Travel technology is a general term used to describe the use of information technology (IT) in tourism, travel, and hospitality. In any case, travel technologies strive towards these goals – to save time, cut travel costs, and enhance the travel experience for customers. Notably, travel technology has not only been pivotal in enhancing customer experience but has also helped businesses to run operations seamlessly.
The ravages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last 2 years have pushed for more technological innovations in the travel sector. From the Internet of Things (IoT) to contactless payment technologies, the future for technology is bright.
Let’s look at some of the merging technology trends in the travel industry.
Contactless Payment Technologies
Contactless payment options saw a tremendous increase in adoption during the pandemic thanks to the need to maintain a safe distance between individuals. Increased usage of mobile payment options during the pandemic encouraged innovations in the online payment industry as we saw new entrants into the market.
While APIs have been around since the 1990s, they took off in the 21st century after the creation of Web 2.0 – a web technology primarily characterized by user-generated content. Payment APIs have enhanced the travel industry through the integration of existing mobile payment technologies with travel platforms such as mobile apps and web applications.
As of 2017, the mobile payment market size was valued at $1.48 trillion and is expected to hit $12.06 trillion by 2027.
Internet of Things (IoT) IoT is poised to influence the travel industry with wearables, biometric security systems, wireless room appliances, and wireless inventory tracking systems. With advanced remote sensing devices, IoT is expected to enhance travelers’ experience through information gathering and analysis. For instance, wildlife researchers plant remote sensing devices in the jungle to gather information for easier tracking of wild animals.
Robotics
As far as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is concerned, robotics tops the list of the most popular AI technology in the travel industry. In the hotel business, robots are used in catering and hospitality activities. Moreover, some hotels use them for luggage handling. Rapid advancement in AI is expected to provide more innovative solutions for the travel industry.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality is an emerging AI technology that allows users to experience a simulated reality. Travel enthusiasts can explore hotels, restaurants, and scenic landmarks in the comfort of their homes. With a virtual reality headset, you can go on an adventure without leaving your house. Innovations in VR were critical during the pandemic and are expected to impact tourism post-pandemic.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is part and parcel of every technology and it encompasses two major aspects, that is, attacks and countermeasures. While travel technology is pivotal in improving the quality of travel experience the associated cybersecurity threats cannot be ignored. Cyberthreats such as cross-scripting attacks, data breaches, online fraud, hacking, distributed denial of service (DDOS), and malware attacks are common in the industry. Ergo, industry stakeholders ought to keep up with these attacks and implement suitable measures to counter such threats.
Remarkably, travel technology is broad and will continue to grow as demand for better travel experiences increases. Looking at how fast the industry has changed thanks to modern technology, it is hard to predict what the industry will be like in the next 10 years. Notwithstanding, we can be sure of one thing – the industry will be chiefly dependent on technology.
Partner with us
At Dew Cis Solutions, we endeavor to contribute to the ever-changing travel industry. From contactless payment solutions such as MPESA integration to secure software systems, our products are cutting-edge solutions to travel agencies.
As discussed in part 1 the pace of technological change in the previous decades has been unprecedented and the wheels of the machine that is scientific discovery and invention still continue to turn. In part one we saw that all elements of daily life, intellectual pursuits, or economic activities are affected.
The way we make, ship, market, and utilize items is always changing—a chain of procedures that covers a wide range of sectors including;
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is a technology where interconnected devices learn, predict, adapt and become intelligent systems that can do tasks that human beings can perform and even become more complex. and that can learn and adapt will become more complex. Artificial intelligence systems are rapidly becoming popular and will soon be everywhere, including homes, offices, factories, and medical facilities.
Some include Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google’s Now. This technology through these companies is becoming the foundation of consumer operations at work and home while robotics and smart automation are replacing basic skills, including autonomous cars, around the world.
2. Business Application Ecosystem
In the past, many IT departments tried to simplify their environment by choosing a single vendor i.e. implementing Oracle for most of their application portfolio. As niche solutions explode across the company, this environment becomes increasingly difficult to pursue. IT needs to cooperate with multiple vendors and various technologies, and everything is more interconnected and interoperable than in the past.IT departments must mix and match software and hardware solutions, and master ecosystem integration and data management as their key IT responsibilities.
API‘s (application programming interfaces) are robust architectures that are essential to providing modular, flexible dynamic solutions. The power of disruption lies in the general technical support capabilities that a company can provide. For example, Airbnb and Uber have disrupted traditional industries in the hotel booking and taxi industry yet they do not own taxis or own property.
3. Cloud-Based & Scalable Applications with Infinite Infrastructure
IT assets were mostly on-premise in the past. Today, a business must manage a hybrid environment that includes on-premise and cloud-based assets that are managed by numerous vendors. As more firms actively move functions to the cloud, cloud computing is becoming more important. In the next two years, it is expected that a third of all ERP systems in the world will migrate to the cloud.
While some businesses use cloud platforms to save money or ensure continuity, the majority of the advantages are agility and the flexibility to scale an environment on demand.
