Firm calls on tourism sector to adopt new media to improve fortunes

NAIROBI, KENYA: Jovago, an online hotel booking platform on Monday challenged stakeholders in the tourism sector to adopt modern technologies to improve fortunes.

Statistics from the World Travel and Tourism Council greatly underscore the impact of technology on the travel industry, placing online travel related activities at 59 per cent of global bookings.

Apart from actual bookings and sharing experience (photos and videos), travel research has also been shown to take a great percentage of time spent online; with the Euromonitor noting that the average traveler makes several unique visits to about 14 different travel websites before finally making a decision.

Estelle Verdier, Managing Director Jovago.com East and Southern Africa says stakeholders in the industry must meet the buyer where they are most likely to be found be it on Facebook, Flikr, Twitter Instagram and millions of reviews on search engines such as Travel Advisor.

“It is important that Kenyan tourism industry adopts this new model of doing business that captures the interest of this new generation of tech-savvy travelers,” she says.

“Africa is experiencing an unprecedented shift to e-commerce, we cannot afford to be left behind,” she says.

The MD went on to note that although the continent has lagged behind for years due to under-developed ICT infrastructure, the sector has finally come of age, with countries like Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa experiencing a direct leapfrog from offline operations to m-commerce.

“Shoppers want to get their purchases on the go. It’s the era of the mobile business, entrepreneurs must ensure that they build a smooth path to purchase regardless of the product.”

Founded two years ago, Jovago will be celebrating their second anniversary this week with a call to embracing e-Commerce in the hospitality industry”

The site Jovago.com has incorporated different payment options for clients that include Mpesa, Tigo Pesa (popular in Rwanda and Tanzania), card payments and pay-at –the hotel for buyers wary of online transactions.