Over the last few decades, various economic sectors have undergone significant transformations worldwide. They have been supported by the multiple technological developments that have emerged and have managed to change how people around the world seek, acquire and enjoy their products and services.
Tourism is one of the sectors that has undergone these transformations. Despegar, the Latin American travel company, presents, from its experience, three of the main developments and trends that promise to continue transforming the way people travel around the world:
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1.- Leap from E-commerce to M-commerce
The popularization and evolution of mobile telephones gave rise to what is currently known as mobile commerce, or commerce through mobile devices. In recent years, this trend has become more relevant, thanks to the increasingly widespread use of these devices and the growth in Internet penetration.
In the tourism market, this technological trend makes it easier for travelers to have the complete offer of their travel agency in their pocket. Technology allows them to choose and book their trips, review their itineraries, and even purchase other products during their vacations, such as activities they want to do at the destination.
The apps of hotels, restaurants, airlines, car rental companies, and even travel agencies are a handy “gadget” in the pocket of users.
2.- Artificial Intelligence to Understand Travelers
The tourism sector faced the challenge of discovering what these new needs were and even being one step ahead of them after a pandemic that drastically transformed travelers’ habits. This is where it became necessary to rely on new developments, putting all the expertise in artificial intelligence and big data to provide factual value propositions for travelers.
Through mathematical and predictive models, offers are optimized for customers according to the characteristics and interests of each one. Based on this, and through machine learning algorithms developed in-house, Despegar and other companies in the tourism sector generate the best proposals for each customer according to the trip they are looking for.
Currently, Despegar has more than 850 collaborators in its IT area and analyzes more than 3 million flight combinations per day to recommend the most economical itineraries to travelers, including trips with different stopovers, which in many cases allows for additional discounts.
3.- Anywhere-office or The Magic of Working From Your Dream Location
This trend is directly linked to the growing technological dynamics of travel and the massification of the Internet. It takes remote work a step beyond the home office, allowing people to perform their work activities virtually anywhere.
This has allowed many travelers to spend a season in a paradisiacal destination without waiting for their vacations or affecting their productivity. Enjoying and working are now compatible, as long as they have a place that provides everything they need.
“Technological trends and developments are key to the sector’s recovery. Regionally, according to our most recent report, during the second quarter of 2022, the company’s gross bookings increased 129% year on year. In terms of transactions, there was a 65% year-over-year increase, reaching 90% of 2Q19 volume, which leaves us with an optimistic outlook for the future,” said Alejandro Caligaris, Country Manager of Despegar Mexico.
