Connected Trips – Are we there yet?
The idea of “Connected Trips” has been a hot topic in the travel industry for years, promising seamless planning, booking, and management of all aspects of a trip in one place. Back in 2019 Booking Holdings and Expedia were fighting for connected superiority, both talking a big game but with neither hitting the mark.
Connected Travel is still a way off, but other emerging tech is seeing a rise.
Tui makes progress with Connected Trips
While significant progress has been made, achieving a true connected trip experience still seems pretty far off. However, according to industry experts, there is hope.
With the soft launch of TUITours.com, TUI is bringing its own version of a flexible connected trip to the table. The group and individual tours platform offers real-time pricing and availability, and a modern simplified drag & drop system. While it’s currently only available in Belgium to travel advisors and direct customers, a wider international rollout is planned for 2023 and 2024.
As Nishank Gopalkrishnan said in an interview with Skift, “Our aim is to help our partners increase conversion rates by providing an experience, content, and context.”
“Our aim is to help our partners increase conversion rates by providing an experience, content, and context.” Nishank Gopalkrishnan – Interview with Skift,
TUI Tours offers customers and travel advisors the ability to personalize group or individual itineraries in real-time with access. This includes flights, accommodation, transfers, car rental, experiences, and guides.
New Tech
The new technology successfully reflects the demands for greater flexibility and convenience of the modern traveler. Connected trips certainly seem to be heading in the right direction. While the current focus is on expanding TUI Tours’ product offerings, “App-Navigated”, or “Digital Experiences” are on the rise. This, coupled with future development in generative artificial intelligence (Ai) capabilities, presents an exciting opportunity for the future of Connected Trips. The integration of content delivery platforms, like the Bounce App could be the final piece of the puzzle to close the loop. So, are we there yet? It’s just around the next corner.