How KLM is Advancing Digitalization in the Tourism Industry

In 2020, the ongoing digitalization of the tourism industry will continue. It will have a significant impact on the travel behavior of guests, as well as on the offerings of the various players in the industry. KLM is a pioneer in social media communication, with more than 27 million followers on various channels. A team of 250 people is dedicated to serving customers on social networks around the clock and in nine languages, and has built a strong reputation for creative campaigns and innovative services. As an expert in the field, the Dutch airline has defined nine technological travel trends that will influence different stages of the customer journey.

Travel inspiration

Travelers will increasingly use social networks, especially Instagram, as a source of inspiration in the first phase of the customer journey. According to a study conducted for KLM, the travel experiences of friends and family members are considered particularly important. The importance of influencers and celebrities is declining when it comes to choosing a destination.

In addition to brainstorming, Instagram is seen as an important criterion when putting together a trip, especially for Generation Z and Millennials. After all, this should include exceptional places to create visuals in order to generate as many likes as possible with social media posts.

Information and Research

In the future, voice assistants will increasingly be used to provide information about the ideal travel destination and to search for airline tickets. Airlines such as KLM and other travel service providers are incorporating speech technology into their service offerings to improve the user experience and streamline the booking process.

Planning and Booking

As travelers become more environmentally conscious, they will increasingly combine air and rail travel. Airlines can capitalize on this trend by integrating rail connections into their booking pages.What's more, travelers are willing to pay for the resulting emissions and offset them. After all, sustainability is still a buzzword in 2020. In the future, transportation providers will increasingly integrate the option of offsetting environmental impacts into the booking process.

Travel Experience

Three technological innovations will make the airport experience more pleasant in 2020. First, waiting times will be reduced as passengers will no longer have to identify themselves with a passport, but will be granted access to the security checkpoint using facial recognition. In addition, the use of artificial intelligence will lead to the optimization of air traffic, as the best possible distribution of crew and aircraft can be recalculated in real time in the event of unforeseen events. Comfort and innovative services at airports will increase to make the stay more enjoyable with numerous amenities.A final trend predicted by KLM relates to the overall travel experience and presents a dilemma: On the one hand, travelers want to leave their cell phones at home, or at least use them as little as possible while on vacation; at the same time, many consider them indispensable while traveling.