10 tourism innovation trends
Tourism is one of the driving forces for Spain’s economy, and the domestic sector is currently in a renewal phase, adapting to new online channels. However, there are certain areas that we need to work on more. The up-take of new technologies, business intelligence, advanced management tools and big data to obtain qualitative customer data are three matters that still need to be addressed by the national tourism sector.
Technology plays a vital role and acts as a driving force in some of the trends that are set to define future digital strategies in the sector. In Spain, we have to think more about quality to achieve sustainable and innovative tourism to continue being a touristic reference at an international level.
When addressing this digital transformation we can mark 10 tourism innovation trends that companies in the sector must bear in mind:
- 360º Service: Users expect and demand a fully comprehensive service from tourism companies. The business model has changed and with a fully comprehensive 360º service the possibilities to grow, to offer complementary products, and to create new business lines are constantly increasing.
- Unique experiences: It’s becoming increasingly difficult to surprise customers, and this leads to higher level of standards, making it more difficult to meet their expectations. We must take a step further and think about offering incentives linked to “smart destinations”, where the user mingles and interacts naturally with the surroundings and with the internet of things.
- Understanding emotions: Knowing their age, gender, where they live, and their financial status we are gearing towards are all important. But, nowadays, more than ever, we need to know about their emotions, expectations, and passions. Customers are no longer a set of numerical figures, what’s important to remember is that we’re dealing with real people with the ability to interact!
- Active response: At this point, tourism companies need to include the monitoring and tracking of any comments or info from customers. Establishing immediate feedback and responding to customers is no longer just a plus, it’s a must.
- Real Time: Consumers want and expect an immediate response, this requires us to provide solutions immediately and answer any possible errors or problems that may arise. Companies working in the tourism sector must be ready to deal with any problem and have a team of qualified professionals ready and able to offer an excellent solution quickly.
- Social Media: User feedback on a company or destination can be more effective than an ambitious advertising campaign. In this regard, what we need is a personalised solution, immediacy and interactivity
- Mobile devices: If the growth in e-commerce has been constant then m-commerce is set to be more than vibrant. Having everything at your fingertips without thinking about time, space, and more payment alternatives.
- Geolocalisation and virtual reality: These are tools that improve service delivery and offer new experiences to customers. But they also provide valuable insights for the company on customers behaviour and preferences.
- Cloud Computing: The Cloud is a must for all tourism companies, many of which are international, with several headquarters, and multichannel strategies.
- Big Data. Nowadays it’s not about accessing information; we must know how to manage and interpret it to make strategic decisions.