Why iBeacons are becoming a Necessity for the Travel Industry
- Mobile
- September 22, 2017
The word iBeacon or Beacons can be used simultaneously and ever since Apple launched them about four years ago, in 2013, they have been evidently successful in creating a huge buzz worldwide.
These highly advanced devices that operates on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, transmitting data over short distances. The devices broadcast their identifier as they enter into the close proximity zone of the iBeacon.
The iBeacon is catering to a number of varied industries that include the retail business, education sector, museum and lastly the travel and tourism industry.
We have already witnessed a significant transformation in the retail sector and so now let’s focus and observe how the iBeacon has largely influenced the travel business.
But before that let’s have a look at some important stats and also know why beacons are proving to be a boon for travel business.
According to a statistics, over 70% of world population are using mobile phones today and these gadgets prove to be more than handy while traveling.
Now how is iBeacon helpful? Suppose you are navigating down a new road and want to visit a particular store or you are exploring a new country that you haven’t toured earlier.
The iBeacon will make your navigation much easier. The travel and hospitality industry is peaking towards new challenges and in such a scenario it will be of great help if they are able to gather personal data of the customers.
For instance, the hotel or the restaurant owners can collect and use the data to get more people and make up for their lost revenue. Simply, they can sent the customers best offers and discounts through alerts.
Can iBeacon Rendered as Future of Travel Industry
Well, although it is still in its early days, but the iBeacon is receiving a good positive response from the users.
It is such like the GPS technology, but the difference is that they can be attached to movable objects. It can be used at various touch points. We can discuss it in short below:
1. Boon for the Air Travelers
There is no doubt that iBeacon is offering the best platform to the air travelers helping in their seamless transition within the airport terminal.
The navigation for the airline passengers become much simpler as they are able to receive all vital information right on their mobile devices.
This would include everything right from the time when you check-in at the airport, go through security checkup and collect the luggage at the time of departure and arrival.
A survey regarding the changing trends of aviation industry shows that 44% of the airlines will be using the iBeacon technology by the next year i.e. 2018. It has been estimated that this will invariably bring an important change and help to improve their services.
In addition to this, the iBeacon is useful for promoting aviation industry, gate updates and booking cabs. This will also very smartly gather the information and data of the passengers on the basis of their proximity.
One can cite the example of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai which released a mobile app having features of beacon to help the passengers better.
2. Boosting the Hotel and Hospitality Industry
The iBeacon is truly proving to be a great asset and valuable marketing tool for the hotel and hospitality industry.
It has been found that beacons are assisting in offering uncompromised guest services to the ones staying in hotel with minimal effort.
What’s more interesting to note is that it also saves money as you don’t have to employ separate staff for that purpose.
We are already aware that mobile apps are one of the most necessary ingredients to boost your hotel business, but initiating the iBeacon technology will certainly be icing on the cake.
The iBeacon is that priceless asset that will help you in every accord right from the time when a guest checks in at your hotel till the time he checks out. You can also send them notifications on their mobile devices guiding them the route to your hotel.
Besides that, they will be pleased to receive messages containing special offers and coupons on the tariff rates on the rooms and food. You can know their preferences and in this way maintain a strong relationship with your guests.
3. Promotion of the Supplementary Sales
Supplementary sales can also be referred to as the ancillary sales and as such they are an important source of revenue for the aviation companies. The iBeacon is also promoting the ancillary sales and so they are maximizing its benefits.
This heightens the experience of the customers. They can get essential information on the status of their flight as they come into close proximity of the terminal.
It also promotes day pass to getting info on the lounge area and also know more about long haul planes.
4. Helps Travelers to explore the destination
The role of iBeacon specifically in flourishing the travel and tourism industry is just not restricted to only offering services at the airports and the hotels, but it also assists in travel discovery.
The iBeacon can offer valuable information on a particular city exhibiting it as a tourist spot.
For instance, if a tourist is visiting a particular city, he will get to know all about its past history, the places of sightseeing, major conveyances of transport, restaurants, shopping malls, amusement parks and so on.
It also tells the travel about the weather forecast. Therefore, it is no less a guide for the travelers who have visited a new destination for exploration.
Read also: Advantages of Having Mobile Apps for Your Travel and Tourism Business
5. The Benefit of Personalized Offers
Travel and tour agents always are in lookout for boosting the business profitability. And one of the best ways to achieve that end is to provide personalized offers to the targeted audiences via iBeacon.
The travel agents get historical and current data of the customers; utilizing which, they can send custom notifications and messages.
Finally the Future of iBeacon in Travel Industry
To conclude the above discussion, we can derive at a conclusion that iBeacon has a bright future in the travel industry and has the potential to revolutionize it.
Firstly, it has augmented the experiences of the tourists to a far greater extent. It has been offering personalized solutions and significantly changed the way tourists and other people explore new destinations.
