Digital natives and the transformation of tourism

11-10-22

Lately we have been hearing a lot about "digital natives" referring to people who were born in the digital age (from 1995 onwards), i.e. technologies have always been part of their everyday life, and they have not had to familiarise themselves with digital systems as adults.

These young people have the innate ability of the digital environment, language and constant connection to the world. By the year 2021, 93.9% of the Spanish population between 16 and 74 years of age will be Internet users according to INE data, many of them being directly "digital natives", which has meant a paradigm shift in sectors such as tourism over the last decade.

The current trend due to social networks and technology is the hyper-personalisation of absolutely everything. This is just what is happening in tourism, which is focusing on the unique characteristics of each person. The tourism market has been forced to adapt because needs are becoming more diverse and specific.

At the round table that was organised at the Vasco Electronics event on Thursday 29 September, attended by spokespersons from companies such as Booking, Civitatis, Iberostar and Touryme, the two most important aspects that technology brings to tourism were discussed, namely personalisation and security.

The latter plays a very important role, as it is now possible to solve all the unknowns of a trip from home: checking reviews to find the best hotel, the restaurants with the best value for money, the most interesting places in the area, even those that may not be so well known, and of course creating a budget adapted to each pocket.

Knowing all the information about the destination gives a comforting sense of security, and if the language of the country you are travelling to is a problem for the tourist, there are also devices such as the Vasco Translator V4 from Vasco Electronics that can solve any kind of language barrier as it allows communication with 90% of the world's population by translating audios, photos and texts in up to 108 different languages.

In addition, tourists are increasingly looking for ease and comfort when travelling to any type of destination. In fact, a study by Booking.com states that 60% of travellers plan their trip via a mobile device. There is nothing more convenient than preparing a new trip from the metro, the bus or the sofa at home, checking and comparing alternatives to create the perfect trip from your own smartphone.

Currently, the majority of spending in the tourism sector falls on past generations who have been adapting to the latest technological changes, but the future of the digital generation awaits a radical change in the consumption of tourism that will completely transform it.