The much awaited Union Budget 2018 has been announced. Development across transport services is the common thread that binds them all, be it rail, air or road infrastructure plans. The story was all about upgradation and upscaling the current systems and services. This indeed is a welcome move only if delivered and implemented within a respectable time-frame for the citizens to benefit.
Another interesting announcement was that of heritage development and upgradation, which was long overdue. This move should give an impetus to inbound tourism, which as per inbound operators, has taken a hit. Domestic tourism, which is truly India tourism, will certainly benefit from such development initiatives. The industry is happy that the Budget has laid great emphasis on infrastructure development to boost tourism.
In our February 2018 cover story, we list out 10 of the unique and popular travel apps (some of them available only in India) that have helped travellers simplify their trips. Travel agencies can use these as role models to develop their own apps and incorporate them into their customer interaction platforms to get to a new level of visibility with the new generation of travellers. Travel mobile apps are a direct tool to reach your customer base as millennials spend most of their time online and connected to their smartphones.
An emerging technology that will have a revolutionary impact on the travel industry is Artificial Intelligence. You will discover how in a few interesting technology focused articles we have featured in this issue.
Reema Lokesh
Editor