Wearable electronics will become an important tool for travelers and travel businesses will have another digital channel to master, reveals WTM Global Trends Report 2014, in association with Euromonitor International, released today (Monday 3 November) at World Travel Market.
Technology businesses such as Samsung, Google and Sony already have wearable devices on the market, but Apple’s launch of its iWatch, scheduled for early 2015, will be the catalyst for widespread adoption.
Wearable and internet-connected devices will allow travellers to constantly receive notifications and services during their trip, as well as make bookings.
The report quotes Expedia Inc’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who says “We build the technology so that those same notifications can easily go to a Google Glass or someone’s watch…You have to build your technology with very flexible architecture, so that notifications can be sent to basically any device.” Expedia already has an app for the Samsung Galaxy Gear watch and is working on one for Google Glass, with notifications rather than bookings the current focus.
Elsewhere, Chinese travel site Qunar has built an app for the Samsung Galaxy Gear which does have booking functionalities, in particular for last-minute hotel deals.
Hotel giant Starwood has an app for Google Glass which allows bookings and provides directions to get to the hotel when at the destination. It will also work on an app which will allow an Apple Watch to be used as a room key.
Airlines are also active in this sector, with Iberia, Vueling and Air Berlin promising that their passengers will be able to download boarding passes directly onto their wearable devices.
The WTM Global Trends Report 2014 confirms that wearable electronics technology will be a mainstream consumer product by 2016. Wearable internet-connected devices are expected to rise from 9 million units sold globally in 2013 to a forecast 180 million in 2016.
World Travel Market, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “Already some big travel brands are embracing wearable technology as part of their customer service and distribution mix. But the big change will come when Apple launches its own wearable device next year. Its smartphones and tablets fundamentally changed the travel industry and its watch is likely to have the same impact.”
Euromonitor International, Head of Travel and Tourism, Caroline Bremner added: “Wearable technology will become mainstream across geographies and all sectors of the travel industry need to be prepared. When businesses such as Expedia are already preparing their systems accordingly, the rest of the industry needs to take note.”
– ENDS –
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
More than 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
03WTM, now in its 35th year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM 2013 generated more than £2 billion of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a other portfolio’s of travel industry events including IBTM Events, the world’s leading showcases for the meetings and events industry and International Luxury Travel Market events.
In 2013, RE held more than 500 events in 40 countries bringing together more than six million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Reed Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry, with a wide-ranging portfolio of 21 international events in 14 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.
Its market-leading, business-to-business events cover all elements of travel and tourism, including leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, events, incentives and business travel, as well as golf, ski and spa travel.
RTE is part of Reed Exhibitions.