People’s need to travel faster, safer, and more efficiently has fueled the invention of great technological solutions. In recent decades, technology’s impact on travel has become even more significant due to the application of new IT services, leading to the rise of the
. An important achievement behind the online travel experience dates back to the 1960s when the first global distribution system (GDS) was introduced. GDSs are online networks connecting suppliers - such as airlines, hotels, or cruise lines - to providers, like travel agencies and online travel agencies. Having access to the suppliers’ inventory, like the number of seats or hotel rooms available, GDSs allow providers to access such information, helping customers book multiple travel services at once. In 2022, the
, one of the most renowned GDSs worldwide, generated more than two billion U.S. dollars in revenue.
What are the main technology trends in travel and tourism?
One of the most recent technology trends shaping the tourism market is the
use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the travel industry. Although AI adoption is still in its early stages, many key players such as Expedia, Kayak (owned by Booking Holdings), Trip.com, and eDreams ODIGEO have gradually introduced Generative AI tools to assist customers in the trip planning process since the beginning of 2023. In this respect, according to an April 2023 survey on the
usage of ChatGPT to plan the next trip, around three in ten U.S. respondents expected to use that tool while organizing the next journey.
The impact of AI on tourism, however, is just one of the many technological innovations that are transforming how businesses and customers think of and experience travel today. Cloud computing, which is used to access, manage, and store data online, the use of cryptocurrency, and the possibility to experience
travel and tourism in the metaverse are some of the topics drawing much attention in this sense. Based on a 2022 global study on the
comfort level with selected payment methods for trips in 2033, just above a quarter of the sample reported being comfortable with either virtual payment solutions within a virtual reality and cryptocurrency.
Travel apps: two countries dominate the market
Travel apps address a wide range of services within the travel and tourism sector, including travel booking, ride-hailing, and reservation of hotels and short-term rentals. According to Statista’s Digital Market Insights, the
revenue of travel apps worldwide amounted to approximately one billion U.S. dollars in 2022. When breaking down the
travel app market by country, the United States and China emerged as the leading players, with these two countries alone generating roughly 70 percent of global revenue in 2022. That year, Booking.com was by far the
most downloaded online travel agency app worldwide, followed by Airbnb and Expedia. Meanwhile,
Hopper, ranking sixth in terms of global downloads, was among the
leading travel apps in the U.S. based on the market share in 2022, holding the same share of Airbnb, Expedia, and Lyft.
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