travel tech insights

I was recently flying to Washington, D.C. for a regional travel conference and, to pass the time, tried to download a new online banking app on my smartphone. It was a very frustrating experience because the download would on the surface appear complete, but the app would not open or would quickly crash only moments after I logged in. I finally read the terms and conditions of the app to discover my phone - or more precisely, my phone’s operating system - was not compatible with the app, hence the failure to download properly.

It simply can’t be stated enough: mobile travel apps have changed and are changing the way today’s traveler experiences travel and the ways travel companies reach their customers. Whether you’re talking about millennial, adventure, or experimental travelers, the impact of mobile travel apps is undeniable, and there’s no greater proof than the resources travel companies, suppliers, and travel agencies have dedicated to becoming more responsive, faster, and more agile to cater to the mobile needs of the modern traveler.

While the industry ramp-up in mobile app technology has been steady during the last five years, hotels and hotel booking suppliers have made a strong push during the last 18 months to create robust mobile app platforms aimed at offering customers the easiest, most convenient platform to research and complete bookings, while at the same time working with travel management companies and online travel agencies to create better visibility and enhanced transparency when it comes to inventory, transactions, invoicing, and other operational processes.

Travel and tourism are both ostensibly about making connections, whether it be with the people you meet during your journey or with the culture and landscape of your destination. It’s about creating dynamic, symbiotic experiences that come with learning about new people and places with similarities and differences from your own life experience.

Which is why is make sense that the travel industry is built on connections and interactions between several different entities throughout a travel company’s value chain to provide the very best value and experience for customers. A complex distribution system of retail travel agents, travel service wholesalers, and local tourism agencies who contract with wholesalers all work to provide travelers with the knowledge, products, and services to ensure a smooth, hassle-free travel experience.