2. Wearable devices are increasingly common in
the travel industry today and are being used in a
wide variety of ways. They are allowing
companies to offer a more personalized and
streamlined service, which is good for them, as
well as suitable for companies looking to avoid
wasted time and queuing.
One great example of how wearable devices are
now being used in travel is at the Walt Disney
Company. They've adopted RFID wristbands
called MagicBands that allow customers to
connect with the infrastructure inside Disney
theme parks in various ways.
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3. Another trend that's already made its way into
many hotel rooms around the world is voice
activation. Voice activation is taking off in
many sectors right now, not just in travel and
tourism. More and more people are making
Google searches via voice and using voice to
text apps for work.
This rise in usage means they're used to using
their voices to make stuff happen around them
in their day to day life. In terms of how voice
activation is happening in the travel and
tourism industry, it's allowing people to turn on
TVs and control other devices and appliances
in their hotel rooms with their voice.
4. Virtual reality is another of the major tourism trends
disrupting the industry and capitalising on the technology
can give you an edge over rivals who have not yet adopted
it. Through online VR tours, customers can experience
hotel interiors, restaurant interiors, outdoor tourist
attractions and more, all from their home.
Crucially, they are able to do this at the decision-making
phase of the customer journey. This can then be the
difference between customers completing a booking or
backing out and VR is especially useful within the context
of COVID, where customers may have second thoughts
and may need extra encouragement to press ahead with
their plans.
5. The idea of a robot serving you your drink in a
hotel bar is no longer a sci-fi fantasy. Instead, it's a
reality in some parts of the world. Robots can now
also man check-in desks out of hours. Automation
is also making the booking experience more
straightforward than ever.
Chatbots are increasingly used by travel
companies to answer customer questions and to
offer tailored deals that meet customer needs.
Smart chatbots are a big part of how many travel
and tourism companies are adopting artificial
intelligence and everything it can provide to the
customer.
6. Recognition technology is making its way into many
airports and travel hubs already. If you've been to a
large, modern airport recently, you'll probably have
used a face recognition system to make your way
through passport control. It's possible to scan your
face and match it to your passport.
There were some hiccups and inconsistencies with
this technology when it first came to market but,
those problems are now less bothersome to airports.
They offer a safe and fast way to check a person's
identity as they enter a country, and they'll only
become more common.
