Winning In The Tech Era | 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Time and money These are two of the most precious commodities that people always seem to desire more of, both in their professions and in their personal lives The travel industry is no different Travelers want to make the most of their time as they explore new destinations and cultures around the world, or they delve deeper into places they have visited previously They want to maximize their vacation dollars and/or business travel budgets as their economic exchange for experiences that are meaningful and productive, resulting in transformative moments and lasting memories And it is the responsibility of trusted travel advisors to help them realize their goals A key solution to these objectives in today’s world is technology Overall, technology is designed to make peoples’ lives easier It accomplishes this by expanding access to information and resources on a 24-hour timeline in all time zones around the world; personalizing interactions to meet the exact needs and wants of consumers; and automating processes that no longer need to be done manually, freeing up time for more purposeful pursuits For travel advisors, technology empowers them to work smarter and faster, providing a quicker response and a higher level of service to their clients than ever before … all translating, again, into more time and money However, the understanding and use of technology can be intimidating The newness of innovative technologies can shake up the tried-and-true processes that travel advisors have become accustomed to And yet, if they do not engage in and utilize the latest technological advances, they will ultimately be left behind In the following pages, we will examine end-to-end travel technologies used for customer intake, marketing, bookings, follow-up, and re-engagement We will discuss topics including CRMs, research and booking tools, mobile apps, blockchain and contactless payments; and the latest in virtual reality, augmented reality, and the highly controversial Chat GPT This white paper is a primer to help travel advisors understand and realize the power of technology in their businesses, and how to use it to strengthen their relationships with clients After all, technology is meant to augment human behavior, not replace it