How tech can help Southeast Asia keep up with surging tourist arrivals

Last year, popular tourist destinations Maya Bay in Thailand and Boracay in the Philippines were temporarily closed for rehabilitation, as both suffered from the environmental impact caused by a surge in tourist arrivals.

A crowd of tourists at Maya Bay in Thailand / Photo credit: Ivan Mateev / 123RF

In 2017, the Asia-Pacific region logged a 6 percent increase in inbound tourism, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Southeast Asia saw tremendous growth, welcoming over 120 million international visitors and US$130.7 billion worth of tourism receipts.

That uptick continued in 2018, with tourist numbers in the region going up by 10 percent in the first quarter, exceeding the international average of 6 percent.

The impact of more tourism

This growth, however, comes at a price. Aside from its impact on the environment, the tourism boom also affects related businesses such as hotels.

Boracay’s tourism industry, for example, is expected to lose millions of dollars in revenue as a result of the closure, with 11 hotels predicting combined losses of over US$10 million.

Hotels across the world also encounter other difficulties due to the surge in tourism. One concern that plagues them is the language barrier, which is the “biggest anxiety in travel,” according to Booking.com.

Photo credit: Alexandre Chambon / Unsplash

It also hampers the ability of hotels to deliver quality service to their guests, with miscommunication happening or communication being reduced to a cursory level.

Hotels also face high employee turnover rates because of low pay, strict industry discipline, and long working hours. And with some hotels struggling to train new hires sufficiently, existing staff face a heavier workload. This vicious cycle only exacerbates the situation.

This is especially true for hotels in rural destinations. On the island of Ishigaki in Japan, for instance, several hotels offer discounted rates to forego the daily cleaning of rooms and curb the demand for manpower.

The role of tech

Hotels are turning to technology to deal with struggles like managing the influx of guests. One player in hotel tech is Japan-based TradFit. Using artificial intelligence, internet of things, and voice recognition, TradFit supplies hotels with screen-equipped smart speakers and a chatbot that acts as a digital concierge.

Photo credit: TradFit

These speakers let customers make calls, send in requests for housekeeping or room service, and search for recommendations. Staff can respond to inquiries from a central application, allowing hotels to optimize the way they handle client requests.

The central application also enables hotels to manage the smart speakers, analyze customer statistics, and provide additional information to guests.

TradFit also has a chatbot that can translate up to 17 languages. It can be implemented on the hotel’s website and smart speakers to assist guests at all stages of their visit. Through machine learning, the chatbot draws on information from the questions asked by guests to improve its answering capabilities.

A help to both customers and staff

The use of technology in hotels benefits both guests and hotel staff.

TradFit’s technology helps reduce the manpower required in handling customer enquiries, freeing up the staff’s workload for other tasks such as managing check-in and check-out procedures, facilitating room turnovers, and carrying out customer requests.

The system’s ability to act as a translator also eases the burden of having to hire staff fluent in different languages.

Photo credit: TradFit

Yoshiki Toda, CEO and founder of TradFit, explains that this functionality also puts guests at ease, as they can communicate with the hotel via a language they’re comfortable using. And for guests who dislike calling the reception at odd or late hours, they can use the company’s voice recognition and chatbot services instead.

Equipping TradFit’s systems with information on local attractions and dining options also helps hotels provide value-added services. Guests can look up in-house services, such as restaurants and spas, and make reservations accordingly. They can also search for nearby attractions and activities and make bookings through the smart speakers and chatbots.

According to Toda, this lets hotels promote their in-house services and potentially receive additional advertising revenue from the other businesses they promote through TradFit’s systems.

Transforming the hotel industry

The use of technology can transform the hotel industry. Aside from streamlining processes and reducing workload, tech solutions allow hotels to focus on what really matters – delivering quality service to their customers.

With international visitors to Asia predicted to grow at a rate of 5 percent each year, implementing tech solutions will go a long way in improving hotel services in the region and enabling travel and tourism businesses to operate in the most effective way.

TradFit is a Japan-based company that uses AI, IoT, and voice tech to improve the management of lodging facilities and tourist experiences, streamline processes, and increase the operational efficiency of hotels.

To find out more about TradFit, visit its website.