There is no denying we live in a digital world, as nearly every aspect of our modern lives involves some level of technology. Advanced technology and consumer electronics impact the way we interact with one another, do business, stay safe, learn and take in most of the relevant information that our brains see on a daily basis.
It should come as no surprise that travel and tourism industries have also felt a major impact from the ongoing technological revolution. With the ever-increasing pace of advancements in smartphones, social media, GPS and the other tools we use to travel safely and efficiently, it can be easy for traditional hospitality, travel and tourism businesses to fall behind.
Fortunately, those in and around these industries are just as innovative and pragmatic as anyone, and technological advancements have also had major positive impacts on tourism. As is the case in any industry, it largely comes down to the willingness to adapt and the ability to utilize modern, efficient tools and applications to your advantage.
Our Global Community
Perhaps the most meaningful impact of all major advancements in the last two decades deals with the interconnectivity of the new global community. Through the internet, social media, advanced networks, global economies and other innovations, anyone can be immediately connected to anyone else or anywhere else in the world. We have the ability to close immense physical distance and do what was once impossible with devices that are constantly at our fingertips.
Although there have been challenges presented to traditional tourism by modern technology, there are also countless opportunities for tourism to flourish. No matter how advanced we may become, the basic concept behind tourism has been and always will be true and consistent: People want to visit new places, and they require help and accommodation to do so.
Embracing Technology
Modern technology encourages exploration and travel, and the tourism industry can benefit greatly from this. One of the key elements of embracing travel technology and using it to your advantage is understanding why people would want to travel. While pictures and souvenirs are nice, travel is always about the experience, and those in tourism would benefit from taking any necessary steps to improve the visitor experience.
It is important to understand that a traveller’s experience does not begin once he or she arrives at the destination; modern technology has allowed the travel experience to begin from the very moment the person decides to go somewhere. All of the planning, booking, researching and reviewing that goes into a successful modern vacation means that travellers are already in the midst of their travel experience well before the bags are packed and the plane arrives.
Hotels, travel companies, amusement parks and anyone in the various branches of the tourism industry should take any necessary steps to make this pre-experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. If you sell tickets for an NYC tour, is your eCommerce site simple and user-friendly? If you manage a hotel, can guests easily locate your establishment through a search engine?
Understanding what it takes to help travellers before arrival is half the battle, and it is the half that is most largely influenced by modern technology. No matter what service or products you provide within tourism, there are some simple steps any tourism business should take to ensure their service is up to tech-savvy visitors’ expectations.
- Make your website is easy to locate from search engines and related sources.
- Ensure your site can easily be navigated from a computer or mobile device.
- Get visitors excited about the trip with beautiful images and helpful blog posts.
- Make booking/reserving as simple and easy as possible.
- Ensure visitors will have a platform to share their experiences with friends, family and potential future visitors.