Mobile Technology: The most essential travel tool

“Mobile services are no longer the sole purview of high-income

earners”(9)

Mobile technology plays a role in planning, booking, organizing and customizing

travel.

“Mobile vacation bookings increased by 20% in the first half of 2014”(5)

“Smartphones are like Personal Assistants.” Connected to the Internet

of Things the smartphone’s possibilities are endless.(5,7)

The Internet of Things is

made plausible by

low-cost sensors and new wireless

technologies.(1)

According to Raymone Kollau “Technology is a pretty low-cost way to improve service”(11)

iBeacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to transmit signals between the user’s smartphone and the desired object. (12)

Taxi! The UBER app uses iBeacon technology to locate the closest

ride.(11)

In the airport, iBeacon push notifications assist

passengers to locate their departure gate, and track

their luggage.(8)

Accommodation providers are also finding new ways to use technology to

engage with their guests.(13)

“More than 65% of people who book a hotel room within 24hrs of their

stay do so from a mobile device.”(2)

Carnival Cruise Line’s “HUB” app provides guest with services onboard and ashore.(5)

Radio Frequency Identification

Devices (RFID’s) are proving beneficial for

the travel and tourism industry.(6)

The RFID market is projected to increase from $8.81B in 2014 to

$27.31B in 2024.(6)

Wearable RFID’s provide users with a more intimate relationship with the venue.(10)

Welcome Mr. Smith

“RFIDs in the form of tickets used for transit will demand 700 million tags in 2014.”(6)

People use mobile technology to connect

with family & friends while traveling.

Social media outlets provide travelers with transient ways of allowing their friends and family to “socially snack” on their journey.(3)

Snapchat provides a less passive,more active

personal approach, that demands the attention

of the receiver. (3)

It’s important to take a break from technology to relax, unwind, and enjoy the vacation.(14)

Works Cited

1. Arlen, Gary. The Internet of things: looking ahead to an interconnected world. Multichannel News. 24 Feb 2014. 2. Biggars, Ashley. What are the best last-minute hotel booking apps? Outside. 1 August 2014.3. Boyd, Danah. Why Snapchat is Valuable: It's All About Attention. LinkedIn. 21 March 2014.4. Clarkmarch, Nicola. Airlines Use Digital Technology to Get Even More Personal. The New York Times. 17 March

2014.5. Corbat, Alison. Travel Marketers Put Personalization Back on the Map in 2015. Verve. Feb 2015. 6. Das, Raghu, Peter Harrop. RFID Forecasts, Players and Opportunities 2014-2024. IDTechEx. July 2014. 7. Islam, Nayeem, Roy Want. Smartphones: Past, Present, and Future. Pervasive Computing. 89-92, 2014. 8. Kohne Markus, Jurgen Sieck. Location-based Services w/ IBeacon Technology. 2014 2nd International

Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Modelling and Simulation. 315-321. 18-19 November 20149. MacKay Kelly, Christine Vogt. Information technology in everyday and vacation contexts. Annals of Tourism

Research. 39(3) 1380-1401, July 2012.10. Madden, Sean. Tech That Tracks Your Every Move Can Be Convenient, Not Creepy. WIRED. 10 Mar 2014.11. McFarland, Matt. The rise of iBeacons, and fall of friction. The Washington Post. 12 February 2014 12. Newman, Nic. Apple iBeacon technology briefing. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice. 3, 222-

225. January2014.13. Sommerville, Liz. Tech Savy. Home Design Exposition and Conference. Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las

Vegas. May 13-15, 2015. 14. Turkle, Sherry. The Flight From Conversation. The New York Times. 22 April 2012.

Photo Credits: Heather L. MacArthur