Technology is creating a new normal for business and in leisure travel, with more changes on the way. A recent study by Agoda Research shows that, among the many technological advancements, one app for all travel needs, passport-free travel and mobile-app check-in will impact the hospitality industry the most in the next decade.
Many brands, Marriott and Hilton, for example, have already implemented mobile check-in at properties across the globe. Look for more properties to adopt opening the door with your phone programs in the coming years.
The study found that Southeast Asians are much more hopeful about the potential technological advancements, as they expect the previously mentioned changes to make their travel experience even better in the next decade. While most U.S and U.K. respondents don’t expect these tech innovations to be used by the majority anytime soon.
Half or more than half of respondents in Indonesia (56 percent), Singapore (54 percent), Malaysia (53 percent) and Taiwan (50 percent) are considering seamless travel apps to be the norm in the 2020s; the Philippines and Thailand follow behind at 48 percent. Only a third of respondents from the United Kingdom and United States believe they will see these features in most hotels they visit in the next decade.
Singapore (50 percent), Vietnam (47 percent), the Philippines (45 percent), China (44 percent) and Australia (41 percent) are the top regions most likely to see a future with passport-free travel. In the United Kingdom and United States only 1 in 5 expect to see this advancement. Half of Southeast Asians view mobile check-in as an impending norm in 2020.
Travel is Becoming Even More Eco-friendly
2019 was the year people started to talk seriously about overtourism, partially as a result of cheap international flights and millennials seeking out engaging experiences abroad. And as it turns out, people want to increase their travel in the decade to come. Surprisingly, many want to explore more within their own country, which 40 percent of respondents reported, while 35 percent of respondents said they planned international travel in their future.
What’s not so surprising—as this year, people focused much more on sustainability—is that a quarter of respondents want to make more eco-friendly travel choices, a decision which travelers from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia are anticipated to spearhead.
Those in the 35–44 and more than 55-age range are more likely to want to explore their own countries, 40 and 42 percent, respectively. Respondents from China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam included destinations inside their home country in their top three lists for the 2020s.
