other past trends to better anticipate levels of demand. When demand is predictable, pricing and promotional strategies can also be optimised.