The pace of technological change in the previous several decades has been unprecedented, from the birth of the Internet to the arrival of big data and quantum computing. The wheels of the machine that is scientific discovery and invention continue to turn. Furthermore, the planet is undergoing some of the most significant transformations in its history. Moreover, no element of daily life, intellectual pursuits, or economic activities is unaffected.
The way we make, ship, market, and utilize items is always changing—a chain of procedures that covers a wide range of sectors including;
1. Digital Banking
With the rise of digital evolution, every industry has been impacted and thus redefined customer expectations. The digital disruption has seen businesses being transformed and making use of digital technologies. Rather than just putting up a mere website, leading companies use digitization from start to finish by doing product design, service, customer care, marketing, customer lifecycle, sales and online engagement.
Industry leaders not only use technology and processes to increase productivity and reduce costs, but they also use digital technology to develop new services, improve customer service, increase revenue, improve business models and products. Successful industries now have a comprehensive digital strategy to determine how to use digital technologies in all business aspects.
2. Internet of Things (IoT) Connecting Everything
According to the Harvard Business Review, IoT is a major transformative wave of innovation. The previous wave of change was mainframes and minicomputers, as well as the rise of the Internet. Internet-connected devices with embedded sensors that can provide actionable information will continue to grow at an exponential rate. These platforms will connect smart machines and smart everything in a collaborative ecosystem.
The Gartner Group refers to it as the “digital grid.” With the rapid growth of the installed base of IoT terminals, information technology (IT) must integrate IoT terminals, mobile devices, wearable devices, consumer equipment, transmission equipment, environmental equipment, etc. Information Technology integrated with IoT into business applications and analytics will provide meaningful insights into business processes and operations.
3. Mobile
Mobile devices remain a strong trend in the future and they are continually integrated into our daily work and personal life. Consumers want to be able to communicate and conduct business with companies through their smartphones, laptops and tablets and they’re wearable devices. The number of mobile devices so far exceeds the number of laptops and desktops that are currently used, and customers are more likely to access applications through smartphones or mobile devices than through PCs.
As mobile device sales increase, so has the variety and number of downloaded mobile applications. Businesses in all industries are using mobile devices to increase customer engagement, boost sales and build customer loyalty. This is done by the use of technology that supports a rapidly changing mobile workforce and customers. It is expected to see the mix of mobile devices, smart devices, and the Internet of Things across all industries and functions.
There is an upsurge of email scams, otherwise known as phishing scam where email conversations are intended to trick victims into making payments into a fraudulent bank account. At DewCIS, we take this opportunity to alert Internet users against ongoing email scammers who manipulate email addresses to deceive the victims into trusting the authenticity of the email and obtain sensitive information.
The scam starts by the fraudsters hijacking an otherwise very genuine email conversation between a supplier say of email address Frankline Njuguna <fnjuguna@tamshi.com> resident in Kenya and a genuine client John Doe <johndoe@shippers.com> resident in Spain for example.
Because scammers are motivated by money, they will lay in wait and only hijack the email conversation when a prospect of payment is real.
At this point, the fraudster will create parallel seemingly similar email addresses as follows; Frankline Njuguna <frjuguna@tamshi.dr> for the supplier and John Doe <johrdoe@shippers.com.dr for the customer.
With this communication hijacked, the fraudsters will be well positioned to act as both the supplier and the client sharing only that information they find appropriate such as fraudulent banking details to the unsuspecting client.
The supplier still believing that they are communicating with genuine client negotiates and shares quotations with the client, while the client still believing that they are dealing with the genuine supplier confidently makes payment to the fraudulent bank account. Immediately the money hits their account, the fraudsters immediately cease communication and disappear into thin air.
It is only when the client doesn’t receive the agreed services in time and either makes a call or reach out using another channel to the supplier that the parties realize that they have been defrauded.
This sort of trickery is not very sophisticated at all. The fraudsters are simply taking advantage of our “humanness”; that users do not often care to check the true email addresses of the people they are interacting with. Thus, the fraudsters simply modify the email address but retainsthe username of the source and or recipients, and therefore catching us unawares.
This is very easily done within existing domain registries. For example, it would cost someone just about $ 2 to register a shippers.com.drdomain and create an email address johrdoe@shippers.com.dr for use to defraud unsuspecting users.
From this fraud, it is clear that the fraudsters are possibly collaborating with an insider at either the client or the supplier business; the accomplice who steals the email trail from the mailbox and shares with the fraudsters. Since this is the point of entry and therefore the weakest link, there is need to limit transactional email communications such as those with bank account details to only the necessary staff.
The other very important check is to encourage communication between the customer and the supplier using alternative channels including telephone, WhatsApp etc particularly as a follow-up to ensure the appropriate banking details are shared.
Another practical way of preventing email fraud particularly on sensitive or confidential information is to wrap the content of your emails encrypted with a password that is time bound to expire within a specified time period. To ensure that none other than the intended recipient accesses the message, the passwords ought to be sent via a different channel such as via a phone call or SMS.
While it takes practice to pay attention to domain email addresses of users, we are encourages to always be vigilant so that one can spot the tweaks and tiny differences in email addresses and catch the fraudsters on their tracks and avoid losses.
