eBusiness - Travel Industry: Trends

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Can smartphone apps replace permanent airport signage?

Apps is not a new topic on our blog, and we will continue the research and keep follow future trends. The article below is a case from Frankfurt Airport, where Erwin Hoffman, business development manager, talks about using apps in the airport and future trends.
Frankfurt Airport has big success with the app. Since its introduction in August, more than 50,000 iPhone users have downloaded it, and between 2,500-3,000 passengers make use of it on a daily basis.

Quotes of Erwin Hoffman from the article:
“It will always be the case that you need signage,”

“Airports are very busy places and people can be very stressed out if they’re rushing for a flight. If you’ve got an electronic guide, this can make the process easier but it should be used to supplement signage, not replace it. In fact, if anything, airports should focus on continuing to improve signage.”

“I once heard someone say in a discussion that the smartphone will become a remote control for your life, and to an extent, I agree with this.” “Even if it won’t become the primary means of airport wayfinding, the smartphone app can still play an integral role in the overall airport experience.”

You can read the rest of the article here:
http://www.futuretravelexperience.com/2011/10/can-smartphone-apps-replace-permanent-airport-signage/

Travel industry and social media

This presentation deals with the travel industries and social media and tries to explain that the online communities are very important to them, how this industries use social media... How the travel industry can maximise the power of social media

View more documents from agency:2

The 5 Stages of Travel by Google

Google will became a main actor of travel.

Google has the power of information and is the company that best knows the needs of customers who travel. By mixing several technologies including Google Maps, they built and improve an application to travel which will myabe completely redraw the travel industry in few years.

5 stages of travel by Google description

Goggles : a new tourist guide !

Did you ever ear about Goggles ? This application for Android, created by Google and launched at the end of 2009, can be a new tourist guide type. It enables to make a research in Google by taking a photo. Imagine we are visiting a city abroad, and we want to have some information about a monument we are looking. We just take a photo of it and Goggles will find some links. Goggles can also be used for translation or to convert money. Well, it can be very useful for travelers !
But just look at these two videos.

This video present you how this application work :

This video is a concrete demonstration of Goggles :

On current trends, while the global economy is predicted to grow by 3.3% between 2010 and 2030, the number of aviation passengers looks set to grow by 4.2%.

What will change?
however, is who flies – and how.

(Source: http://www.forumforthefuture.com/)

Mobile applications for travel

Now we can't imagine a world without Internet. It's impossible. And we are becoming more and more dependent on Internet when we travel (this increase is linked at the fact that now we find a lot of free access points in countries).

First, in this movie (posted on Youtube one year ago), you will discover or rediscover several mobile applications for travel or think at the equivalent we have in our countries in Europe : )

And secondly, a more recent article which talks about "THE WORLD’S BEST MOBILE TRAVEL APPS 2011".
http://www.travpr.com/pr-8020-the-worlds-best-mobile.html

But the real question is "What is the future travel app" ? ; )

Additional links :
Google queries "travel" explode on mobile !
The 10 Best Travel Apps
Ski mask of the Future
Six out of ten mobile users now downloading travel apps

Who needs online travel agencies?

What do customers want?

We have identified 4 main reasons why consumers may prefer online travel agencies insteade of booking their trip on their own, for instance through an airline site .

1. Quick and easy comparison of not just fares but itineraries on many different airlines at a glance.

2. Flexible date searches over a longer time periode.

3. Agiencies offer packages, were for instance a hotel plus a flight can be bought for half of what the flight alone costs. However today som airlines companies like SAS are trying to copie the concept of an agency.

4. For consumer that feel overwhelmed of all the information you can search on the internet an agency is a easier and faster way for them to find their trip.