New TravelTech Show poll: tech will be key for travel recovery post-covid
- 97 per cent of travel tech professionals believe tech will help travel emerge stronger from covid
- AI, CRM and OBT’s voted top three tech to assist recovery
- Economic uncertainty remains biggest challenge facing travel tech industry
- Visitor registration now open at www.traveltech-show.com
26 May 2022
New data from TravelTech Show shows that 97 per cent of industry professionals believe tech can help travel emerge stronger from Covid. Asked ‘what tech in particular?’, the poll of over 100 buyers and suppliers responded with artificial intelligence, customer relationship management, online booking tools, self-service portals and innovative payment methods as the top five.
| What tech in particular do you think will help us emerge stronger from Covid? | |
| Artificial intelligence | 49% |
| Customer relationship management | 47% |
| Online booking tools | 44% |
| Self-service portals | 34% |
| Innovative payment methods | 25% |
Brian Sheerin, managing director of TravelTech Show exhibitor SABS Travel Technologies, explained, “With travel experiencing major issues in the recruitment of trained, high-quality resources, the part that online booking tools can play has never been more important. While other sectors will claim that they have issues with recruitment, travel was the first affected by the pandemic and the last to be allowed to recover. Customers may be willing to tolerate missing items on supermarket shelves or longer queues at the bar, but they are not willing to tolerate long “queues” to book their travel arrangements and they expect the same level of service that they enjoyed pre pandemic.”
He added, “Allowing travellers to self-book through an OBT whilst still providing simple methods to communicate, such as online chat, are key to reducing customer frustration and allowing travel businesses the space to restructure, to resource and to meet customer expectations. OBTs were already playing a massive part in booking travel pre-pandemic and now it is even more important in the role of rebuilding the sector and customer confidence in it.”
The survey has also revealed the top five challenges facing travel tech right now with economic uncertainty remaining in poll position (52 per cent voted it top). The pressure to be more sustainable – which entered the chart for the first time in 2020 – has dropped down to seventh position, while Covid-19 travel restrictions entered at number two.
| What are the biggest challenges facing the travel tech industry? | |||
| 2022 | 2020 | ||
| Challenges | Percentage | Challenges | Percentage |
| Economic uncertainty | 52% | Economic uncertainty | 53% |
| Covid-19 travel restrictions | 46% | Sustainable travel | 45% |
| Climate change | 36% | Climate change | 44% |
| Cyber security | 20% | Technology skills gap | 40% |
| Technology skills gap | 20% | Brexit | 25% |
| Terrorism | 20% | Terrorism | 24% |
| Sustainable Travel | 11% | Cyber Security | 20% |
Customer retention remains an issue for travel tech professionals, who were asked to pinpoint the biggest challenges they are facing over the next 12 months, followed by finding new talent (42 per cent) and improving the customer journey (41 per cent);
- Customer retention – 49 per cent
- Finding new talent – 42 per cent
- Improving customer journey – 41 per cent
TravelTech Show returns in-person on 29-30 June to brand new home ExCeL London bringing together hundreds of senior travel and tourism technology specialists and over 70 exhibitors for high-level, in-person networking and a premium conference agenda. Registration is open now with free tickets available to qualified travel technology decision-makers from the retail/corporate travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. This year, the event is co-located with Business Travel Show Europe and The Meetings Show.