The global travel market is growing and growing. In 2018, around 1.2 billion travellers were on the move, an increase of 4.4 percent since the previous year. At the same time, the habits and demands of tourists are changing. For this reason, the cloud is increasingly being used in tourism, especially to keep pace with the pressure to innovate in the travel business.
Like hardly any other industrial sector, the tourism industry has a huge network of players, including travellers, service providers, employees, public authorities, transport providers, private agencies and other experts. The travel fever is unbroken and so more and more people are drawn out into the world. Travel adventures are becoming increasingly individual for globetrotters and the popularity of package tours is declining. Instead, the travel enthusiasts resort to online offers such as Expedia, airbnb or Skyscanner to book flights, hotels, rental cars and companies in one go.
For travel and transport providers, as well as hotels and other service providers, this means that information, communication and booking should be as uncomplicated and fast as possible because the young travellers are more technology-oriented than ever before. In order to make work processes in tourism more agile and even cheaper, the cloud offers countless potentials. We explain the advantages of the cloud for transport service providers, travellers themselves, the holiday region and hotels.
The Cloud in Aviation
Aircrew, pilots, ground crew, caterers, etc. – a large number of people are responsible for the smooth running of air travel. The cloud enables aviation to better network and coordinate all the people and processes involved. For example, on-board personnel can be informed about last-minute schedule changes, pilots can conveniently receive all data relevant to the flight on their smartphone or tablet in the cockpit, and refuelling and delivery of supplies can be coordinated ideally in order to save time and money.
Passengers also benefit from the use of the cloud: in addition to the smooth operation, they enjoy the best entertainment via the infotainment system and can order their desired on-board menu with just one click before taking off, which is then served fresh above the clouds.
The Cloud for Travel Providers
As one of many travel providers converting to the cloud, TUI Leisure GmbH, a subsidiary of Europe’s leading travel group, is in the process of transferring all its software applications and data to the cloud.
Their central system for the processing of e-mails, calendars and contacts becomes mobile and over 1,000 travel consultants can share information with each other in real time. In addition, each employee is allocated a large cloud memory so that e-mails no longer have to be moved for backup purposes. Jens Henze, Head of IT Operations Management at TUI Deutschland GmbH, is convinced that “our sensitive customer data stored in the inbox is secure in the cloud”. In addition, TUI uses a unified and central system to manage all users and give them access to all the applications they need to do their job, wherever they are.
On the one hand, the use of the cloud makes travel agencies much more agile by enabling networked and mobile collaboration with all branches. On the other hand, the cloud has a high potential for savings, as the administration of local servers and hardware is no longer necessary. All offices access applications and data via the cloud, without the need for installations on the devices used. This enables the travel provider to respond much faster and more efficiently to global trends in tourism and concrete customer enquiries.
The Cloud for Tourism Regions
In Germany it is the Allgäu region that sets the pace as a popular tourist region: the cloud has great potential for tourist destinations. In cloud portals, important information about holidaying and relaxing in the region can be exchanged in real time and made available to travellers. Admission prices, outdoor and bathing temperatures, storm warnings, special offers and promotions, current events in the region, public transport timetables, opening hours, hiking routes… everything that is relevant for those seeking recreation can be updated at any time by the participating companies, authorities and trades. Through clear information, tourism regions gain additional attractiveness and the cloud even increases the income of holiday resorts through a better match between supply and demand.
The Cloud for Hotels and Hotel Chains
Although more and more people are travelling, it is important to stand out against other types of accommodation, first and foremost (privately rented) holiday homes, and of course against the competition in the hotel industry. Hotels and hotel chains achieve this in particular by simplifying administrative and booking processes, as well as by providing exceptional services tailored to the customer.
Especially for hotel chains, a networked booking system in the cloud pays off, as customers can see all hotel branches in a region or in a country at a glance and make optimal use of capacities. If, for example, a holidaymaker is interested in a fully booked hotel, alternative accommodations from the same provider can be displayed immediately.
As there is a lot of competition, it is important to bind customers for the long term through exceptional service. For example, if hotel guests use a cloud platform to manage their bookings, selected restaurant recommendations, tailor-made excursion tips and interesting information can be made available to them during their stay. Regular customers can be recognised by the reception staff via the guest profile and surprised with personal amenities.
oneclick™: The Universal Solution for the Cloud in Tourism
The tourism industry too can benefit from the advantages of the oneclick™ platform for the provision of digital workspaces. Web apps, native applications, desktops and data are centralised in the platform and delivered securely to users via streaming.
The easy-to-use cloud solution for all companies in tourism makes on-premises environments and legacy applications mobile and usable in the browser. By relocating data and applications to the cloud, the entire IT infrastructure is streamlined and maintenance costs are minimised. Employees can access everything they need for their work from anywhere and at any time – ideal for distributed locations, such as hotel chains. In addition, the operation of oneclick™ is absolutely user-friendly, even with mobile devices. With oneclick™, data and applications are secured in the cloud: The platform is effectively protected against external and internal attacks by multi-layered, intelligent systems. At the same time, endpoint or mobile device management is no longer necessary.
The Cloud in Tourism: Conclusion
Equipped with cloud platforms, tourism companies can perform countless tasks more easily and efficiently: Staff management, smooth coordination of work processes, accelerated booking, better catering, mobile working – a wealth of approaches that improve guest service anywhere, anytime.
Due to their agility, cloud solutions can be used for all facets of companies in tourism. This optimises speed, flexibility, agility and efficiency to meet the changing needs of travellers – and the cloud can even reduce costs. IT administration is significantly simplified as hardware and software are centralised, updates and new applications can be used immediately throughout the group. A priceless added value of the cloud is its ability to adapt and grow for the future – an advantage that is indispensable in an industry as rapidly changing as tourism.
Sources:
- https://www.tui-infotec.com/index.php/tui-it-landschaft-reloaded-office-365
- https://blog.snapshot.travel/cloud-computing-for-hotels-pros-and-cons
- http://pressezentrum.choicehotels.eu/pressreleases/meilenstein-der-hospitality-branche-choice-hotels-fuhrt-neu-entwickeltes-reservierungssystem-ein-2404474
- https://www.lufthansa-industry-solutions.com/de-de/loesungen-produkte/tourismus/
- https://www.cloudcomputing-insider.de/cloud-kollaboration-in-der-touristikbranche-a-560503/
- https://www.destinet.de/meldungen/menschen-management/etourismus-online-marketing/6387-digitalisierung-im-tourismus-die-bayern-cloud-kommt
- https://news.microsoft.com/de-de/ber-den-wolken-tourismus-und-flugbranche-steigt-mit-microsofts-partnern-in-die-cloud/
- https://www.it-zoom.de/it-director/e/ueber-den-wolken-4962/
- https://www.oracle.com/assets/oracle-hospitality-hotel-whitepaper-3807132.pdf
Image credits:
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- Image 2: rawpixel @ pexels.com
- Image 3: Christian Lambert @ unsplash.com
- Image 4: Michael Browning @ pexels.com
