JEDDAH: Experts and travel agents say that smartphone apps threaten their future, as 75 percent of travelers book online. In the Kingdom, this affects 30 percent of the travel industry’s revenues and income from tourism.
Experts estimate that 15 percent of tourism offices will move to websites, thus causing the closure of about 70 percent of bureaus over the next five years.
They added that applications have several positive aspects, especially ease of use, speed of booking and payment, the possibility of cancellation during a specified period, in addition to the ability of clients to compare different offers.
Sultan Al-Najjar, a travel agency owner, said that these apps and websites shorten time for customers, giving them a choice of several offers from different sites and facilitating payment by credit card, which contributed to the shift of 15 percent of offices to websites.
“It might lead to the closure of about 70 percent of them over the next five years”
He explained that the apps provide customers with the best services and promotions as they don’t have any office expenditures, rent or salaries for employees.
Alternatively, he said that the offices concentrate now on providing special services to the VIP sector such as arrival and departure services to and from the airport, which represents 15 percent of total passengers outside the Kingdom to maintain its share of the market, “and this is what websites are missing,” Al-Najjar said.
Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, owner of an office for travel and tourism, said that 15 percent of tourist offices in the Kingdom have begun integrating websites, offering packages or new offers on these sites in order to attract customers and tourists,
Ibrahim Al-Harthi, customer service manager at Musafer Tourism Company, said that websites had several features to attract travelers, especially the possibility of installments, and ease of payment via credit card. Al-Harthi believes that only 25 percent of travelers rely on travel agencies and offices.
Omar Al-Waqfi, chief executive officer of marketing and sales at Turkish Airlines, said that the airline companies preferred to deal with agencies and tourism offices due to many advantages.
Experts estimate that 15 percent of tourism offices will move to websites, thus causing the closure of about 70 percent of bureaus over the next five years.
They added that applications have several positive aspects, especially ease of use, speed of booking and payment, the possibility of cancellation during a specified period, in addition to the ability of clients to compare different offers.
Sultan Al-Najjar, a travel agency owner, said that these apps and websites shorten time for customers, giving them a choice of several offers from different sites and facilitating payment by credit card, which contributed to the shift of 15 percent of offices to websites.
“It might lead to the closure of about 70 percent of them over the next five years”
He explained that the apps provide customers with the best services and promotions as they don’t have any office expenditures, rent or salaries for employees.
Alternatively, he said that the offices concentrate now on providing special services to the VIP sector such as arrival and departure services to and from the airport, which represents 15 percent of total passengers outside the Kingdom to maintain its share of the market, “and this is what websites are missing,” Al-Najjar said.
Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, owner of an office for travel and tourism, said that 15 percent of tourist offices in the Kingdom have begun integrating websites, offering packages or new offers on these sites in order to attract customers and tourists,
Ibrahim Al-Harthi, customer service manager at Musafer Tourism Company, said that websites had several features to attract travelers, especially the possibility of installments, and ease of payment via credit card. Al-Harthi believes that only 25 percent of travelers rely on travel agencies and offices.
Omar Al-Waqfi, chief executive officer of marketing and sales at Turkish Airlines, said that the airline companies preferred to deal with agencies and tourism offices due to many advantages.
