PANDEMIC PAY-OFFS


THE COVID CRISIS HAS BEEN TOUGH, BUT SOME TRAVEL TECH PROVIDERS BELIEVE IT CAN HASTEN POSITIVE CHANGE. LEE HAYHURST REPORTS


T


his 2021 edition of the Travolution Innovation Report has been compiled


DW DQ LQFUHGLEO\ GLIfiFXOW WLPH IRU D travel industry that is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic. In this report we set out what UK


government data tells us has been WKH LPSDFW RQ WUDYHO fiUPVȇ DELOLW\ WR invest in the technologies required to innovate for a vibrant future. 2Q WKH IDFH RI LW LWȇV QRW D SUHWW\


picture, with budgets slashed and passenger numbers and revenues devastated, particularly in aviation on which so much of the sector relies. Following a second poor summer


for UK outbound leisure, but as signs of a sustained recovery emerge initially in domestic and short-haul, the sector is now looking ahead. Decius Valmorbida, president of


travel at Innovation Report partner Amadeus, said this vision for the future must place greater emphasis on the value of travel as a product. In this endeavour, he sees the


interconnectedness of the industry spurring further collaboration as businesses work together to focus on the entire customer journey. Ȋ&RPSDUHG WR RWKHU LQGXVWULHV LWȇV


remarkable how little value is attached to the travel product, despite most people agreeing that travel enriches their lives,” Valmorbida said. “Coffee shops are experts at


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“Compared to other industries, it’s


remarkable how little value is attached to the travel product”


accepted a cup of coffee can cost up to £5. “The question for the travel industry


is: how can we help travellers place a higher value on our products so that as travel returns it is on a more sustainable long-term footing? “The industry needs to look hard


at the experience on offer. Was the experience of travelling in 2019 really that compelling, and where can we create additional value? “Individual actors have worked


KDUG LQ WKHLU RZQ VLORV EXW WKHUHȇV QHYHU EHHQ D IRFXV RQ WKH WUDYHOOHUȇV entire trip. Thinking beyond individual silos and taking the HQG WR HQG YLHZ LV WUDYHOȇV FKDQFH to improve the experience and unlock that £5 coffee equivalent.” Valmorbida said the pandemic has


forced, or offered the opportunity, for all players in the value chain to take time to reassess their place in the travel ecosystem. And he said this has come at a time


when the trends linked to mobile, personalisation, chatbots, frictionless


‘THE INDUSTRY MUST EMERGE FROM THIS


&KDOOHQJLQJ WKRXJK WKH SDQGHPLF KDV EHHQ LW KDV DOVR RIIHUHG D FKDQFH WR WDNH D VWHS back and re-engineer travel technology, DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH IRXQGHU RI 7XL 0XVHPHQW )DELR =HFFKLQL FKLHI WHFKQRORJ\


RIfiFHU RI WKH ,WDOLDQ WHFKQRORJ\ VSHFLDOLVW ERXJKW E\ 7XL LQ VDLG the industry must be more aligned to FKDQJLQJ FXVWRPHU H[SHFWDWLRQV Ȋ7KH FRQVXPHU LV H[SHFWLQJ WKLV


IURP WKH LQGXVWU\ ȋ KH VDLG Ȋ3HRSOH KDG EHFRPH XVHG WR LQHIfiFLHQFLHV


WKH\ DUH QRW H[SHFWLQJ DQ\PRUH Ȋ,W ZDV LPSRUWDQW IRU WKH 7XL JURXS


DV LW LV IRU WKH LQGXVWU\ WR LQYHVW LQ technology to be ready once business comes back because the customer LV H[SHFWLQJ PRUH IURP XV ȋ 3DUWQHUVKLSV LQ WUDYHO KDYH EHFRPH


PRUH LPSRUWDQW DV fiUPV ORRN WR share the resources needed to create technology rather than build it themselves, added Zecchini. Ȋ7KH GLIIHUHQFH EHWZHHQ WKH WUDYHO


4 — SEPTEMBER 2021 — TRAVOLUTION.CO.UK


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