Travel and Tourism Trends: Impact of Technological and Transport Development

This article discusses the impact of technological and transport development on the travel and tourism industry. It covers the trends of increased frequency of holidays and greater flexibility of booking of products. The factors of technological development and transport development affecting the industry are also explained.

Btec travel and tourism BTEC level 3

Table of Contents
Trend 1: Increased Frequency of Holidays................................................................................3
Trend 2: Greater Flexibility of Booking of Products.................................................................3
Factor 1: Technological Development.......................................................................................4
Factor 2: Transport Development..............................................................................................5
Reference:..................................................................................................................................7

Trend 1: Increased Frequency of Holidays
Previously, individuals were reluctant to invest a lot for holiday destinations. However,
nowadays people are earning more and travel more frequently1. This has affected the
transport/accommodation because it helps in generating revenue. Business travel and tour
operation retail have benefited a lot because of frequent holidays.
People visit those place more which has more features and places to explore. Reduction in
planned developments declines the number of passengers. Even if the number of holiday
increases, people will not like to visit the places where terrorist activities happen frequently.
Due to the increasing number of tourists, the government is investing more in the
development of aircraft; super ships as well as rail tracks have been expanded. Low-cost
airlines have been introduced for enhancing the productivity of the tourism industry2. All
these development are done so that the tourist can take benefits and spend more on holidays.
Accommodation provider has improved their service so that the tourist can experience a
luxurious stay.
Individuals travel across various parts of the globe. In terms of tourism, UK is one of the
most visited nations. In United Kingdom, several individuals outside the nation invest in
purchasing property, which indeed enhances the revenue of the nation.
1 Walters, G., Mair, J. and Ritchie, B., ‘Understanding the tourist’s response to natural
disasters: The case of the 2011 Queensland floods’, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol.21,
No.1, 2015, pp.101-113.
2 Robinson, M. and Picard, D. Eds; ‘Emotion in motion: Tourism, affect and transformation’,
Routledge, 2016.

Trend 2: Greater Flexibility of Booking of Products
Now a day's people have internet connections, and it became very easy to book holidays. As
people book holidays by them, it has affected many travel agencies. People can easily access
different websites and book packages according to their budget.
Figure: Annual turnover of travel agents and tour operators3
If a place is facing climatic disaster, terrorist attacks or severe diseases, then it hampers the
flexibility of booking4. This is decreasing the number of visitors.
3 GBP), A. ‘Travel agents and tour operator turnover 2010-2016 | UK statistic’,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/563588/travel-agents-and-tour-operator-turnover-united-
kingdom-uk/, 2018, (Accessed 17 Nov. 2018)
4 Tsai, C.H., Wu, T.C., Wall, G. and Linliu, S.C., ‘Perceptions of tourism impacts and
community resilience to natural disasters’, Tourism Geographies, Vol. 18, No.2, 2016, pp.
152-173.

Greater flexibility in booking has an effect on the development of transportation service and
accommodation provider5. Different people have different preferences. They travel according
to their budget. Some prefer to take a journey from first class while some will prefer to take
second-class. Therefore, the companies implement the development plan according to the
demand of services.
When people travel, they book from different means and pay for them. It also helps the
country in raising their revenue and improving the stability of the economy.
Factor 1: Technological Development
Technological advancement has caused a massive leap towards the betterment of
transportation and accommodation for travellers. Specifically, the advancement of internet
and development of E-commerce has empowered the travellers to make last moment decision
to book a ticket or make a decision by letting them directly access the reservation system6.
Consumers can access high quality ready to use information, which the travel agencies
deliver to them using the advanced technology of the contemporary era.
5 Antonakakis, N., Dragouni, M. and Filis, G., ‘Tourism and growth: The times they are a-
changing’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 50, 2015, pp.165-169.
6 Sambhanthan, A. and Good, A., ‘Strategic advantage in web tourism promotion: an e-
commerce strategy for developing countries In International Business, Concepts,
Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, 2016, pp. 597-618, IGI Global

Figure: Global E-travel statistics7
Formally, the travellers had less information about travelling spots, and this is why the
travellers were not aware of the locations. This has been declining the visitors' number in the
UK. However, in the recent years, technology made the information available for the
consumers, which has allowed the travelers to gather information regarding any travelling
location, which has helped UK travel industry to increase the overall visitor’s number.
Previously, the mode of transportation was limited in terms of aircraft, airway routes or ships.
However, the technological development in the last few years has introduced a significant
development in this arena by introducing super aircraft, ships capable of travelling a long
distance in a shorter time. Along with the same, the development due to technological
7 Loesche, D; ‘Infographic: E-Travel Set to Go a Long Way’,
https://www.statista.com/chart/11272/worldwide-revenue-from-e-travel/, 2018, (Accessed 16
Nov. 2018)
Loesche, D; ‘Infographic: E-Travel Set to Go a Long Way’,
https://www.statista.com/chart/11272/worldwide-revenue-from-e-travel/, 2018, (Accessed 16
Nov. 2018)

