A few days ago, Vasco Electronics, the company specializing in electronic translation devices for tourists, presented the TurismoShock event. A round table was held there with important players in the tourism sector in Spain, where they discussed the value that technology has brought to the tourism sectorhow it can continue to help its evolution, what factors or people have promoted all these changes and what the future holds.
The event, moderated by the journalist and television presenter Juanma Romero, It was attended by Laura Méndez, Marketing Manager for Southern Europe at Vasco Electronics, Fernando Santoja Regional Director for Southern Europe at Vasco Electronics, Pilar Crespo, Regional Manager for Booking.com Spain, Alberto Gutiérrez, CEO and founder of Civitatis, José Altadill, CEO and founder of Touryme and Carlos González, Commercial Director of Iberostar City Hotels.
In addition, he also attended Miguel CarrascoTechnical Director of the Universal Accessibility, Tourism and Inclusive Culture Area of Predif, the representation platform that carries out programs in favor of more than 100,000 people with physical and organic disabilities throughout the territory.
The participants of the round table have agreed on two fundamental points that technology brings to tourism, and that are the main engines of all the changes when traveling that have been experienced in recent years: security and customization.
Technology has eliminated many fears that tourists had when traveling, such as getting lost, not knowing how to communicate with the local population, not trusting the prices of the restaurants they went to, or not being clear about what the destination accommodation would be like . All these insecurities can be easily eradicated with devices such as the Basque Translator V4 and mobile apps such as Touryme that help the user to communicate in another language, to be able to consult the opinion of other consumers, or to organize each appendix of their trip. In this way, traveling becomes safer for the tourist, and all the stress that a trip can cause is eliminated.
Another aspect that the speakers considered to be of special relevance is the personalization of the trip. The tourist of the past used to go on an organized trip, and did not have a great participation in the decision making, however, with the appearance of platforms and metasearch engines for travel, transport, plans and accommodation such as Booking or Civitatis, the user has total freedom to decide the best alternative for their trip taking into account their tastes and preferences, and of course their budget, making traveling more accessible and customizable.
During the round table, the participants commented on the importance of digital natives, who are the drivers of digitization in tourism. Currently, the main tourism spending is still focused on previous generations, but digital natives have emerged strongly and, at the time they are the main focus of tourism spending, the tourism consumption will be completely transformed, more than has already changed during the last few years. According to data from Booking.com, this year 60% of travel reservations have already been made online, and virtual tourism is already an option that up to 30% of consumers are considering.
Technology and accessibility
Accessibility for disabled people in tourist destinations has also benefited from technology. Accessibility information is more affordable and has been evolving intensely in recent years thanks to platforms such as Tur4all, which facilitate travel for people with disabilities. For this, it is essential to have the collaboration of companies that want to provide all the necessary information to this type of tourist. Technological devices such as those from Vasco Electronics also greatly improve the travel experience of tourists with disabilities, facilitating communication in the event of any speech difficulties.
In the event, Laura Navarrete, from Madrid Destino, has highlighted that Madrid as a tourist city always goes hand in hand with the most advanced technology companies to facilitate the stay and comfort of tourists from all corners of the world.
behind the round table Tomasz Stomsky, Director of the Department of Product Development at Vasco Electronics has made a brief sample of the company’s latest technological advances, showing its most recent device, the Vasco Translator V4, a device that allows communication with up to 90% of the world’s population thanks to its support in 108 languages.
