The demand for new and better innovation in travel have always been skyrocketing. The travel tech has evolved by miles in the past 5 years and by 2020 we see a wide range of possibilities. Travel tech like artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, virtual reality, chatbots etc. are enabling a whole new range of travel innovations that can bring-out new insights and analytics in the industry. The demand for personalization, comfort, and ease of use has led the travel industry to bring out new solutions every day. While modern travel tech is proving to be a big potential advantage for the industry, many of these technologies are still in the making.
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Travel tech is growing at a disruptive rate and the below 5 technologies are the proof for the same. Whether it is cloud computing or artificial intelligence all these travel techs will become an indispensable component of our backpacks by just 2020. Here are 5 innovative ways travel tech is disrupting the way we plan our journeys.
Virtual reality is the new way to explore featured destinations. With a 360 simulation of the place, people can explore different places to finalize their travel plan. From in-house hotel tours to full-fledged travel marketing solutions, virtual reality has become one of the hottest travel techs in 2017. The Marriott Hotel started their VRoom service where they enabled their guests to enjoy virtual experiences of different travel locations while staying in the comforts of the hotel room. The same VR technology can be used to showcase hotel property to prospective guests.
Read More: 6 Things You Need to know about Virtual Reality in Travel
Augmented reality is another major travel tech that is gaining a lot of traction. In the new Skully AR-1 motorcycle helmet, the driver is provided a heads-up display on the front face shield of the helmet. This shield displays information like temperature, driving directions and real time 180-degree rear view to help drivers enjoy a smooth ride. If you connect it to your phone via Bluetooth then you can also make calls, send texts and play music just by giving voice commands. This is just an entry of AR in the travel tech space and there is definitely more to come.
Wearables have gained decent traction since the arrival of Apple watches. Many airlines have already streamlined the boarding process by aligning boarding passes to the smartwatches. While smartwatches remain the centerpiece of attraction, there are many other wearables that are gaining momentum. For example, Google’s glasses and fitness trackers are also gaining significant traction. Where these wearables supersede the mobile devices is the ability to provide key information at the right time. By providing important notifications like directions, flight information, etc. on the go, wearable devices prove to be a potentially disruptive force in the current travel tech scenario.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are making bots more intelligent than ever. We are already able to get a lot of work simplified by giving simple commands to Siri and Alexa. Now with cognitive computing in the picture, these chatbots will also work as travel agents. Chatbots are a way to streamline communication between guests and the hotel management thus reducing the need for human intervention. Along with this many popular restaurant chains like Taco Bell and Burger King are using chatbots to provide menu information, facilitate remote ordering and provide ease of access to their customers. Thus chatbots can serve as company’s representatives to customers helping them at every possible point they can. Traveling will become a lot easier when major travel agencies come up with similar solutions.
Read more - Arificial Intelligence in Travel : How is it bring disruptive changes in the hospitality industry?
Smart vehicles are the next travel tech in the industry. With automatic drivers in the seat, getting a vehicle will become a lot easier. Uber alongside Google is already exploring a lot in the space of smart vehicles. Once the insurance norms and driver laws are customized to suit autonomous vehicles these smart cars will become popular in no time. Smart vehicles have already been tested successfully in many parts of UK, Boston and San Francisco. It is expected that this travel tech will be successfully adopted by 2020. But there is a lot to accomplish in this space. These smart cars will remain in the testing phase unless the passenger's safety is ensured to the maximum extent
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Here we have, 5 travel techs that are proving as a disruptive force in the travel space. The ability to personalize and ease the traveling experience is making the travel and hospitality industry take drastic steps in implementing such solutions. It is expected that by 2020, travel tech will ensure that you have a personalized travel buddy, a VR based travel planner, a recommendation system based on your preferences, smart cars facilitating your movement and wearables ensuring that you remain connected to the world no matter wherever you are. All these travel techs focusing on one ultimate goal - a better, easier and more memorable journey for the travelers.