Embrace digital transformation in tourism

Entities within the Tourism Sector are being encouraged to embrace digital transformation and to research the benefits of the process not just to themselves but also to clients and guests.

This was the basis of a recent webinar hosted by Complete Caribbean, with the theme, Digital Transformation in Tourism featuring speakers Maria Ulrich, Global Sales Director, ReviewPro, Raul Gomez, Regional Sales Director, Duetto, Paula Miralles, ITH Innovation Project Management and Manny Melendez, Director of Strategic Sales, Latin America Amadeus Hospitality.

The panel discussed the process and strategies regarding digital transformation and also tackled the technology gaps and opportunities available in tourism. Paula Miralles, of ITH explained that the company was responsible for providing support and helping the digitalisation process to companies in the Caribbean tourism sector. She added that the webinar was to offer information on strategies being employed by different companies with extensive experience in the world of tourism technology and to illustrate the importance of the digital transformation of the tourism companies so they can adapt to the current demand and the needs of the sector.

"The concept of digital transformation is not something unheard of or new, however, it is a medium or long term strategy through which tourism companies are distinguishing themselves from those that are not digitizing. This is an evolutionary process like technology itself, in which, depending on which technological tool a company implements it will acquire a different level of technological maturity, with options for improvement and business growth," explained the ITH official.

Miralles also noted that the digital transformation of each individual tourism entity had to be linked to its own specific business model, which would offer more efficiency in the way the organisation worked and provided services along with a better customer service experience.

"Digitalisation is not a concept or a strategy for only large companies or entities with significant budgets for the acquisition of technology. It is worth finding technological solutions, free of charge, or with cost plans adapted to the size and type of company.  Technological tools are at the heart of any entity and it is simply necessary to know what area in which each company should focus on implementing technology which would be more beneficial.

Maria Ulrich, Global Sales Director, ReviewPro gave some insight on how the company works to guide hotels and brands on the right path to automation and communication strategies.

"We have been helping hotels with a communications strategy so we actually have a messaging app solution that centralizes communication from different channels. More recently in 2020, we have introduced artificial intelligence to help hotels manage requests and inquiries in an automated way 24 hours a day, in different languages," said Ulrich.

The global director also outlined the necessity for the need for the earnest digital repositioning of regional tourism entities. She contended that reviews and other data which could be analyzed revealed that the behaviours of guests searching, traveling and staying at hotels had changed.

"The way that travelers or guests are choosing properties or different destinations has changed. We analyze on a daily basis thousands of reviews. So what has been realized is that the criteria has changed to safety. Guests want the assurance that the hotels are taking precautions when it comes to safety and cleaning protocols. Tech savvy is one as well, because travelers have adopted digital technologies, and they will expect this on the property. Also value, because the way that the consumers are deciding to spend their budget, is much more careful as domestic travel has increased recently."

Ulrich encouraged hotels and the brands to review this type of data and take it seriously, as it was a requirement in order to future proof companies and make the best decisions, either in the operational or growth area. (AS)