Travel technology

Travel technology (also called tourism technology, and hospitality automation) is the application of Information Technology (IT) or Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Some forms of travel technology are flight tracking, pre-travel planning through online travel agencies, and systems that allow tourists to review their experiences.

Travel technology was originally associated with the computer reservations system (CRS) of the airline industry, but is now used more inclusively, incorporating the broader tourism sector as well as its subset the hospitality industry.

Booking engines allow easy access for consumers and travel professionals; the systems enable individuals to make reservations and compare prices. Online travel agencies such as expedia.com, are a large contribution to how the travel and tourism industries have changed due to technology. These online agencies help users plan and book trips and provide comparisons of hotels, flights, vacation packages, prices and more, all in one place. The change from of-person to online travel agencies gives the customer more power in planning their trip.

The increase in review websites has also had a huge impact on the tourism industry. Sites such as tripadvisor.com let users read, post, and interact with reviews of travel experiences and attractions others have had. eWOM, meaning electronic word of mouth, has become a big influence in consumer's attitudes and actions, resulting in different choices of products and planning aspects.^[1]

The introduction of smartphones and mobile applications has also had a big effect on the tourism industry. Social media posts allow users to gather general information, free of marketing bias.^[2] GPS and social media apps allow users to tag and share their locations. People no longer need to print out directions and can use map apps to help them get around. Social media users can search for locations on social media platforms and gain more knowledge of the locations without using a review site.

Applications such as Uber and Lyft have also made travelling easier. Users no longer have to plan ahead for transportation to and from an airport or a different destination. Ubers and Lyfts may also be used in place of a rental car.

Today the tour guide can be a GPS tour guide, and the guidebook could be an audioguide and trips could be planned completely online. The continuing evolution of information technology and the widespread public use of the Internet has created a number of conditions that have been both beneficial and detrimental to the modern travel agency. The internet is reshaping many business aspects.^[3] As a result, the travel and tourism industries will have to continue to adapt to new technologies in the future.

The rapid growth of smartphones capabilities has led to the widespread adoption of app-based audio guides, which have expanded beyond traditional museum and city sightseeing tours. Modern platforms offer self-guided experiences ranging from short, highly focused tours covering a single landmark or theme to extensive multi-day itineraries covering entire cities or regions. Many applications also incorporate gamification elements such as scavenger hunts, location-based challenges, and interactive storytelling to increase visitor engagement.^[4]

Notable providers of app-based audio tours include: VoiceMap, izi.TRAVEL, TouringBee, WeGoTrip and Questo.^{[citation needed ]}

• List of global distribution systems
• Online hotel reservations

• Benckendorff, Pierre J.; Sheldon, P.J.; Fesenmaier, D.R. (2014). Tourism Information Technology (Second ed.). Wallingford, UK: CABI. ISBN 978-1-7806-4185-0.
• Buhalis, Dimitrios (2003). Etourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. Harlow, England: Financial Times Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-582-35740-2.
• Cantoni, Lorenzo; Xiang, Zheng (2013). Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2013. Berlin – Heidelberg: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-36309-2.
• Egger, Roman (2005). Grundlagen Des Etourism: Informations- Und Kommunikationstechnologien Im Tourismus (in German). Aachen: Shaker. ISBN 978-3-8322-3663-2.
• Egger, Roman; Buhalis, Dimitrios (2008). Etourism Case Studies: Management and Marketing Issues. Amsterdam [etc.]: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506-8667-9.
• Fesenmaier, Daniel R.; Wober, Karl W.; Werthner, H. (2006). Destination Recommendation Systems: Behavioural Foundations and Applications. Wallingford, UK: CABI. ISBN 978-0-85199-023-1.
• Maurer, Ed (2003). Internet for the Retail Travel Industry. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar Learning. ISBN 978-0-7668-4071-3.
• Tesone, Dana V. (2005). Hospitality Information Systems and E-Commerce. New York: John Wiley and Sons Ltd. ISBN 978-0-471-47849-2.
• Werthner, Hannes; Klein, S. (1999). Information Technology and Tourism. A Challenging Relationship. Vienna: Springer. ISBN 978-3-211-83274-5.
• Zhou, Zongqing (2004). E-commerce and Information Technology in Hospitality and Tourism. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning. ISBN 978-0-7668-4140-6.

• International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT)

• Travel technology
• Tourism

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• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from November 2007
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• Articles with unsourced statements from June 2026
• CS1 German-language sources (de)