Industry News
Trends Set to Redefine the Travel Industry By Ian Knox, Vice President, Product & Marketing at Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS)
ordering, invoice retrieval and refunds processing, online. In 2021, we expect contactless check-in and the use of smartphones throughout the travel experience to become the norm, with new and faster integrations making everything more seamless. In a similar vein, while artificial intelligence
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acing one of the most challenging waves of disruption since the tragic events of 9/11, travel companies have had to adapt themselves to survive. Now a full year since the pandemic began, the question isn’t will travel come back, but what will recovery look like? The following five trends, underpinned by emerging technologies, are poised to redefine the travel industry in the coming year: Trend 1: A new wave of innovation will hit the mainstream. While 2020 will be known for significant disruptions to travel, one positive outcome of the crisis was how it motivated organizations to accelerate technology development,
particularly the digitization and automation of travel. In the accommodation and air travel sectors, the need for social distancing has helped speed up administration tasks such as check-in, food
(AI) has existed for decades, COVID-19 has amplified the need for quicker response times and increased personalization, thus accelerating the use of AI in travel. AI-powered virtual assistants are streamlining the booking process and freeing up time for human connections between providers, agents and travelers. Overall, it will be the adoption of innovation that will really define the coming months. Travel companies that act quickly to embrace new digital services will reap the rewards; those that don’t will soon be left behind. Trend 2: Trusted advice will be a major competitive differentiator. In the travel industry, trust has become more
8 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2021
