Investment in technology – how to spend it?
Tour operators should focus investment on integrating the technology they already use rather than overhauling it with new products.
This is according to Greg Cawley, chief executive of Traventec, technology consultants and solutions provider.
This may not be the view shared by the many technology suppliers showcasing new products for agents and operators at this week’s Travel Technology Show in London, but according to Mr Cawley, many travel companies focus too heavily on issuing short term solutions rather than considering the long term advantages of integrating their systems better and working with more partners.
Mr Cawley told TravelMole: “Companies don’t want to reinvest in new systems when they have already spent a lot of money on the systems they have got. They need to look at integrating existing systems to optimise their business.
“Integration has been a buzz word in the travel industry in the last two years or so, and in particular dynamic packaging,” he said.
He says consumer buying habits mean operators will increasingly seek to access each others systems to “become more global” and get access to more inventory. “More suppliers are going to contract third party inventory as part of their offering,” he said.
Mr Cawley says his company has helped many tour operators and airlines, including clients such as Amadeus, Holiday Extras and Lufthansa, to integrate back office systems and create seamless integration across distribution channels. He has worked predominantly with German companies to date but is looking to break into the UK market.
He added: “We review companies on a case by case basis and in some cases new applications do need to be brought in or bolted on. We do this by building a bespoke application and we can outsource software and solutions.”
Report by Ginny McGrath
Ginny McGrath
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