Taking advantage of the fact that we have recently enjoyed the most important tourism fair in our country, FITUR, today we are going to talk to you about one of the most relevant sectors lately. On the one hand, it is important in terms of the Spanish economy, and on the other hand, little by little, of digitalisation. In addition, today we present you a new service, so read on.
The tourism sector is a sector with enormous and varied offers and with a great demand that hires intermediaries, which, with the arrival of the Internet, have undergone transformations. These transformations have meant the disappearance of numerous agents and the birth of many others related to the technological world.
The cloud, mobility, social... are necessary elements, because users and companies consider them to simplify processes and save costs. To this we must also add social networks, where tourists share their experiences, and the collaborative economy, in which content and prescriptions made by users play a fundamental role.
In this revolution, companies have to take advantage of technologies to innovate and offer new products, services and tourism business models to their customers; others incorporate it to reinvent themselves byimproving their processes and the quality of their products. A third group of companies is watching the changes with concern, as they are not able to take measures to avoid being left behind. In the world of tourism, competition is based on online presence, differentiation and reputation, all pursuing the ultimate goal of creating value and attractive experiences .
The customer uses technology in a cycle that begins with the search for information, continues with the selection and comparison of prices and experiences, extends to the purchase, which is increasingly mobile, and ends with the sharing and exchange of information, which serves to feed back into the cycle. An important difference with previous scenarios in the tourism sector is that digital travellers continue to search for information and contract services on the way to their destination.
In Spain, tourism is the activity with the highest percentage of e-commerce turnover, ahead of clothing, direct marketing and food. Mobile is becoming more important in all travel markets and subcategories.
Social networks are another of the fundamental pillars of the sector, both for users and for the different agents involved in the value chain.
Source: Digital Maturity Index Radiography of the hotel sector in the digital environment Deloitte 2015:
- The most used social network is Facebook.
- 56% of the chains that have been studied have an Instagram profile-account.
- 40% of the large hotel chains have opted for an active strategy and respond to Tripadvisor comments.
- The social network with the most followers is Twitter, followed by Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
- Only 20% of small hoteliers have a presence on: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Barriers to digital transformation in the sector
- Structural deficiencies in ICT infrastructure in the sector.
- Constant definition of the value chain.
- Lack of awareness of the benefits and advantages of digitalisation.
- Regulatory uncertainty regarding new business models.
- Difficulty of financing for digital innovation.
- Highly fragmented and competitive sector with large international players.
- Lack of talent and knowledge of digital skills in organisations.
- Lack of strategic vision on the part of managers.
- Organisational structures that are too rigid and hierarchical.
Technological platforms based on cloud computing are now the backbone of any tourism company's IT system . They facilitate the handling of seasonal business, the management of organisations with dispersed headquarters and growth and internationalisation strategies. They place technology at the service of the business instead of limiting it.
Mobile is consolidating as the preferred channel for tourism services. Other technologies that are gaining prominence in the tourism sector are geolocation, virtual reality and augmented reality. Big data and the possibilities offered by many of the new technologies for the generation and capture of data, which reflect the behaviour, preferences and movements of tourists.
For all these reasons, we would like to present our new service: it is a mobile application developed by OCCAM, which is aimed at tourist receptives. Vitour (which is the name of the app), allows each receptive to create digital versions of their tourist guides to enhance the experience of their customers.
With Vitour, each user receives a code to download a guide created by the receptive (with an expiry date). The user can see the route to be taken, the different stops, a file with information on each of the places to visit, information of interest, tips on that particular point and on the city in general... even 360º images of each of the places.
As we have said before, there is nothing a customer likes more than to feel unique, special and cared for. With VITOUR you can offer valuable content to your customers. VITOUR also has geolocation, so your customers can always know where they are in the city and easily reach those points of interest that the itinerary shows them. You can even mark the meeting point of the guided tours, so they do not get lost...Finally, with VITOUR you have the option tocreate content and train your saleschannels, whether travel agencies, commercial, etc. to send them special itineraries, tips to give to customers or more detailed information about a specific service.
If you have any questions or want to know more about VITOUR, pleasecontact us!
