Travel companies are seeing how travelers have changed their habits, behaviors and preferences and that traditional ways of connecting with them aren’t as effective as they once were. This is due to the influence of technology on tourism. Do you want to know how the landscape has changed? Stay and read on. Tourists are forced to adapt to this technological revolution and implement digital tools to help them connect with this new informed, impatient, volatile mobile user. We live in a highly competitive market with a very demanding audience, and it is only through business innovation that you can stand out from the competition.
Smart Tourist Destinations
Smart destinations are based on technological infrastructures that promote the sustainable development of the tourist destination, and facilitate the tourist’s interaction with the environment, thus improving their experience. This new tourism concept allows us to offer visitors a more personalized experience, adapted to their needs and preferences and more complete. Some examples are free Wi-Fi, video guides or self-guides, etc. a mobile traveler. Due to a change in traveler behavior, tourism companies have been forced to pay more attention to their communication with their customers and the channels they use to connect with them. Today the user is looking for personalized, easy-to-access and flexible offers. Likewise, he is interested in dialogue and the exchange of experiences.
Mobile apps among companies with a mobile app, 60% of bookings are made through these devices, and this percentage is increasing. Today the user uses the mobile phone and the apps at all stages of the journey since they facilitate the organization of the trip, the interaction with the destination and the sharing of their experiences: search for information, reservations, and app guides to discover the destination, apps such as Instagram to share experiences and subsequently, those of reviews to leave comments that can help the future user are some examples. Companies must offer one that meets a need and that they do so with a good structure and interface to make the user experience the best possible – ease of use is the key to winning over a user.
Social Media
Like the apps, the RR.SS, they are also used before, during and after the trip. It is common for users to search for information about their travel, destination, and activities. They also share their experiences and connect with companies/people they meet during the journey. Indeed we have all seen people in a restaurant taking pictures of the dishes and sharing them on Instagram. This is a reality. If you want to know more about technology and tourism, you cannot miss the post on tourism 3.0: definition and professional opportunities.
It is essential to know the impact they can generate on the public and how to benefit from them. A recommendation from a user in their RR.SS., with the consequent effect on their followers, can be like “digital advice”, as a recommendation will improve your brand image and encourage many of their followers to come to the facility/accommodation in question. Likewise, thanks to the possibility they give you to segment your audience, you can communicate with your target audience more personalized and effectively and let them create a dialogue in which they can also express their opinion and expectations. It is a win for everyone!
Tourism Software
They allow centralized, automatic and easy management of a tourism company’s processes, from reservations, inventories, human resources management, etc., streamlining processes and reducing costs. Likewise, these systems support your primary goal, which is to improve the experience your customers have with the brand, from their booking, through their stay, to manage the comments they can leave once they are already home.
Artificial Intelligence And Big Data
With the implementation of these technologies, operations can be automated, simplifying processes and improving data analysis for strategy optimization. With Big Data, a large amount of data can be stored and analyzed, thus creating customized strategies that improve the traveler experience. Likewise, thanks to Artificial Intelligence, many activities can be automated without human interaction, making processes more agile and precise and reducing costs.
AI, with predictive algorithms, allows you to predict behaviors and trends and respond to them automatically. Thanks to these technologies, companies work with more reliable information, there is better management of the FeedBack, it helps to predict demand and allows the creation of strategies that increase customer loyalty and retention.
Technological Barriers To Tourism
Among others, some of the difficulties encountered in implementing these solutions is finding qualified personnel who know how to use these tools. Today, there is a certain distance between the training received by professionals and the market’s needs in the tourism sector. Likewise, sometimes, some companies cannot offer training to their current teams due to a lack of budget or time. You may also be interested in Tourism and Big Data, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
What Does The Future Of Tourism Hold?
The tourism sector increasingly sees new technologies‘ benefits to business, and investments in these digital tools are on the rise. In a market where tourists are 100% digital, if you want to be competitive, you have to leave pen and paper in the past and implement tools that allow you to communicate with them more effectively, that help you streamline processes and improve your experience.
Likewise, this is not just the responsibility of businesses but of universities and training centers, which must lecture on digital tools for future tourism professionals to lead this transition. If you liked this post, please share it! We do not doubt that you will also enjoy our infographic on the evolution of tourism 3.0 and our Postgraduate in Marketing and Tourism Management 4.0, designed for all those who want to develop marketing in the world of tourism.
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