travel tech insights

It’s no secret mobile bookings are a major force in today’s travel industry. Travelers - particularly  millennials and digital natives - are more tech savvy and connected than ever before, and they’re using mobile capabilities to research, book, and review travel experiences at unprecedented levels.

According to the travel industry research group Phocuswright, the online travel market in the United States has seen revenues surge to more than $166 billion since 2012 - in addition, roughly 45 percent of domestic travel spending will come from online travel commerce. Both of these staggering statistics are in large part driven by mobile capabilities and how travel companies leverage their mobile platforms to reach customers and engage with travelers.

In fact, these statistics are just two of many that support the mobile narrative unfolding across the travel and tourism industry. The figures behind the rise of mobile booking technology and the impact this development has and will continue to have on how travel companies and customers interact is one of the more interesting and revealing aspects in today’s travel landscape.

As we reach the midway point of 2016, it’s commonplace to review the trends, developments, evolutions, and disruptions that have occurred during the first half of the year in order to attempt predictions on where the second half may be headed. While unexpected geopolitical events like the loosening of travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba and Britain's exit from the European Union certainly caught some in the travel industry by surprise, other headlines items like the sustained rise of mobile travel apps and mobile travel interfaces have functioned as more of a foregone conclusion for the travel industry as it embraces more the ability to research, book, and review destinations while travels are on the move.

Travel and tourism industry analysts have been beating the drum for mobile capabilities for some time now, but if there is one surprising element to the mobility narrative, it’s how even halfway through 2016 mobile travel apps and platforms are perhaps the most dominant force in shaping the future of business in travel and tourism. As the world becomes bigger and more emerging markets enter the discussion, mobile travel capabilities are actually making the world smaller as travelers can access more information, products, and services than ever before.