Evolution of Software-as-a-Service in travel: from “nice-to-have” to “need”

The pandemic has changed the way travelers book holidays, from going into an agency for a personalized service or calling "your agent" to request on-point travel services, to browsing via online platforms for the best available options.

The crisis has also forced the industry to look at adopting technology faster and test tech solutions daily.

In the necessary search for the most suitable tech model for their business, travel professionals encounter countless issues when comparing software solutions.

The first stop is budgeting and large investments, then there's the implementation time and a need to decide to install the software at the office premises vs. using a cloud solution with a subscription model. Many just take a step back and postpone the decision.

What's the solution? To use a license from a tech provider and to install it on your servers? Or maybe try for a platform hosted in the cloud with a tailor-made pack?

Key takeaways in this webinar:

• The struggles of travel companies regarding travel tech: budgeting and investments in IT&C (hardware & IT teams), implementation time and many more
• Typical challenges of travel businesses before and after pandemics & the solutions to them
• The "Uberization" of travel technology: the transformation from product to service
• Why Software as a Service model is the best tech model for travel companies nowadays
• How to transition from a license-based model to a cloud-based solution
• How to make the most of your cloud travel technology
• Connectivity is more important than never – the use of APIs for rich travel inventory and API Hubs, instant rates, HCN – trending hotel confirmation number, deduplication and mapping and other new solutions in the market – rebooking solutions

The webinar was recorded on Thursday, September 9, 2021.

Speakers:

• George Dumitru, CEO and co-founder of WBE.travel
• Kevin May, editor in chief at PhocusWire