With just a screen touch, you can ease your world travel adventure

The internet, social media and mobile apps influence how people travel, the experiences they choose and attractions they visit. [File, Standard]

Today, people around the world are travelling more. And with the internet exposing more unique and exotic places located in various spots all over the world, this is bound to happen more.

International tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to hit 1.8 billion by 2030.

This is according to World Tourism Organisation, UNWTO’s, long term forecast. They were 1.322 billion last year.

Closer home, 2017 recorded 1.45 million visitor arrivals, up from 1.33 million the previous year. Domestic tourism went up by 16 per cent in the same period.

And this is being driven by the youth mostly, people for whom technology is an important aspect in their lives.

The 2018 Jumia Travel Hospitality Report Kenya shows people between the ages of 25 to 44 make up for the biggest portion of travellers: 25-34 (46 per cent) and 35-44 at 22 per cent. They are followed by the ages of 45-54 at 13 per cent, 18-24 (12 per cent), 55-64 (five per cent), over 65 (two per cent).

In all this movement towards, well, moving, technology has become a central factor.

Everything travel

Today, whether you are talking mobility with taxi-hailing apps like Uber and Taxify, or looking for insights on places and experiences through crowdsourcing, or a place to stay of Airbnb or iTrips, the Internet, and technology, are practically the first port of call for any traveller.

This trend and the growth of mobile devices has seen tech firms coming up with applications (apps) for practically everything travel. From planning, travelling and post-trip moments, there is always an app for it.

Google Flights or Skyscanner, for instance will tell you where to get cheapest tickets possible; Packpoint will help you organise what you need to pack depending on your destination and trip requirements while Google Trips will help plan your trip. It is a brave new world.

Dorothy Ooko, the Africa PR Lead for Google is an avid traveller and enthusiastic about the possibilities technology is providing for travelers. “It (technology) makes travel so much easier, so much more exciting and experiential,” she says.

“If you are on Google Trips for instance, even before you travel, it already thinks about how long you are going to stay, what activities are there for you, are you travelling with children?

Are you a solo traveller? You have a gamut of choice of what you need to do. It gives you options. Google Maps has even places that shows you if it is wheelchair accessible. If you really look online, it is all planned for you. You just need to check what works for you,” says Ms Ooko.

When the Jumia Travel Hospitality Report for 2018 came out three weeks ago, technology featured prominently.

“The unprecedented rise in the use of technology and advanced Internet of Things has had significant impact on how consumers interact with hospitality providers and purchase holidays,” said Rosemary Mugambi, Regional Sales and Marketing Director, Serena Hotels EA.

Kelvin Mwasi, Commercial Manager, Skyward Express pointed out that at the accessibility of flights bookings through the internet as a major influence in today’s flight culture.

“Our bookings trends demonstrate that by June 12 2017, web bookings stood at 11 per cent; direct bookings at 60 per cent; while travel agents contributed 29 per cent of the bookings.

Comparatively, by June 12 2018, the web bookings increased to 23 per cent, with direct bookings dropping to 47 per cent. Travel Agents now account for 30 per cent of our bookings,” he said.

Connectivity

The influence of technology in travel, therefore, means travellers’ demands are closely linked to the question of connectivity. The first thing a traveller wants to get from a hotel, for instance, is the WiFi password - data roaming charges remain prohibitive after all.

Closely linked to this is the demand for travel apps that can work offline in places where there is no WiFi connectivity or when on the move. “We realised this is a problem travellers have, this lack of connectivity,” says Ooko.

“When you are on Google Trips of Google Maps, you can download the place you are going and have it on your device. Having apps that can work offline really then make travel easy,” she says.

Google Translate, also gives you the option of selecting a language and downloading it. This can, however, be bulky so be sure to delete it when you get back from your trip to free up space on your phone.

Another key technology concept driving travel in the 21st century is that of crowdsourcing. Whether you are talking about asking for recommendations on social media, or looking for reviews online from people’s experiences in the places you want to go to.

Sites like TripAdvisor have become a go to resource for travellers and today, hotels and hospitality service providers wear their score on such sites like a badge of honour.

“This is a world where social is important, social is about relationships. Studies have shown that instead of believing marketing campaigns you trust more information from people you know. People prefer to believe real people,” says Ooko.

And it is not just about the social aspect. Virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and the usage of concepts like chatbots are becoming more widespread. You must have seen a provision for chatting on a lot of service providers websites.

A lot of these are chatbots, and can answer more routine questions, freeing time and resources.

This is a concept airlines are adopting by the day. You can have your airline reminding you to check in, and answering simple questions you might have.

Hotels on the other hand can take you on a virtual tour of their facilities without you having to leave the comfort of your living room.

At the end of the day, the impact of technology is in making your experience worthwhile. “The Google Assistant has AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities, some of the things it has seen by virtue of you typing or searching.

It has a rough idea of who you are. AI is making products smarter by anticipating your needs and making your life hassle free.

“A good technology should make your life easier,” says Ooko. At the end of the day, like virtually every sector, technology is taking centre stage and travellers are spoilt for choice.