Smart City Tourism: The Future Of Tourism?
Smart technologies have swept the nation in the last few years, and over 69 million US homes have adopted them. These smart technologies don’t just improve accessibility at home, either.
Could smart technology provide more safety and accessibility in the travel industry? Many people feel stress and anxiety when planning a trip, but new developments could alleviate those fears.
Keep reading as we explore how cities use smart technologies to simplify and create smoother tourism for the average traveler.
What Is Smart Technology?
Smart technologies are devices that use cloud-based features. For instance, if you had a smart TV, you could access the internet, use voice commands, and download your favorite apps to increase their functions.
Implementing smart technologies expands the function of everyday household devices, connecting them to the internet. You can control them from your phone and use your voice or manage the data anywhere.
Since cloud-based devices have only been explored in recent years for commercial and domestic use, we are yet to see the full potential of what this tech can do.
Top Uses Of Smart Technology To Enhance Tourism Experiences
Many cities are finding clever ways to adopt smart technology, providing more information and ease for travelers. Here are some examples of smart technology in the tourism industry.
Smart Travel Guides
When you travel to a new city, you want to explore all its landmarks and historical sites while checking out popular eating spots for the best local cuisine. But knowing where to go can require hours of research, mapping, and itinerary planning.
Smart travel guides do all the legwork for the traveler, providing a list of the city's most popular tourist destinations. All the traveler needs to do is browse the options and select which appeal to them and align with their travel budget.
From there, the travel guide will help plan an itinerary based on location and travel distance. All the traveler needs to do is make the reservations and follow the itinerary.
A holiday should be a stress-free experience, but the holiday ‘planner’ often does mental gymnastics to get where they need to be. When the directions, itinerary, and options are provided, they can enjoy a stress-free holiday without missing any must-see tourist spots!
Smart Tickets
Many airports, train stations, and bus stations now use smart tickets, allowing you to plan your trip and book your tickets in advance. It can be difficult to navigate public transport in a foreign place, especially when you don’t speak the language.
With smart tickets, you can know your flight number or platform in advance, allowing you to get where you need to be without deciphering signage in a foreign language. All you need to do is keep your device charged!
Opting for smart tickets also protects you from losing your tickets, which could be disastrous if you don’t have a safe place to reroute your travel plans.
Your travel companions can store the tickets on their devices, too, protecting you if your device is lost. If you lose your device, you can simply log into your account on a new one and redownload the tickets to salvage your plans.
Smart Hotel Security
Smart hotel security is a revelation for city travelers. Many travelers worry about their personal effects being stolen from their hotel rooms during their stay and feel the need to store their items in a safe.
Traditional locks can be picked, and your keycard could get stolen. However, smart hotel security gives guests complete peace of mind regarding their security.
Smart hotel access control allows guests to use a digital keycard to enter their rooms and the hotel lobby during closing hours.
When you check-in, you download access credentials to your mobile device to enter your room and use hotel facilities. When you check out, these credentials are removed from your device automatically.
This technology saves both hotels and guests the cost of keycard and fob replacement and allows guests to check in 24/7. Once you have completed the check-in registration form, you can use your digital keycard, and the hotel staff will receive a notification to let them know you have arrived. Should you need to check in after hours, the staff won’t need to wait for you - benefiting both parties.
In addition to offering smart access control, many hotels are now offering cloud-based surveillance with automated AI threat detection. The technology uses behavior and object recognition to detect threats to your safety, sending an immediate alert to the hotel security team. With this installed, you can rest easy knowing you and your hotel room are beyond the reach of an intruder.
Summary
The future of tourism is bright for those who have anxieties about traveling. Planning your trip, organizing your tickets, and hotel security are getting simpler for cities. With the rise of smart tourism, we may see more people feeling confident about planning trips and traveling alone. Cloud-based and smart tools aren’t just for domestic and commercial environments but can also facilitate fun and enriching experiences for all.
