Travel technology: Difference between revisions

The increase in review websites has also had a huge impact on the tourism industry. Sites such as [[TripAdvisor|tripadvisor.com]] let users read, post, and interact with reviews of travel experiences and attractions others have had. In addition to sites like [[Tripadvisor|tripadvisor.com]], there are more sites where travelers and customers can review certain restaurants, shops, and tourist attractions, like [[Yelp|yelp.com]], [[Expedia|expedia.com]], [[travelocity.com]] and more. You can create an account on each of these sites and review any content you would like.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-13|title=The Best Travel Apps of 2021 to Help You Travel Better|url=https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/best-new-travel-apps/|access-date=2021-11-15|website=Nomadic Matt's Travel Site|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Toh|first=Rex S.|last2=DeKay|first2=Charles F.|last3=Raven|first3=Peter|date=2011-09-01|title=Travel Planning|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1938965511418779|journal=Cornell Hospitality Quarterly|volume=52|issue=4|pages=388–398|doi=10.1177/1938965511418779|issn=1938-9655}}</ref> eWOM, meaning electronic word of mouth, has become a big influence in consumer’s attitudes and actions, resulting in different choices of products and planning aspects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Xiang|first=Zheng|last2=Magnini|first2=Vincent P.|last3=Fesenmaier|first3=Daniel R.|date=2015-01-01|title=Information technology and consumer behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet|journal=Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services|volume=22|pages=244–249|doi=10.1016/j.jretconser.2014.08.005|issn=0969-6989}}</ref> In this generation, one does not begin to plan their vacations or travel plans without consulting at least one travel planning site to read the reviews left by previous customers. <ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Zhou|first=Xiaolu|last2=Wang|first2=Mingshu|last3=Li|first3=Dongying|date=2017-01|title=From stay to play – A travel planning tool based on crowdsourcing user-generated contents|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.10.002|journal=Applied Geography|volume=78|pages=1–11|doi=10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.10.002|issn=0143-6228}}</ref> Tourists leave reviews on hotels, excursions, restaurants, experiences, and more when they have an especially good or bad experience with a particular company or project. <ref name=":0" /> They have the opportunity to add photos, a specific number of star ratings, helpful tips, and recommendations to the next traveller. <ref name=":0" /> With new emerging travel technologies, customers are provided with innovative tools to assess satisfaction rates among tourists. For example, businesses can create anonymous surveys, send emails, and follow-up with customers through texts and mail.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Rob.|first=Mills, Juline E. Law,|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/973770147|title=Handbook of consumer behavior, tourism, and the internet|isbn=978-1-138-83486-6|oclc=973770147}}</ref>

 

The introduction of smartphones and mobile applications has also had a big effect on the tourism industry. Social media posts allow users to gather general information, free of marketing bias.<ref>{{Citation|last=Conrady|first=Roland|chapter=Travel technology in the era of Web 2.0|date=2007|pages=165–184|editor-last=Conrady|editor-first=Roland|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-540-70905-3_13|isbn=978-3-540-70905-3|editor2-last=Buck|editor2-first=Martin|title=Trends and Issues in Global Tourism 2007}}</ref> [[GPS navigation device|GPS]] and social media apps allow users to tag and share their locations. People no longer need to print out directions and can use map apps to help them get around. Social media users can search for locations on social media platforms and gain more knowledge of the locations without using a review site.

 

Applications such as [[Uber]], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.route4me.routeoptimizer Route Planner App] and [[Lyft]] have also made travelling easier. Users no longer have to plan ahead for transportation to and from an airport or a different destination. Ubers and Lyfts may also be used in place of a rental car.

 

Today the [[tour guide]] can be a GPS tour guide, and the [[guidebook]] could be an [[audioguide]] and trips could be planned completely online. The continuing evolution of information technology and the widespread public use of the Internet has created a number of conditions that have been both beneficial and detrimental to the modern travel agency. The internet is reshaping many business aspects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Olsen|first=Michael D.|last2=Connolly|first2=Daniel J.|date=2016-09-05|title=Experience-based Travel: How Technology Is Changing the Hospitality Industry|journal=Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly|language=en|doi=10.1177/001088040004100121}}</ref> As a result, the travel and tourism industries will have to continue to adapt to new technologies in the future.