2024 was a banner year for the travel industry where 9.5 billion passengers traveled internationally, finally surpassing 2019 pre-covid levels. Both business and leisure travel categories have rosy outlooks in spite of global economic uncertainty and one constant is the increasing demand for technology and applications that offer real benefits and conveniences to travel consumers and businesses. Mobile devices themselves have become the essential go to travel accessory as smartphone functionality continues to evolve, providing even more capabilities while on the road. As travel consumers demand more from their devices, they are also building preferences for digital ways of doing business, creating new opportunities for travel payment technology and accessibility. Travel Technology Solutions has 2 new projects in development that offer significant benefits to both travelers and travel businesses.

Increasing Demand for Medical and Wellness Travel

Driven potentially by inflationary pressures and reduced healthcare capacity in the post-covid world, medical tourism is set to top $111 billion (USD) market valuation by 2029, more than doubling 2024’s total of $47 billion (USD). As new participants enter the market, the complexities of planning a medical trip abroad can be daunting but maximizing smartphone capabilities can alleviate some of the stresses involved with planning and fulfilling a successful medical trip. medTOUR+assist is a mobile app that maximizes smartphone functionality and give users the ability to:

Plan a medical or wellness trip in detail
Organize appointments and reminders
Get local turn by turn navigation to healthcare facilities
Access local healthcare resources and regulations
Store important documents digitally
Track pre and post trip needs

Keeping medical and wellness trips organized and on schedule can bring users peace of mind in what would normally be a stressful undertaking. medTOUR+assist is currently in development for Android and iOS platforms and mobile evaluations can be viewed online at the medTOUR+assist microsite.

New Ways to Pay for Travel and Services

Outside of AI, the other big technology trend in digital currencies, or cryptocurrencies. As BITCOIN approaches another key milestone after surging through the $100,000 mark, adoption of digital currencies becomes more mainstream as individuals embrace the idea of decentralized assets. TripleA estimates that there are over 560 million cryptocurrency holders globally. The travel business is a global business and accepting a globally valued asset could yield extended financial and marketing benefits to the brand. TripREMIT enables small and medium sized travel providers an efficient and integrated method to accept digital currencies such as BITCOIN and ETHER, the currency based on ETHEREUM. Enabling cryptocurrency payments for travel products and services could open up additional markets for the business as preferences continue to shift towards global assets and digital currencies. TripREMIT is designed to be a lightweight module that works with existing online and mobile platforms and matches branding schema for a seamless integration. Please visit the TripREMIT microsite for more details.

Mobile Device Adoption Surges Ahead

The accessibility of wireless technology provided another seismic change in the way people travel. Staying connected is now more of a preference for leisure travelers and an absolute must for those on business journeys. Smartphones have become a key travel tool as consumers use their devices not only on trips, but for travel research and purchasing related activities. Statistics from Navan suggest that 37% of all travel sales were completed on a mobile device with that number expected to reach 44% by 2029. A third of travelers use an airline’s in-house mobile app to manage bookings and obtain flight information while 28% turn to third party apps to get relevant flight information. With over 7 billion smartphones activated on the planet, mobile use in travel will become more commonplace as users turn to their devices in more instances before, during and after the trip.

Delivering New Benefits to Travelers and Travel Businesses

The travel industry has always been an early adopter of new technologies and travel consumers follow a similar path. The mass adoption of mobile devices has changed the way people travel and increasing capabilities of smartphones has similarly increased expectations from device users. Purpose driven mobile applications, such as medTOUR+assist, can bring conveniences, benefits and peace of mind to niche travel categories. The increasing digitization of society parallels the increasing popularity of digital currencies and their use as a global legal tender. Small and medium sized travel providers can now easily accept alt coins, such as BITCOIN or ETHER with a simple, vertically integrated module, such as TripREMIT, accessing a potentially broader consumer base. For more information on TTS projects and other technologies, please visit the Media Center for the latest information.