Interest growing in mobile travel applications

We're not even half way through January, so it's encouraging to see so many people writing about mobile travel technology.

In his predictions for 2009, Tim Hughes of The BOOT, suggests that "2009 will not be the year of mobile in the travel industry". This sparked off a healthy debate in his blog post comments, to which Tim replied, expanding on his initial comments:

1) He feels that the opportunity for mobile isn't around search and booking, it's around "destination/location based services, concierge like advisory services and trip organisation"

2) For mobile to be successful it needs distribution support from the big booking companies

3) He feels travel brands will have too many other things on their plate in 2009 to spend time implementing mobile technology.

My response to Tim's' points:

1) Agree. The main theme of this blog is that mobile is all about creating a meaningful dialogue with the traveller. In the past, it's only tour operators with in-resort reps who've had the privilege of engaging customers whilst they're travelling. Mobile creates the possibility for all travel brands to have an ongoing conversation with their customers.

2) Agree. I've mentioned repeatedly on this blog that travel brands are best placed to offer mobile services because they have the direct relationship with the traveller and they have the booking data. Booking data contains the travellers itinerary ... and the itinerary is key to delivering a meaningful, personalised and contextual mobile dialogue that the traveller will value.

3) Disagree. I think savvy travel brands will look to "launch and learn" mobile services this year. And, if they can find innovative partners to work with to take on the heavy lifting (taking pressure off their own resources), then mobile can deliver incremental revenue by extending the sales window for existing ancillaries and creating new opportunities to tap into impulse spending at the traveller's destination (e.g. by promoting tours and activities).

Tim's article encouraged Norm Rose to pen a full response on his blog - Norm disagrees with Tim's initial assertion and points to the growth in smart phone adoption, particularly with frequent business travellers, as an indicator of the increasing demand for mobile travel applications. Norm also points out that these applications will be location and contextually relevant - again a key theme of this blog - if you know where the traveller is, why they are there, and how long they will be there for, you can deliver highly relevant information to them that enhances their travel experience.

Norm's views are echoed in yesterday's post from Mike McCormick of Hudson Crossing (PDF, 142KB) - his 7th prediction for 2009 is that "mobile will begin to emerge, converge and finally arrive in travel". Mike argues that smart phones (and specifically, the iPhone and Blackberry Storm) will have a "catalytic effect upon the use of mobile travel applications". He states that mobile applications "will make the act of travelling itself easier and more enjoyable".

In our own predictions for 2009, we suggested that 2009 is the "launch and learn" year for mobile in the travel industry. It seems that more and more people get what mobile can offer to travel brands and to travellers. My hope is that by the end of 2009 travel brands will have a clear idea of what they need to do with mobile, so that in 2010 mobile travel applications will enter the mainstream.