ResNet World - Technology Feature in the Arabian Travel Market 'ATM'

ResNet World - Arabian Travel Market 'ATM'

Arabian Travel Market is the travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. The 2013 show will run from May 6 - 9 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center (DICEC).

ResNet World's Director of Operations, Mr. Shane Mansell speaks to the Press :


How big a role technology plays in the travel industry?

Technology plays a crucial role in the travel industry today. Hoteliers must stay up to date and educated on the constantly transforming technology landscape in the hospitality industry. Failure to do so puts the hotel at risk of falling behind in their market share. 20 years ago a hotel's fair market share was achieved through a combination good old fashion ''cold calling'' on corporate accounts and creative marketing of the hotel through the use of billboards, press and promotions. We still believe that a face to face human interaction between hotel and potential consumer is a positive sales point. It must, however, be properly combined with up to date digital based marketing efforts and a willingness to adopt operational based technologies that drive our market today.

What are the drivers?

There are two main factors that drive the role of technology in the travel industry;

1) First, we live in a world that is continuously pushing for increased efficiency. Technology today is about consolidating and creating easy access to information that is specifically relevant to our needs at any given time. It is about automating manual tasks to increase efficiency. In a nutshell... as technology advances it is meant to make our lives easier. The technology industry is a perfect example to show this. Hotels consolidate their rates, availability and hotel information for worldwide distribution with the click of a mouse. Consumers consolidate their likes, their dislikes and their booking patterns to focus their buying attention on hotels that match their needs and their wants. 

2) Secondly, we like our toys... PC's are updated on a regular basis with higher processing speed and more storage capacity. Smartphone companies release new and upgraded versions of their products once and even sometime twice a year. Tablets have stormed the market and are now considered credible platform for computing. We all love our toys... When we have these toys in hand we want to use them. We download hotel booking applications. We use them to research social media sites. We use them to stay connected to friends and to businesses alike.