How technology is transforming the tourism industry |29 December 2017

Not too long ago, planning for a holiday would involve a visit to a travel agent, seeking information from a travel guidebook or word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends. Nowadays, advances in technology allow us to conveniently book our flights and hotels, review restaurants and find places of interest all online in a matter of minutes.

The travel and tourism industry has been significantly transformed with the advent of new technologies. The internet has by far been the most significant advancement in technology – acting as a platform for access to information.

Online Travel Agents (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Expedia, are prime examples of companies in the industry who are ripping the benefits of being online. Today, they drive the majority of hospitality online bookings around the world and as a result they are the primary source of income for most hotels.

The vast majority of hospitality establishments in Seychelles are present on at least one of these OTAs. Booking.com for instance has 506 properties listed in Seychelles. They allow travellers to easily review and compare different hotels in terms of price/locations and thus open up markets that were otherwise inaccessible to certain small hotels.

Tech companies like Airbnb, through their home sharing platform, are giving their clients the option to choose more affordable accommodation and encouraging travellers to explore places of interests in a cost-effective way.

Airbnb is now planning to allow their guests to be able to preview their holiday homes using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The aim is to allow guests to take virtual tours of properties before they book and use AR to enhance their experience upon arrival.

“Capabilities like 360 photos and 3D scans allow a person to step inside a home or city and understand what to expect and how to orient themselves before they leave the comfort of their own home,” says the San Francisco-based company.

Others such as Thomas Cook, a pioneer in the industry for more than 170 years, have embraced the internet with the introduction of online bookings and is now offering immersive 360 VR holiday films using the Samsung Gear VR to its potential holidaymakers. Launched in 2015, the ‘Try Before You Fly’ virtual experience began with locations in Egypt, New York city, Cyprus, Greece and Singapore.

Many airlines are now allowing their passengers to book, purchase tickets, check in and access their boarding pass online. In addition, many flights are now offering Wi-Fi in flight. The majority of airports around the world also offer Wi-Fi, making it easier for last minute preparations or checking out bus/train time-tables.

A London-based technology company AirPortr, claims to be the first mobile luggage check-in and delivery service in the world. Launched in 2016 and recently partnered with British Airways & American Airlines, the service allows you to “check in your luggage at your doorstep”.

The service, which is still in its infancy - only being offered in London - is potentially the way all of us will travel in the future. Simply, you make a booking online for your luggage to be picked up at any address including your office or hotel and this allows you to head straight to security and departure lounge, then pick up your luggage when you land.

We in Seychelles, of course, benefit immensely from the way technology is shaping the tourism industry. The number of visitors has increased significantly over the years, aided significantly by the wealth of information present online about Seychelles.

With the advent of digital photography and smart devices, holidaymakers can make use of their smartphones to capture and instantly post beautiful photos and/or videos on social media platforms for their friends and families, who themselves are prospective visitors to our shores. This becomes free ‘digital’ marketing for our islands.

It is however, a double edged sword - just as quickly as a beautiful photo can go viral, so can posts about visitors’ poor experiences, potentially leaving our tourism industry vulnerable to disrepute. In this light, we need to also be aware of the potentially destructive ways in which technology can harm our tourism industry.

References: Airbnb; RealityTechnologies; Visualise; Cloudbeds; Techcrunch;AirPortr; Booking.com