Travel agents and operators are coming under increasing pressure to improve their mobile offering, as more than half of UK holidaymakers are frustrated by the lack of mobile innovation when travelling abroad, according to new research.
Leading mobile technology group, Apadmi, found that 54% of travellers think the travel sector needs to offer customers more ways to utilise their mobile devices while on holiday.
The survey of 1,000 people, who have taken a holiday in the last 12 months, revealed that half of consumers want to see more mobile check-ins in airports, but also when checking-in to hotels and when hiring transport, to avoid queues and delays.
37% want to deal with fewer paper travel documents for transport, accommodation and visitor attractions. Travellers are requesting one digital hub that they can access on a mobile device, which contains all the travel information needed when going on holiday.
And when holidaymakers arrive at their destination, 38% would like better tools to help them with language translations, and a quarter would like to be able to use mobile payments more.
Nick Black, CEO of Apadmi, said: “Numerous sectors have recognised the value of incorporating mobile into their services. Yet, the mass travel sector has not developed its mobile capabilities at the same speed as some other industries. This is a frustration shared by many travellers looking to use their smartphones as an aid on their holidays.
“Much of the technology desired by holidaymakers to improve the service they receive is already available – digital document hubs that can be accessed offline, augmented reality tools to enhance interaction with local surroundings and advanced check-in facilities that reach beyond the airport front desk.
“Whilst these services are available now, they’re almost always siloed into standalone tools. Our research has shown this is frustrating holidaymakers and they’re now asking for centralised tools that allow them to do all of these things from one place on their mobile device.”
