CIOInsider India Magazine
How Technology Is Personalizing The Travel Industry
In his career spanning 17 years, Vasanth has worked with various media companies such as Glacier Media Digital, StarLightMedia, Oasis Investment Company, and Pico MENA, prior to incepting The Chikkiboo Travel in 2017.
Not long ago, apart from its greater excitement, travel always brought with it its part of the hassles – the tickets, the timings and the different ways of getting there. From running to the airline offices to getting the names checked to franticly figuring out the layovers, there used to be an amount of chaos related to travel. Fast forward ten years, the growth of technology and its influence in the travel industry is tremendous. The days of visiting the airlines offices are long gone and the ‘one touch travel’ has become the trend of today.
With the introduction of technology, the world of travel is seeing a new era of development and progress. And the art of personalization is beginning to deep root within the users who expect more out of their travel experiences. Apart from its obvious benefits, the most vital use of technology gave way for reduced costs, increased operational efficiency and increased customers experience. Customers are now filtering so much data that only the information which they really want reaches them. Technology within the travel sector is transforming the very art of receiving information.
Cost Factor: With paper out of the equation, technology has opened its doors to tremendous cost reduction solutions by operating everything under the system. From bookings, reservations, cancellations and travel information, everything is available right under the hood of that smartphone. And powering this global surge of data is technology, driving immensely important information to the right customer at the right time. The global technology drive has reduced labor to a great extent and by itself it delivers its customers without them having to wait an extra minute. With a press of a button, travel information is searched, cookies released, data is fetched and saved, customers are tracked for future bookings and selective marketing unfolds. The cost of personalization is at its prime now, with AI doing
much of the human work, saving time and money for companies. It’s as easy as a passenger booking a ticket, receiving it in his email the very next minute, checking himself online, walking to the airport kiosk and getting his boarding pass printed. The whole system is personalized and is fit to save a lot of time for the coming future.
The Operational Factor: Travelers now want to enhance their experience by constantly being on the line. Many within the travel industry agree that the travel industry is facing one of its prominent revolutions in terms of going mobile. India has been the forerunner when it comes to using technology within the travel market with customers using 10-12 apps towards getting the necessary information about their upcoming trip. Real time operational data is helping customers find and research data on trends and other vital information which is greatly helping them influence on their holiday preparations. With the intense information available to them, customers are now able to personalize and idealize their entire trip itinerary with a touch of a button. Industry experts inform that the travel industry has always welcomed new trends and adopted new technology giving rise to greatly personalized experiences for today’s travelers.
Personalization is at its peak, where travelers now provide agencies with their favorable itineraries to execute them at their best pace
The Customized Traveler: With so much available within technology it’s no wonder that both the mobile and the internet seem to become the best copilots of today’s travelers. With ample amount of information readily available, travelers are able to research, book, clarify, condense and execute trips like never before. Personalization is at its peak, where now travelers provide agencies with their favorable itineraries for agencies to execute them at their best pace. Today’s travelers are no longer lost and can no longer be led astray. The internet of things (IoT) has made the world more transparent than ever with every amount of information readily available upon request. And coming back from a trip, majority of the travelers are now collaborating and sharing their experiences online, making sure every future travelers is made available with all the necessary information of the places they want to visit and experience. One industry expert speaking at the Arabian Travel Market 2019 in Dubai, states that “The travel industry is one where interaction with the consumer is becoming more critical, and the technological advances are letting corporations get closer and know their customers a bit better”. In this regard a lot of travel brands and corporates alike are able to better understand their customers are able to better target their audiences with the best possible offers which carry more preferences for the select customers.
The Future: Technological advances within the travel industry are exceeding expectations year by year and some experts state that we are still only at the surface and we have a long way to go. Automated marketing campaigns armed with customer insights, purchase history and preferences coupled with customizable experiences are just a little example of how tomorrow machines will learn to adapt and execute products for travel customers. From hotels to cabs, from flights to locations, on the go experiences will totally change the future of the next generation traveler. As an industry, both the travel and the hospitality sector are slowly gearing up to a place in the future, where technology can help travelers get whatever information they need about a new destination, flight, hotel or activity as quickly and easily as possible, with smarter recommendations that learn and evolve over time.
