travel tech insights

Take a look at your weekend to-do list. It probably involves multiple stops at a variety of different stores for a number of varied products. While this use to be the norm, megastores like Wal-Mart and others have made it easy for customers to purchase all the products they need in one convenient place. Everything from groceries to clothing to automotive supplies and beyond. Megamarts like this have become a one-stop shop for customers on a global scale.

The same can be said of online booking engines. For travel agents, there once was a time when multiple interfaces or systems would have to be used in order to search for available bookings, view inventory, coordinate with the client or customer, and finally distribute confirmations or other necessary documents. As online booking sites and other methods of travel bookings rose to prominence, travel agents were significantly hampered by the lack of maneuverability and agility associated with using multiple systems or platforms to complete relatively simple operational tasks.

Today on the blog we begin a three-part series examining the evolution of the travel industry during the last 14 plus  years. Since 2002, a number of seismic shifts have taken place within the travel industry that have had a massive impact on how companies operate and travelers experience the world. The goal of this series is to discuss the major milestones in the travel industry’s evolution from the perspective of the traveler/consumer, the industry’s major players, and the technological advancements that have transformed the industry into a powerhouse of global commerce.

In this first entry, we’ll look at the traveler and discuss the changes in available tools and the mentality buying behavior throughout the last decade and a half.

It’s an understatement to say the world has changed drastically since 2002. At seemingly the same time, people become both more and less connected through advancements in technology and 24/7 access to information, goods, and services. The world is simultaneously much larger and much smaller than it was just 14 years ago, and the way industries function in today’s world bears little resemblance to global business climate of the year 2002.