Ticketing technology updates, innovations critical for major attractions

Large attractions such as theme parks, amusement parks, zoos and museums need to update and invest in their ticketing technology in order to meet consumer expectations and to adapt to new distribution opportunities.

That is one of the conclusions from a report from Arival, which conducts research on the tours, activities and attractions sector of travel.

In “Ticketing Tech: The State of - and Outlook for - Attractions Technology and Distribution,” Arival’s analysts note that large ticketed attractions capture the bulk of travelers’ in-destination time and spending, yet most of the attention and investment activity has focused on the smaller, independent suppliers and the vendors that serve them.

Meanwhile, the growing demand from consumers for seamless digital experiences is putting pressure on these large attractions to update their ticketing systems to enable mobile access, real-time inventory data, third-party integrations and more.

The report states: “In some respects, the ticketing technology sector today is comparable to hotel-industry technology of 10 or even 15 years ago. However, a shift is underway. The attractions industry is inching toward cloud-based systems and connectivity for distribution and other third-party systems. New entrants are stepping into the sector, and consolidation and investment among established players are bringing much-needed change.”

Based on interviews conducted with more than one dozen companies, Arival identified six themes framing the future of ticketing technology for major attractions:

• Most of these attractions use on-premise technology that has been highly customized to meet its unique needs, making change difficult and limiting the attractions’ ability to take advantage of emerging options to improve operational performance and customer experience.
• Attractions are reluctant to embrace new ticketing systems due to concerns about reliability of the technology, predictability of costs and complexity of making a change.
• The industry is very fragmented - with wide variations in visitor volume, ticketing types, on-site services, etc. - inhibiting the creation of standardized technology solutions.
• Consumers have grown accustomed to digitally enabled experiences in other aspects of their lives and the same when they book and visit major attractions. Therefore, attractions technology needs to address things such as inventory, pricing, bundling, booking, distribution, redemption and on-site experiences.
• Distribution is evolving with the advent of new connectivity APIs, but a lack of urgency and standardization are slowing API adoption.
• Many attractions still don’t consider technology and innovation as part of their core strategy. 
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