The early indications are encouraging, with bookings beginning to ramp up this year, heralding a bumper summer for the travel and hospitality industry. However, were the signs the travel industry needed to change – even before the pandemic – missed or ignored?
The collapse of Thomas Cook in September 2019 shocked the travel industry. But while its collapse didn’t signal an end for package holidays, it did indicate why travel businesses need to modernise and personalise their service to continue to succeed and grow.
Travel companies need to embrace change now. The future of travel is looking good, with the industry in the UK predicted to be worth a staggering £257 billion by 2025, supporting 3.8 million jobs and contributing 10% of the UK’s GDP.
However, to be a part of this predicted boom ver the coming years, travel businesses cannot continue to run on a confusing mixture of out-of-date systems that fail to provide the information employees and customers need.
To become data-driven, innovative businesses that offer the seamless customer experience modern travellers demand, travel companies need to up their game and trade in their outdated technology stack.
Digital transformation has to be top of travel businesses’ to-do lists. Most travel businesses accept upgrading their systems is vitally important to their ability to compete, with 68% stating they have reviewed their tech stack in the past year.
However, many hold back because they believe they don’t have the tools to get the job done, and are concerned about the cost of implementation.
I’m here to tell these businesses that travel technology has changed. The days of relying on legacy systems that are expensive and often cumbersome are over.
No-code travel technology lets you build applications without being able to write computer code. Instead, you drag and drop pre-built blocks to create advanced applications.
Previously, the traditional approach to getting set up online was complex and costly, often running to tens of thousands of pounds and involving IT development teams or investing in legacy systems that were far more complex than was needed.
As travel companies move forward, technology will be the differentiator that will allow them to compete head-to-head with large global players.
Andy Speight is founder and chief executive of Travelgenix.
