Can tech help bolster a struggling travel industry?
Whilst it does appear that many different countries are back on the road to recovery with vaccine efforts being extremely impressive and big changes promising to have an impact in the hospitality sector, it’s safe to say that for the most part the industry will remain on shaky legs for quite some time. But there are those exploring how different possibilities could help bolster this struggling industry, with many pointing towards the options that could come from the tech sector in particular, but where is tech helping the most, and what are the possibilities moving forward?
A wider smartphone experience – It’s not only the travel that has provided issue, but the destination too, how can you enable protection to visitors every step of the way? Many hotels have started to introduce different smart tech to provide as much of a contactless experience as possible, from contactless check-in to menu’s delivered straight to your phone. This will certainly be one of the most impactful changes that could help push the travel industry forward as the locations with the most expanded contactless experiences will be those most likely to succeed, and those who may already be on the path to recovery.
Exploration of newer tech in expanded reality – Expanded reality or XR covers a wider umbrella under augmented and virtual reality and are both something that have been used widely in a number of industries. Probably most well known within gaming as the biggest options with bonus codes at this site have begun to take advantage of the growing XR space, but there may be advantages to be found in other spaces too. Big tourist destinations like the Louvre have already made this shift, ‘Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass’ has been the first big VR experience project for the location and gives an immersive look at the Mona Lisa and is just a small example of how travel and tourism as a whole can benefit from newer tech to help push things forward. Given VR has been used for other things like experience a rollercoaster ride in some examples too, it does show that there may also be other options for different attractions all around the world for those willing to invest in building the VR experience and delivering it to the audience too.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting year of recovery moving forward with some desire pointed towards a summer recovery, either way there will certainly be an uptick in use of technology across many different aspects of travel and tourism as a whole, and plenty of opportunities for many to expand what they have on offer for their customers that may be possible outside of the usual and expected spaces, and more towards something new and revolutionary that can change the space.
