Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
s life without
exposure to other people, with automated service
being the norm and with full access to, and
exchange of, information on everything being
possible from one's own home. Even the emer-
gence of the ''tourism outlier,'' that is space
tourism, will be, by de
nition, an activity that is
undertaken largely in isolation. As a consequence,
people will crave the human touch, and tourism
will be a principal means through which they seek
to achieve this.
In brief, while tourism has traditionally been
characterized as a people industry, it is now
coming face to face with the realities of the
massive advances in technology that have
occurred over the past several decades. During
this period, industries that are less dependent on
the human interactions (that characterize the
tourism sector) have adopted labor-saving tech-
nology with a vengeance. As a consequence, these
industries have been able to improve wage levels and enhance career opportunities for employees
while keeping costs under control.
The travel industry has also been one of the most successful in utilizing the Internet to market its
products. Both large and small
firms have enhanced their ability to reach the consumer with their
promotional messages; they have also surpassed other sectors in actually selling their product
electronically.
Technology is having, and will continue to have, a pervasive impact on controlling the movement of
travelers across certain international or interregional borders. Foreign visitors to the United States are
currently required to have either a machine-readable passport or a visa. In addition, the new U.S. visas
are required to contain biometric data in the form of
fingerprints and a digital image of the traveler
increasingly possible to live one
'
Technology will continue to
penetrate all sectors of the
tourism industry in both
operations and attractions.
Shown here is the Rose
Center for Earth and Space
in New York City. This
333,500-square-foot
center uses cutting-edge
technology on a grand
scale to make complex,
abstract concepts of
astronomy and earth
sciences accessible and
comprehensible to the
public.
PhotobyDenisFinnin;
courtesyofAmericanMuseum
ofNaturalHistory.
s
face. Eventually it is envisaged that this kind of data will be required on all passports. Speaking of
''
'
the recent introduction and growing use of full-body airport scanner has introduced
yet another hassle into the travel experience.
While the foregoing re
ects a willingness on the part of governments to invest in technology to
improve the ef
ciency of the travel system, many components of the travel industry have generally
preferred to keep wages low, thus avoiding the need for technological innovation, particularly in the
actual delivery of services. Although technology has been used extensively in a supporting role to keep
wages low (e.g., computerized reservation systems, air control technology, kiosk check-in), there has
been a great reluctance to replace human service providers with technologically driven alternatives
(such as the banks did when replacing human tellers with automatic teller machines). Similarly, aside
from fast-food restaurants, there has been relatively little focused effort to undertake a major
rethinking or redesign of travel-related facilities and support systems so as to substantially reduce
personnel requirements or to enhance the productivity of employees. While some tinkering has
occurred in selected areas and sectors, we have not yet seen many of the bene
ts from technology
that are possible. Until technology is adapted more widely, it will be dif
cult for the travel industry to
make new travel experiences available to a mass audience and to do so at prices that are affordable to
much of the population.
On the other side of the coin—and this is the dilemma—the introduction of technology is viewed as
a job killer. Indeed, a common conclusion is that both skilled and not-so-skilled personnel in the labor
force could be replaced by various forms of technology. While some argue that the increased use of
capital and technology will require highly skilled labor; others argue that technology (particularly
computer technology) may, in fact, increase the demand for a less-skilled labor force.
digital images,
''
Search WWH ::
Custom Search