advancement triggered the acceptance of such mediums. Thereafter, new airway routes have
been opened along with the development of more airports opened up new destinations to be
explored by the travelers8. Due to more competitions because of technological advancement,
the pricing strategy of air tickets has become competitive, and many low-cost airlines have
been introduced which has allowed more travelers of the economic standard to travel.
The implications of technological development can instigate the number of travelers
appearing to the destination more, which can bring in significant revenue for the UK tourism
companies. Previously, due to lack of incorporation of technology in the hospitality industry
caused a down surge in UK economy as the country depends hugely on the tourism sector.
Successful incorporation of technology in every aspect of tourism industry would make it
more reliable and user-friendly for consumers where consumers will be able to make even
last moment decisions by having the control over their tour plans and online registration
system. This could attract travelers significantly, which could boost the UK economy.
Alongside, applying the same technique, the technology could assist the economies of other
countries as well.
Factor 2: Transport Development
Transport has been developed over the years in the UK from every aspect such as
international transport and local transport as well. Along with the development of
transportation new mediums of development has also been introduced. Previously where
people only use to travel using a limited number of buses locally, in the last couple of years
the UK transport system has introduced a cheaper mode of local transport in various mediums
8 Robertson, S., ‘A carbon footprint analysis of renewable energy technology adoption in the
modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel in Australia’, International
Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 4, 2018, pp.299-312

such as golf karts for short-range travelling or minivans along with more buses and routes for
travelling9. This has affected the accommodation style of a traveller as now they can stay
away from the travelling locations, which are cheaper than staying in the prime location.
Along with this, the international transport has also been developed, which allowed more
frequent and cheaper way of air travel.
As the routs were limited, a number of visitors in outskirt travelling spots was troublesome
for travelers, which caused a decline in visitor's number. However, the enhancement in the
transportation system has allowed the travellers to travel effortlessly to any chosen
destination, which has increased visitor's number in other travelling spots that was not
previously accessible
The development of the transportation system has led the travel industry to a drastic
development in terms of travelling mediums in terms of domestic and international. The
transport development plan has affected the way people travelled. The development has
introduced new super aircrafts capable of carrying more passengers at one go, which has
decreased number of ups and down travel10. Thus, it has decreased the travelling cost as well
as the air travel cost decreased. As the number of aircraft increased, it became more
appealing for the mass, and the growing acceptance of this has increased the number of
airports in rural and urban locations.
Development of transport has made tourism more attractive in the UK, as travellers no longer
need to be worried to travel from one location to other. Hence, package travelling for
9 Le-Klaehn, D.T. and Hall, C.M., ‘Tourist use of public transport at destinations–a review’,
Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 18, No. 8, 2015, pp. 785-803.
10 Mowforth, M. and Munt, I., ‘Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalization and
new tourism in the third world’, Routledge, 2015.

multiple locations has increased which increased the spending of a traveller in one trip. As
the spending grew, it started to support the economy of UK better and provided more stability
to it.
Figure: Contribution of travel and tourism in the global economy11
11 Dollars), D; ‘Travel & tourism: global economic impact 2017 | Statistic’,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/233223/travel-and-tourism--total-economic-contribution-
worldwide/, 2018, (Accessed 17 Nov. 2018).

Bibliography:
Antonakakis, N., Dragouni, M. and Filis, G., ‘Tourism and growth: The times they are a-
changing’, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 50, 2015, pp.165-169.
Le-Klaehn, D.T. and Hall, C.M., ‘Tourist use of public transport at destinations–a review’,
Current Issues in Tourism, Vol. 18, No. 8, 2015, pp. 785-803.
Loesche, D; ‘Infographic: E-Travel Set to Go a Long Way’,
https://www.statista.com/chart/11272/worldwide-revenue-from-e-travel/, 2018, (Accessed 16
Nov. 2018)
Mowforth, M. and Munt, I., ‘Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalization and
new tourism in the third world’, Routledge, 2015.
Robertson, S., ‘A carbon footprint analysis of renewable energy technology adoption in the
modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel in Australia’, International
Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 4, 2018, pp.299-312
Robinson, M. and Picard, D. Eds; ‘Emotion in motion: Tourism, affect and transformation’,
Routledge, 2016.
Sambhanthan, A. and Good, A., ‘Strategic advantage in web tourism promotion: an e-
commerce strategy for developing countries In International Business, Concepts,
Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, 2016, pp. 597-618, IGI Global
GBP), A. ‘Travel agents and tour operator turnover 2010-2016 | UK statistic’,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/563588/travel-agents-and-tour-operator-turnover-united-
kingdom-uk/, 2018, (Accessed 17 Nov. 2018)

Dollars), D; ‘Travel & tourism: global economic impact 2017 | Statistic’,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/233223/travel-and-tourism--total-economic-contribution-
worldwide/, 2018, (Accessed 17 Nov. 2018).
Tsai, C.H., Wu, T.C., Wall, G. and Linliu, S.C., ‘Perceptions of tourism impacts and
community resilience to natural disasters’, Tourism Geographies, Vol. 18, No.2, 2016, pp.
152-173.
Walters, G., Mair, J. and Ritchie, B., ‘Understanding the tourist’s response to natural
disasters: The case of the 2011 Queensland floods’, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol.21,
No.1, 2015, pp.101-113.