CIOInsider India Magazine

Silicon Valley has come to a pause along with the largest economies in the world and companies have asked employees to work from home. At the same time, the travel tech industry staggers from the brunt caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic globally. A decline of 34 percent is expected to have in the present year for the travel industry by and large. Few weeks before, after witnessing a major drop in bookings, there was a rise in the customer service demand from people with already booked tickets for cancellations and rescheduling of the trips.

The pandemic has also send damage to the Indian travel and tourism sector, leaving many small enterprises and startups in the travel technology landscape nowhere. In the past year, India has been in the forefront making tremendous progress in technology fields across travel verticals. Travel is one industry where the impact of technology has been prominent as emerging technologies have been increasingly causing disruptions across almost every industry.

High growth in online bookings
One of the primary aspects that are expected to get restored and work in a full swing will be the revival of extended travels. As customers will be more concerned with the number seats and the rate at which flights, trains and buses get booked after the remodelling of transportation, it becomes the responsibility of agents to make sure the necessary criteria is met with the standards that are outlined. Another significant area where travel agents will be forced to strengthen their efforts is the availability of resources to fulfil the unforeseen demands. The post Covid-19 era is so crucial that people would have strange preferences which take absolute care to their health security.In finding the best hotels that meet the policies of the government rules, transportation availability, and every small but important need, the travel agencies have to embrace newer technological tools that can carry out necessary functions.

Thrive of vacation rental companies
As we have already mentioned, consumers will definitely re-enter the travel market with utmost care and consciousness. In such a scenario, private vacation rental providers like Airbnb and VRBO is likely to benefit since people starts to avoid large chain hotels that house huge gatherings. This invites venture capitalists and sovereign wealth funds towards such private industry players as they can quickly position their companies by presenting as pro-consumer brand. With advanced booking features and a number of opportunities in the area, the vacation rental companies need to adopt a comprehensive solution package that attracts customers in availing every necessity they require.

There will be significant changes and alterations in the policies and management with respect to tourism industry. This could have major reflections in the travel industry with assuaging people in visiting public places, gatherings, customer support services during the time of travel and so on. The improved use of voice assistance technologies using AI and ML, securing payment gateways, and few best travel loyalty programs are some of the key areas that will have an excellent impact after the world recovers from Covid-19.