For any country, tourism is a major source of income. Popularising various tourist destinations is always among the topmost priorities on any government’s agenda. It is also to be noted that tourists flock to places that provide the best facilities. Though some adventurous tourists may relish austere conditions most people inquire about a place and the facilities before venturing there.
There has been a burst of activities in recent times to make every tourist destination as attractive as possible with the right kind of facilities. The demand for better services in transit, hotels, entertainment, food and other amenities has increased and therefore, the tourism industry has taken refuge in technological processes to upgrade to higher levels.
Digitalisation in Tourism
Digitalisation has caused a major revolution throughout the nations. I would like to cite an example here. A friend of mine had travelled to a remote destination in the state of Odisha and was unlucky to lose his wallet on the way. He, however, could sustain his stay for six days because of the various UPI applications he had on his smartphone. The digital penetration in even the remotest of sites has thus helped numerous people during emergencies and regular periods.
There has also been an increased usage of online bookings of hotels, recreation spots, vehicles etc. allowing secure transfers and saving time. The dependence on local information has been reduced quite a lot through these facilities. Now, tourists can pick and choose places of stay and modes of transport by sitting at their homes themselves. This has not only given them independence but also allowed them to distinctly design their itinerary.
Operators of the tourism sector and local guides have also benefitted immensely due to the visibility they receive through various social media platforms. Low cost and easy to read E-Books have facilitated quick know-how about a place. Smartphones have also added to the advantage.
Bookings, registrations and payments on the go have reduced time, hassles and discontent amongst travellers. The tourism sector has thus now become more accessible, safe and user friendly. The popularity of remote sites has also increased commendably. Even after two years of paralytic impositions due to COVID-19, the tourism industry is steadily on its path of revival leveraging the digital transformation.
IOT and IIOT in Tourism
The Internet of things is a future-ready technology. However, it has already revolutionised various sectors like never before. The management of facilities has become fast, accurate and flexible. The interconnection of various controls through cloud computing has made the operation and maintenance of facilities more data-driven and easier to handle. From the malfunction of an apparatus to energy saving, everything can be monitored smoothly and precisely. The demand for facilities can be mapped timely to provide the best services to clients with ease. Travelling and connected facilities can be tracked and connected seamlessly, involving less process time. Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things have woven all probable requirements together to bring forth holistic solutions. On booking of flights or other modes of transport for a destination, we get suggestions for facilities to stay at and places to visit in the same mode.
The Industrial Internet of things has improved the quality of experiences in even the most remote locations. Properly filtered drinking water, a clean and dust-free environment etc. have been brought about by cloud controlled systems. Electricity and temperature control of rooms are other aspects that have enhanced the comfort levels. The production of various local products is it food products or garments has also been under strong surveillance of IIOT and has adjusted production as per the peak and lean periods.
The security system for tourists has also increased due to close monitoring by the cloud-connected devices and chances of mishaps have been reduced. The language barriers have also been broken due to the availability of QR and barcodes. Proper assessment of demand and supply can also be retrieved from perfect data analysis done by the various connection modes and thus immediate improvements can be resorted to.
Owing to the enhancement of various facilities, even business meets are slowly shifting to tourist destinations to take advantage of digital services. Cottage industries have also received the necessary boost and a general improvement in lifestyle has resulted from it.
The government agencies are putting all their efforts to implement various propositions of cleanliness, connectivity and availability of resources to woo more tourists.
The Future of Tourism
Metaverse is going to happen very soon. The innovation team of various technology giants are working on a more futuristic technology that will enable people to have virtual tours of places for travel and select hotel rooms after experiencing them from remote locations. Metaverse would allow people to experience their travel in better ways. This technology will further enhance the credibility of the tourism industry and increase the footfall to various locations tremendously.
With improved research and implementation facilities opportunities in this sector looks bright. With digitalisation and IIOT doing their bits, the tourism industry is poised to gain a big step in the post COVID era.
By Satadal Lahiri
Satadal is an engineer by profession and author by passion. He has written 17 books till date in various genres Satadal cares about environment and sustainability.
