2009, another new year has arrived! Lets not talk about past year. Just focus ahead, lets not forget the challenges we have to meet, we have to overcome all the hurdles in coming year; come what may in our way. Whether it is zero percent regime or the great recession we’ve ever seen, we will not budge, victory will be ours in the end.
Two words best characterize the future for the travel industry in coming year …. growth and change. It is very well-known fact that the travel industry has been exploiting information technology products for more than 30 years. While the travel industry is already an intensive user of information technology for the reservation, accounting and inventory management functions, information technology is becoming even more important in helping companies survive and grow as costs and service expectations rise, cycle times compress, and market share becomes harder to maintain.
Information technology plays an essential role in lowering the cost of business processes, such as inventory management, scheduling, pricing and customer service. Global scale and scope, seen by many as the key to survival, can only be managed with real-time information and constant communications. IT is central to any new distribution approach, especially those going directly to leisure customers and those providing travel management processes to corporation. IT can also differentiate between products, for example self-service check-in, track able freight or in flight seat-back system.
The point is that the use of IT is moving from the ‘back office’ to the face of the consumer and that novel uses of information technology become a competitive advantage.
This year, post zero percent regime, increased demands for information technology will come the following areas:
- Re-engineering of legacy systems which are obstacles to change;
- Best-of-breed, open industry applications for both operational efficiency and revenue generation;
- network computing applications to supplement existing distribution channels and enable global alliances;
- Outsourcing services as companies return to core competencies and seek to gain operational savings.
The technology is available today to affect fundamental change in the travel industry. Three applications that will revolutionize the travel industry are described here: network computing, the combination of electronic ticketing and smart cards and corporate travel management system.
First and foremost, the move to network computing, where applications and data reside in the network, represents a powerful computing evolution. Network computing allows: companies to connect to their customers, suppliers, and business partners; individuals at work, home or school to share information over interconnected networks; and businesses, governments and educational institutions to reach new markets, offer new services and lower costs. There are now more than billion people connected to the internet and growing every day.
So please, fellow travel agents, come forward and embrace the technology for the sake of growth and change this new year. happy selling folks!!!!!!!!!!
