Tourism for the 21st Century

What’s holding back change?

There is a real need for everyone in the tourism industry in the UK to embrace technology.

Technology is not just changing the way we book our travel – it is having a profound affect on the tourism sector as a whole. Last minute offers and web promotions, for example, give companies the opportunity to shift remaining capacity, while the Internet is an important way for tourism firms to interact with their customers and receive feedback.

Technology is also revolutionising the leisure sector – with interactive TV at restaurants and other venues, handheld electronic guides available for attractions and information kiosks being set up, all offering visitors real time information. Companies are also using technology to send current tourism data and offers to personal digital assistants (PDAs) and by text to mobile phones.

There are even more developments in the pipeline. Faster broadband technologies will lead to greater use of multimedia within the tourism industry. The traditional brochure is set to come alive on home computers with, at a basic level, colour pictures and with more sophisticated applications such as 360-degree virtual tours and video streaming.

Technology can also assist with the issue of crime through CCTV for example. This is particularly relevant for the hotel and restaurant sector which experiences the highest crime rates and recent BT initiatives such as The Brick Lane Partnership in London show the way forward. This innovative project is a partnership between BT, Police and Borough that incorporates alert systems for retailers linked to a state of the art control centre.

People across the globe are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way they buy their travel and the tourism sector in this country needs to be ready to showcase everything that the UK has to offer, or it will be left behind. If you can help with this UK tourism revolution, let’s talk.

Sources:

• Labour Market Trends Survey 2004
• Continental Research
• BTA/ETC
• PKF
• Enjoy England
• BT
• RAC

• FSB
• UK Tourism Survey
• Mintel
• BHA
• Graduate Prospects
• National Statistics Office