Towards smart tourism: how the sector will evolve thanks to technology
- maldiviaggi
- Aug 12
- 5 min read
The International Tourism Fair, Fitur, brings the latest developments in tourism destinations to the forefront. It's also a showcase for everything behind the scenes: trends and technological tools that are fundamentally transforming the sector.
Although leisure travel dates back to the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations, tourism is far from a sector rooted in antiquity. While models based on traditional practices persist, the trend is toward a strong technological undertone, albeit not always at the most superficial level. New digital tools are facilitating a transformation in the tourism sector , which is moving toward greater personalization and a more fluid and secure experience thanks to technologies such as cloud computing, blockchain , and artificial intelligence (AI).
Towards smart tourism
Talking about technology associated with tourism goes far beyond a change in the way travel is searched for and booked, although perhaps we should start there to understand its influence. As noted at a KPMG event, "with the emergence of the digital economy, tourism was one of the first sectors to embrace it, through the sale of airline tickets or hotel room reservations."
“ Technology plays a key role in the transformation of the travel industry ,” says Beatriz Méndez-Villamil, CIO of travel technology solutions provider Amadeus. “It is even more relevant than ever to deliver better experiences for travelers.” The company focuses on three trends, starting with AI, especially its generative aspect, which they recognize as having “immense potential” to “ improve traveler experiences, streamline operations, and foster innovation across the industry .”
Méndez-Villamil lists some of the applications the firm is using in various areas. As a travel technology provider, he cites improvements to existing products and the provision of new ones. Internally, he highlights the opportunity it represents "to train our employees: improve and boost Amadeus's efficiency, productivity, and creativity."
When asked about the industry's hottest technologies, Xavier García, cluster manager of the Tech Tourism Cluster business association, is clear on AI. "It's been directly impacting the sector for over a year now." He highlights the help it provides, for example, in avoiding certain processes. " When we maximize efficiency, we can focus more on the customer ," he adds, " For us, AI avoids everything that's more boring and repetitive ."
García talks about how technology has impacted the tourism sector from the perspective of people looking for leisure and travel options. “When we talk about customers, in the wake of the pandemic and for a few years now, we have different customers. There are no longer standard customers,” he reflects. “ AI has also had an impact on the customer themselves .” How does this make sense? “Solutions are starting to emerge where you can plan your own automated routes, and they make recommendations through a chat that's totally sophisticated,” he exemplifies.
García also sees a certain age bias, with younger generations more likely to use technology, communicating via chatbots or messaging tools, and interacting less physically with people. "These are new ways of communicating with customers, both for direct, day-to-day communication and for marketing campaigns through new social networks," he notes, "which is growing very strongly with the new generations."
“The revolution that AI has brought about is brutal,” he summarizes. “We're seeing the tip of the iceberg; this could go much further.” He does detect a certain fear in the sector: how the use of smart tools could affect jobs. “I think they're going to lead to a shift,” he explains. “ There won't be fewer, but I do think there will be a tendency to repurpose positions .” Closely linked to the topic of AI is another trend García talks about: data. “If you don't have data, you don't have resources. Ultimately, in the future, what will have the most value is the data. When we have customer data, we can personalize their experience to the maximum .” The importance of data is exemplified by market growth forecasts . It is estimated that it will increase at an annual rate of 11% between 2023 and 2028, reaching $190 billion in the latter year. García specifically points to a trend: data spaces , which are being promoted in Spain through a plan to boost their deployment in various sectors, one of them being tourism.
"We have many players in the tourism sector, from airlines, transportation companies, restaurants, hotels, agencies, activities... Once we're able to bring everyone together to create a tourism data space, we'll have the power to become a leading tourist destination worldwide." In this sense, García points to a future trend.
Another technology that the Tech Tourism Cluster considers key is blockchain . "What it will help us with, above all, is protecting data, analyzing traveler customer information, and being able to process it in a more secure and protected manner, " he emphasizes. "This way, we will protect both the company and the customer." The tool may not be as obvious to those accessing the services—"it's on the back end"—but García speaks of a certain level of adoption.
Méndez-Villamil cites other digital tools that are gaining ground in tourism, such as the cloud . “ Cloud technology has advanced significantly, especially in areas like security and automation, making it ideal for critical systems ,” he notes.
Added to this are other key factors: biometrics, digital identity, and contactless travel . “After several years of experimentation, the use of biometrics in airport passenger services is increasing rapidly.” This facilitates “a seamless airport experience, eliminating the need for frequent paper document checks.” Méndez-Villamil cites data from the Biometrics Research Group to highlight the market's future growth: the global biometrics market is estimated to grow from $47.8 billion in 2023 to $86.1 billion in 2028.
An internal transformation
Regarding whether the integration of new technologies in the tourism sector will bring about significant changes in the industry's work model, the CIO of Amadeus speaks of a "change in our way of working and in employee expectations. In today's world, we've become accustomed to technology making things easier for us, and now we expect it." When it comes to the workforce itself, things must go further. "When it comes to digitalization, you can't just think about productivity and business efficiency; you have to focus more on the end-to-end employee and user experience ," she explains.
“Digitization plays a key role in improving this employee experience, meeting new expectations, and also developing and retaining talent. Now more than ever, employee engagement with the company is key. When employees receive the right experience, they are more productive and engaged. This contributes to social capital, which in turn will improve ROI,” he concludes.
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