Cities up and down the UK stand to benefit from increased tourism through digital initiatives according to a report.
The WTM Trends Report 2015, carried out in association with Euromonitor International, predicts that more cities will experiment with smart technology and the Internet of Things to highlight what they have to offer and improve the visitor experience.
The report points to Bristol which has installed more than 200 beacons around the city which provide data to visitors, via their smartphones, relevant to where they are.
The city is part of the UK Smart City initiative which aims to make cities more efficient for residents and visitors through Internet of Things projects.
Another project is driverless cars in Milton Keynes, a trial of self-driving pods in pedestrian areas which visitors can access via mobile app.
According to Euromonitor head of travel Caroline Bremner cities can differentiate themselves through these digital initiatives which "help visitors make the most of their stay."
“For tourists the IoT could bring real-time information on traffic and public transport, platforms to gather and distribute information about cities as well as efficient allocation of resources to boost sustainability.”
Meanwhile, a further initiative, run by VisitEngland, aims to bring real-time information to visitors using #RealTimeTravelGuide on Twitter. Businesses involved in tourism and tourism information centres share announcements, offers and other updates using the hashtag.
It is believed the technologies will attract more visitors outside London - with only 9% of the 17 million who visited London in 2014 going further North.
Smart technology is highlighted as a general trend in the report for how it is transforming the industry.
Location-based services such as TripAdvisor's Apple Watch application send notifications at lunchtime highlighting the highest rated restaurant nearby.
The report also says Google Now wants use past behaviour to offer consumers information before they ask and use geo-localisation to ensure they are relevant.
Interestingly, Massimo Morin, Google's head of business development for travel flagged some mobile stats during a session at the WTM Innovation Summit run in association with TTI.
He said there was a 20% increase in mobile share of online sessions and an 18% decrease in time spent.
Morin went on to talk about 'moments' - instances that matter such as"I dream to go, I need to know and I want to book."
All of these have been collected together in recent years to form Google's Knowledge Graph so that when consumers search for something, the search giant knows what other things are related.
Meanwhile, Euromonitor figures show mobile travel sales hit $96 billion in 2014,12.5% of global online travel sales. Annual growth of more than 20% is predicted in the next five years.
Other notable trends highlighted in this year's report include further growth in the sharing economy in China.
The report says the segment had a shaky start but trust in the concept is increasing as more startups come to the fore.
Smartphone penetration, particularly among Millennials, is also boosting growth in the sharing economy sector.
The report points to HomeAway's investment in Tujia in China as evidence of the now growing segment while the recent merger of Didi and Kuaidi.
International brands such as Uber and Airbnb have been slower to gain ground although they are beginning to gain momentum now.
Euromonitor's Bremner says:
“Smartphone penetration is driving the adoption of on-demand services from sharing brands in China, thanks to younger, tech-savvy consumers.
“Hong Kong has seen more unusual sharing options, such as rent-a-suitcase and hi-tech camera hire, which could transfer to mainland China."
Full report available here.
NB: Internet of Things image via Shutterstock.