Travo Summit: Tech development ‘must match pace of customers’

Travo Summit: Tech development ‘must match pace of customers’

Travel companies need to adopt new technologies “at the pace of the customer” to keep up with changing consumer digital behaviours, according to Intrepid managing director of EMEA and The Americas Michael Edwards. Speaking at the 2019 Travolution European Summit in London, Edwards said: “The Generation Z category of travellers is one of our fastest-growing. … Continue reading Travo Summit: Tech development ‘must match pace of customers’

Travel companies need to adopt new technologies “at the pace of the customer” to keep up with changing consumer digital behaviours, according to Intrepid managing director of EMEA and The Americas Michael Edwards.

Speaking at the 2019 Travolution European Summit in London, Edwards said: “The Generation Z category of travellers is one of our fastest-growing. They want value products, they want experiences over things and they want travel companies to have purpose and sustainable practices.


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“They are really driven by purposeful storytelling via social platforms. We’re a tour operator, not a technology business, we look at where our customer base is in terms of technology and where we should invest. It’s still a lot of phone calls and emails but we are seeing a 300-400% increase in the use of live chat.”

He said new technology must be adapted based on what “the customer genuinely wants” and the value it adds for the customer.

“You adopt at the pace of the customer,” he said. “You’ve to get that blend and balance right.”

News Corporation’s director of emerging technology, Elena Corchero highlighted how developments in augmented reality (AR) can affect how consumers travel, highlighting Snapchat Spectacles and Bose Frames which provide visual and audio notifications to the wearer respectively.

Corchero said: “AR glasses are just around the corner and in the future consumers may expect compatibility with this kind of product.

“It’s not about being here and saying me, me, me, it’s about being omnipresent through these devices and technologies so when people need you, you are there.”

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