The phrase “digital transformation in travel” has become increasingly popular in recent years.
It is indisputable that digital transformation substantially changes an organization’s or enterprise’s model to go digital and the manner of operations by leveraging current digital technology to provide new possibilities and values.
The World Economic Forum’s Digital Transformation Initiative (DTI) estimates that digitalization processes in the tourism industry would be valued at up to $305 billion between 2016 and 2025.
Digitalisation is changing the way businesses operate. To be efficient and competitive, Asian tourism industry operators and other travel organizations rely on a variety of digital processes, and they seek suppliers with high levels of digitalisation.
The tourism industry is at the vanguard of digital innovation, and new technologies are transforming practically every area to go digital.
What Exactly is the Tourism Industry’s Digitalization?
In general, “digital transformation” refers to the operations that convert analog resources (derived from real-world things) into digital form.
The advancement of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and blockchain has accelerated the creation of new digital solutions and products for the tourism industry.
The tourism industry in Malaysia is no exception. The tourism sector is undergoing a digital transition, which calls for adopting contemporary solutions to go digital.
The routine duties of arranging travel, including selecting a location and creating an itinerary, booking flights and other modes of transportation, hotels, and creating offers that are as specifically matched to the demands to go digital for customers as possible.
6 Examples of Tourism Sector Digitisation Processes
The travel and tourism industry, like other business sectors, is heavily influenced by digital transformation initiatives.
1# The development of mobile applications
These mobile apps are intended to be congruent with a characteristic of the client (visitor) of the tourism industry, namely that these individuals are frequently located distant from the “product” and “consume” the product while on the go.
Customers may go digital and use applications on smartphones to get information, conduct transactions, and combine a broad range of additional tourism industry services.
2# Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has cemented its place in digital market trends, and the tourism industry is no exception.
Chatbot is computer software that may be characterized as a tool that allows people to go digital and converse interactively via pre-programmed artificial intelligence.
3# Connection to the Internet of Things
As more tourism industry related gadgets connect to the Internet of Things on a daily basis, the travel and tourism industry may discover ways to use them to serve clients more simply and effectively.
The rapid speed of IT innovation over the last decade, dubbed the “Digital Revolution,” has totally altered the way organizations function.
The tourism industry in Malaysia was one of the first industries to embrace digitization, with internet sales of flights and hotel rooms.
IoT data enables businesses to go digital and understand their consumers’ requirements, expectations, travel patterns, and other traits of the tourism industry, allowing them to communicate to potential customers the information they know they care about.
4# Rating and Review
Customers’ ability to share their opinions quickly and easily via the Internet, particularly social network platforms designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry, like Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or travel websites, let hotel facilities and travel service providers better understand the wants and needs of their customers.
5# Traveling in virtual reality
As internet-based high-tech allowed one to go digital and grew quickly, the term “virtual tour” gained popularity among tourists worldwide.
Although the word is still relatively new, it is not generally used in underdeveloped nations throughout the world.
Many tourist sites or travel service provider companies go digital and built virtual tours or interactive tours as part of the digital transformation in the tourism industry.
Such initiatives help in simulating travel experiences by recreating images, videos, and other multimedia elements to meet the customers’ needs of finding information and experiencing travel destinations on the Internet before and during the trip.
6# Online tourism product sales
In this digital age, an increasing number of people choose to go digital and make purchases online.
This covers all tourism industry services like plane tickets, hotel accommodations, vacation packages, multi-day travel experiences, short getaways, automobile rentals, and so on.
The most significant advantage of making online purchases in the tourism industry for consumers is convenience.
The ability to buy travel and tourism industry products online is extremely essential in the B2C sector.
The most common ways to offer travel items directly to travelers online are through their own website and/or through OTAs.
Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Tourist Company
Digital marketing involves the online marketing of items using electronic devices. It is the most convenient and cost-effective approach to contacting a large number of consumers and allows you to target the individuals who are most likely to be interested in the products of the tourism industry.
A digital marketing strategy serves to lay the groundwork for all digital marketing efforts for the tourism industry, ensuring that they accomplish their objectives and/or may be altered as needed.
To maximize the effectiveness and success of a tourism industry marketing effort, a digital marketing plan is a crucial business tool.
Management and implementation of numerous factors are involved in digital marketing, including:
- Website – administering the website to go digital with both the front end and monitoring use and analytics, and analyzing website health.
- SEO – Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing the website, which is necessary if one wants to grow in the tourism industry.
- Email marketing – Using email to communicate with stakeholders and consumers (e.g. newsletters)
- Creating content – producing material from various sources, including user-generated content (UGC).
Conclusion
The travel and tourism industry will undoubtedly increase due to advancements in technology.
The digital transformation enhances the customer experience and has a beneficial influence throughout the journey.
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