The Social, Mobile Future of Travel
Whether you are taking a business trip or sneaking in a summer getaway, Travel Technology is revolutionizing the way in which we navigate the world.
Travel technology is a term used to describe applications of Information Technology in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. It is used to describe systems that manage and monitor the travel industry itself (ex. flight tracking systems) and it is increasingly being used as an information resource for individual travelers (ex. Social media and mobile apps).
Out of about 60 million smart phone users, 42% research travel information using their phone while 20% actually booked their trip on a mobile device. Beyond just booking trips, travelers can also use mobile apps to get real time information about flight times, hotel reservations, car rentals, and other services.
Social media platforms are increasingly being utilized in the travel industry. Travelers are signing up as friends, fans, or followers of travel suppliers on social networking sites such as Facebook. However, the travel industry still needs to develop an effective; result oriented marketing strategy utilizing social media platforms. For example, tourism campaigns should integrate social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter since 52% of travelers in the United States are already using social media. About $102.9 billion is generated from social media users in the domestic tourism sector whereas compared to $69.5 billion from non-social media users.