Select two recent or current developments in the travel and tourism industry and explain how these developments have affected career opportunities and job roles within the industry
Task 4D
Select two recent or current developments in the travel and tourism industry and explain how these developments have affected career opportunities and job roles within the industry
In this first part of the question, I will talk about how technology has affected careers and job roles within the travel & tourism industry.
Technology has been the biggest development on the travel & tourism industry within the last ten years. It has allowed many companies to offer improved service to customers and help with the start up of many other businesses. Computers have been used for many years especially within the airline industry for tasks such as check in and ATC (Air Traffic Control), but now computers are being used in travel agents and tour operators. This could have affect on jobs, as computerisation will lead to less paper work. Computers are also used to access the Internet and customers are seeing the benefits of using this method of booking. Online booking also cuts out paying the travel agent commission; prices are also generally lower on the Internet. A new type of travel agent is appearing on the Internet, which specialises in e-commerce (electronic business) and example of this type of organisation is Expedia. Organisations such as this can be used to book all the principles of a holiday in one place. This also affects jobs, as only two or three people will need to be employed to ensure the systems work properly. This could affect many travel agents; some have already closed, as they cannot compete with the competition that is being given from online organisations. Some companies may choose to integrate, but this can also lead to a loss in jobs, as the amount of staff required maybe lower.