Even more so than the publishing and automotive industry, it’s the travel and tourism sector that’s been most affected by the expediential growth of the internet.
In particular, its Web 2.0 trends such as user generated content, communities of travellers, interactive experiences and Facebook Applications that are changing the way in which consumers’ research, plan and transact their travel experiences.
While preparing for a presentation I gave yesterday, I stumbled upon a statistic – over a quarter of all US travel related sales will be made online. That’s led to a huge shift in every aspect of running an organisation within the travel and tourism industry.
The presentation, Travel & Tourism in the Digital Age, was staged by the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) at the KPMG Auditorium in Sydney.
Around eighty industry leaders and members attended to listen to four speakers, in what I believe was a good insight into the ways in which the web, technology and the travel industry are merging.
Some of the key challenges that are facing the sector are;
- User empowerment
- Users seem to be working it out faster than many businesses
- Lack of industry and overall business knowledge to help guide travel businesses: worst still, lots of hype.
- Retail discounters like wotif.com.au
- Unbranded discount travel
It’s obvious that key players in the travel and tourism industries are taking the lead with tackling these challenges - and those that don’t develop and continually update their online strategy will continue to lose market share.
To download a copy of my PowerPoint presentation, please click here.
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