Time for Asia to lead the global travel technology revolution

I’ve been covering Asia’s travel and tourism industry for more years than I care to remember and I can honestly say this is currently the most intense time of change.

It seems all the forces are converging and, in some way, uniting a very diverse part of the world through technology and globalization, and yet splintering them into distinct, disparate pieces that make up a puzzle both intriguing and exciting for smart companies to solve.

Technology adoption by customers is happening at an accelerated pace – you don’t need statistics to tell you that people in Asia are adopting smartphones and tablets faster than their counterparts in Europe and the US.

Let’s not talk only about urban Asia, where most of the world’s mega-cities are located – huge populations constantly on-the-go and online – but it’s rural Asia that could have the most impact on how travel will change in the region.

Here are huge communities that have suddenly had the world open up to them, their appetite for discovery whetted by the images and messages from outside, now in the palm of their hand.

What”s happening?

Kathleen Tan, group commercial head for AirAsia, was telling me the other day that she got a message on her Weibo account from someone who thanked her:

    “Because of you, I can now see my family after 44 years.”

An airline like AirAsia is flying new routes traditional carriers can’t or don’t wish to operate and, in the process, enabling people from remote Asia to connect with each other in profound and meaningful ways.

And while some in the West might lament at the slow speed of regulatory change in China, the recent partial deregulation of GDS structure which allows airlines from outside the country to sell their tickets through foreign GDSs from October 1 is a big step in the history of its evolution of tourism.

Sourced: tnooz