New Challenges in Business Travel
By Jose Allan Tan
booming economies mean more people are traveling. Whether for business or pleasure in the industry thrives on that.
Consider the skyrocketing hotel prices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing. With prices until all the levels, you think there is a conspiracy in the travel industry milk cow for what its' value. And then put everything on the law supply and demand.
According to the Survey of Barclaycard Business Travel 2005/06, nearly 45 percent of business travelers said they traveled more business in 2005/2006 than in 2004/2005. A third of them are due to the expansion of business abroad.
The report, "Traveler Tribes 2020" (published by the Centre HeadlightVision Henley – a term overall strategic and marketing consultancy) Note that commuters cosmopolitan (domestic travelers) and border are increasing. An investigation personnelzone.com suggests that the growth of international travel will be facilitated by lower fixed time jobs.
Time efficiency and flexibility increasingly important to commuters. These travelers will choose to use suppliers that facilitate smooth and fast travel. "They do not want to waste unnecessary travel time. Therefore, the ease of booking, speed recording and security with the convenience of a travel hub will significantly influence their travel choices, said David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific.
The second type of business traveler is the global executive moves in premium or business class. The report, by 2015 the number of business travelers using the services of the business class from 17 percent (in 2005 / 6) to about 33 percent in 2015, driven by demand for improved services and better working conditions. Travel suppliers should consider the technology and services premium to meet their needs.
The airlines will also see an uptake in business class travel world leaders to take to the sky in style and comfort. For these executives, it is not so much the Pearl of comfort and luxury is the ability to work on board the aircraft and to continue working without interruption after the executive has landed the aircraft and headed towards the office.
The problem with travel
To be fair, there are problems ahead. Security remains a major obstacle to travel frequently. Instability political and economic result of insurgencies and attacks continue to escalate without immediate solution in the short term. This can lead to the need additional security measures, visa and entry controls, which could restrict travel. The fear of the spread of global pandemics (Avian flu, SARS) may also affect international travel.
This impacts the cost of fuel also remains uncertain in the mid-term. A paradox in this activity is apparent resilience travelers have developed over the last 18 months.
Although new technologies offer an alternative method of communication for meetings, it is always maintained that this channel will be no substitute for interacting face-to-face and personal contact is preferable as long as it remains economically viable.
The awareness of environmental issues such as global climate may cause some companies to limit travel in an effort to do their part to reduce carbon emissions. However, today's research reveals that consumers continue to travel as needed to meet the commitments of work and can not choose other options when they are more ethical comparable in quality and price.
The technology is not to the rescue
Advances in video conferencing and VoIP promise to reduce the need for business travel, this did not translate into a reduction in travel especially in Asia where business is often conducted face-to-face, enabling executives to share their ideas in different cultures.
Airports and airlines are not sitting idly by in the stands. bodies working with the industry such as IATA, many are looking at various technologies to see what would contribute to the atmosphere positive work has continued in spite of threats beyond their control.
"Airports are also turning to technology to help solve the challenges associated with the evolving requirements of security while minimizing inconvenience passengers. One area in which we begin to see convergence between security and self-service. New applications and devices for this convergence to take place without compromising security and transaction or processing time, retaining the simplicity of the passengers, "said Russ Lewis, regional vice president of airport and office services, Asia Pacific at SITA.
Technology does not take a backseat to development. Brett estimated "Key technology trends that will impact on the profitability of the industry are integrated information systems that offer more convenience for customers and providers new ways to travel to reach them. Over the next few years will see Journey bought and sold as goods through non-traditional outlets, and bids will be customized according to customer profiles. "
Embedded systems sale will allow travel providers to cross-sell additional products and services, and the possibility of selling to customers via phone Mobile.
Entry innovation process
"Traveler Tribes 2020" offers a warning – it does not warrant or predict certainty what the future will be. "We see that the report supposed to start a conversation in travel industry and to stimulate debate on what the future Travel and holds implications for service providers like airlines travel, "says Brett.
Executives are increasingly demanding of technologies to make their travel easier and more efficient. In the future, the humanization of technology will mean more personalized services to meet the needs of business travelers, and information that is readily available to support their business.
This means that providers Travel can provide exceptional customer experience and commitment that makes travel hassle free. For example, a business traveler who will miss the flight would ability to quickly and easily reschedule another flight.
The constant evolution of processing power will support technological developments and It is expected that mobile communication devices become increasingly advanced. Open architecture systems and Web applications providers will also Travel to meet customer needs.
The ratio of passenger Tribe defines a number of technologies that should be developed during coming years. These include:
1. The identities (personal digital information on customers conducted detailed digital and therefore easily and quickly accessible), to allow a much more personalized service.
2. Integrated information systems that combine information from various sources.
3. Real-time information delivered to people based on needs and location.
4. Increase interaction with customers through social computing.
5. Visual Information Technology becomes cheaper and more sophisticated.
About the Author
Jose Allan Tan is a technologist-market observer based in Asia. A former marketing director for a storage vendor, he is today director of web strategy and content director for Questex Asia Ltd. He also served as senior industry analyst for Dataquest/Gartner and was at one time an account director for a regional PR agency.
2008 Commuter Challenge Lunch – Brian Lamb