The tourism industry is on the brink of major changes. Seamless technologies and omnichannel solutions will make travelers' lives easier and managers' jobs more engaging. Andrey Moryakov, a representative of the international tourism industry, spoke to TRN about the changes to expect. ECOMMPAY payment provider, whose clients include major companies such as Yandex.Taxi, Firebird, and other market leaders:
Long gone are the days when vacationing in distant lands was an unpredictable, even adventurous undertaking. Previously, potential travelers, with their quick wits, would ferret out all the details of their upcoming trip from a friendly travel agent. Then, sitting in front of their computers in the evenings, they would meticulously pore over Google Maps satellite images of their chosen hotel and pore over forums searching for reviews from those who had already visited their coveted corner of paradise.
Today, the internet is the primary source of travel information. According to Rostourism, more than 801,000 users in Russia choose destinations and plan trips by exploring specialized online resources and social media. More and more people prefer individual vacations to package tours and expect agencies to offer maximum flexibility not only in product selection but also in payment methods.
Booking and purchasing tickets, hotel rooms, excursions, and related services online has already become the norm in Europe. Approximately 45,000,000 EU residents book trips online, and another 44,000,000 use both online and offline channels. Meanwhile, many Russian travel agencies still can't even accept bank cards online.
The most advanced Russian online travel retailers, when ordering tickets and booking hotels from their websites, provide links to third-party resources with a confusing interface and confusing payment pages. This only discourages customers and forces them to waste time bringing cash or a bank card to the office. In Europe, there are fewer such companies, but still, not everyone has realized and accepted the inevitable digitalization. In a highly competitive environment, only those who have managed to adapt to the new conditions and radically change their approach to selling travel services online will survive.
Today, all retail sectors are moving toward omnichannel—the mutual integration of all consumer communication channels into a single system. In the travel industry, for example, this means that a user can book a trip or hotel from one device and pay for the selected option from another. Moreover, all incoming requests from a single traveler, coming from different channels, are accumulated and viewed in a single customer interface. This is the ideal scenario for online tourism.
Digital Choice
People often think about their upcoming vacation on their way to work—on public transportation or stuck in traffic. The search for information and suitable options begins with smartphones and tablets, continues on work computers, and ends on their home laptops. This, incidentally, applies not only to travel. According to Google research, 85% users begin any purchase on one device and finish it on another.
The main inconvenience is the need to register on the same websites each time from different devices and re-view previously selected options. All major tour operators and agencies accept cards online, adapting to customer preferences. They have the resources to create a payment environment, unlike smaller companies that haven't yet considered online acquiring. Moreover, not all travel portals have mobile versions.
In the US and Europe, electronic travel aggregator systems are still in their infancy, but the largest operators have already begun redesigning their online resources to make information search and purchase processes as simple as possible, seamlessly, in just two clicks. Travel agency websites are affiliated with social media and are present on all major marketplaces, with feedback systems operating efficiently. Agencies, carriers, and hotels are uniting into global platforms to help customers easily navigate services and select the best options. The system "recognizes" specific users, regardless of their device, and integration with major payment services allows for secure and fast payment processing.
Omnichannel, as the integration, synchronization, and accessibility of any channels of interaction with consumers, has already proven itself in many e-commerce industries. According to Digital Commerce 360, digital businesses that use multiple channels of communication with customers, including web, mobile, and offline channels, retain 89% customers, while those that prefer traditional sales methods retain only 33% customers.
Omnichannel in action
Today, the ideal travel website should resemble a standard online store or marketplace in its simplicity and versatility—with a shopping cart, tour builder, a variety of additional services, and the ability to get prompt advice from a competent specialist.
Incidentally, the hotel industry has already begun actively embracing online services, developing dedicated mobile apps for clients. One pilot project is HiltonHonors, a technology that allows guests to pre-create a personalized service package. By registering with the hotel chain once, guests can then use the app to order all hotel services, which are then included in their overall bill, and their information is stored in the database for subsequent stays at any other hotel in the chain. Another example is the Westin hotel chain, which has QR code cards in their rooms for ordering and paying for lunches and dinners at nearby restaurants and cafes.
The future is coming
Growing digital competition in the next few years will force travel agencies to create websites and apps that allow savvy travelers to plan and pay for their vacations without ever visiting an office. Therefore, choosing a payment provider that can ensure virtually 100% uptime—or, in other words, 24/7/365—will be especially important.
Of course, it's still too early to talk about the travel industry going online and the mass closure of travel agencies. No chatbots or artificial intelligence can replace live human interaction and consultations, just as interactive check-in kiosks haven't replaced attractive girls at hotel counters.
Nevertheless, new technologies make it possible to automate many business processes in the tourism industry, including payment scenarios. By choosing the right payment solution provider that offers a customized set of products and services, travel businesses save resources and build customer loyalty by making interactions with the company simple, clear, and convenient.
Source: trn-news.ru