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'.
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