FLUTTERWAVE: Helping Local Man Make Waves

Flutterwave is more than a payment technology company, Flutterwave is more like a friend to tech enthusiasts like me. This awesome company has provided a platform where tech newbies like myself could learn and grow and keep growing in this amazing world of opportunities.
start.ng pre-internship is an awesome experience and learning that Flutterwave is a promoter of this platform is not surprising. Every day, we learn new things, every day we meet new people (either virtually or in reality; or funny as it sounds' in virtual reality) and Flutterwave has given me an immense opportunity to learn, network and have fun at the same time.
These few days of learning has opened my eyes to what a great future awaits me, I now look and see beyond the horizon and reach for the stars, all thanks to Flutterwave.
This is not an ordinary blog post. This is an appreciation to Flutterwave and everyone who is taking out time to reach out to those in need of knowledge. Local Man is Now GLOBAL.

The Internet is Changing the Face of the Tourism Industry

The fact that almost all of Travel & Tourism industry purely revolves around technology is no longer news. Offline ticketing businesses and travel agencies are closing at a startling frequency and the reason is that the consumers of this industry rely heavily on tech. ‘Offline’ is not even on the radar as travel counsellors/agents are being replaced by curated content which is available online. The reason being a traveller’s essence is a lot different compared to what it was a few years ago, solo trips and group of friends trips are becoming the norm, as the trends show a steady drop in conventional family trips.  

Desktop bookings were the pillars for travel bookings, which includes but not limited to air tickets and hotels. Today, the trend is shifting towards mobile apps with people gaining confidence gradually. Online travel booking has been around in Nigeria since the mid-2000s, but much like other online services, it was considered fraudulent and not advisable. As mobile phone usage drastically increased, the use of online travel agencies is also on the increase.

Start-ups in Nigeria not good enough to get into the travel market hit a windfall when they didn’t have to go abroad for development. This meant a win-win position for every person in the picture, low-cost skilled work for the companies and an eccentric end result for the users. User interface goes a long way in roping in a customer. Exceedingly great front façade coupled with unified back-end algorithms getting bookings done to scrupulous precision has resulted in hassle-free experiences for all.

There has been a change in approach as travellers don’t want to take guides anymore, or so seems to be the trend. More and more travellers believe in ‘authentic’ experiences rather than the fixed itinerary of the old. Plunging into the local culture while seeing everything there is to see is the top priority now. Now look at it this way; if you haven’t visited a place before, there is no way of knowing ‘authentic’ experiences. This has been resolved by technology. Social media and travel blogging websites are the number one source for researching the places you are about to travel to. Most travellers today are mainly those with high knowledge of technology, and as such, it’s easy for one to conclude there is no way bypassing tech in travel. Jumia travel, Konga travel, hotels.ng, and many other platforms are leading the way people travel and tour in Nigeria.

Social media and the internet plays a major part in all these. The most obvious fact being, the internet is needed for all these technologies to work. Today, apart from TV ads coercing you to take the “buy one get one” offer for hotel rooms when there is absolutely no need, social media content and travel blogs give the most realistic, elusive hints to take that next trip. Brands including hotels, parks, and even airlines use influencers and bloggers for their juicy and enthralling content. No exact number can be stated but I can say that the number of people getting influenced for good travel is to an amazing extent.

The internet was invented to be an augmentative platform. Tech augmented into anything makes lives easier. Augmentation of technology has changed and prompting everyone even those in the least concerned about travel. Where would we be without the internet? You are definitely reading this blog post with the help of the internet.

Visit http://timbu.com/nigeria to see beautiful places and landscapes of the 'Giant of Africa'.