“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.”
― Thomas Jefferson
Our office is located at the center of a growing tourist destination, The Pocono Mountains. As the biggest season in town, summer, begins to ramp up, we reflect on the importance of Technology and Tourism and some notable trends.
Employees of the tourism industry from the CEO of a chain to the valet guy, are in the connection business. There job is to make connections that provide deep rooted experiences. Flawlessly and quickly making a reservation is a good experience. What a better time to make an online reservation, than when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed during the workday. This can ease the pressure and pain of your daily life, but only if it happens quickly and without much effort. Otherwise, you are stressed about taking time from your work. Technical difficulties are not a good experience. They are unpleasant at best. They make us nervous and anxious.
Does your tourism business provide user friendly interactions for it’s guests? Are they convenient? Time and energy are luxuries that the average person no longer affords. Free time is very valuable, most do not want to spend it becoming frustrated over something that is supposed to be easy and fun.
There are many ways to increase the connection that your brand, your establishment, and your employees have with travelers. Chances are, you are doing a great job connecting face-to-face and creating memorable in person experiences. But are you succeeding in the broader, technological connections necessary to grow and thrive in the current economy?
The number one most obvious Technology and Tourism trend is the use of smartphones compared to laptops and desktops to book and research travel both prior to traveling and while traveling. A few ways that your tourism business can get up to snuff with this increase in mobile technology is to allow mobile payments and develop mobile websites. According to Tourism and Events Queensland, 68% of business travelers choose mobile booking.
The second largest trend in technology in the hospitality industry is Social Networking. In a recent survey presented by Stikky Media, 70% of consumers said they trust online recommendations while only 14% trust advertisements.
It is also very important to stay in tuned with the online behavior of your guests and customers. Where/how do they spend their time online? Who are they following/talking to? You need to be in those circles as well. Answering questions, having a presence. Responding.
Tourism organizations are using technology in really innovative ways to promote destinations through a wide variety of marketing campaigns. 100 Moments BC for example, created a 10-foot wide vending machine in San Francisco dispensing mountain bikes, kayaks, and made in British Columbia surfboards. The participants lucky enough to come across the machine, will not soon forget their experience. They are connected to British Columbia in a big way. Watch Now.
So whether you want to start taking online reservations, create a mobile presence, or learn more about networking with past and future guests in online forums. Just ask in the comments below. LockData has 45 years in the Technology and Tourism industries. We have your connection needs covered.
