Digital working life:
The tourism industry has been digitized a lot in recent years. Today, tourism offers are available online with just a few clicks. Booking and paying for a holiday are also made quickly and independently on electronic platforms. Previously, our villas were for sale only in one electronic channel, and there was also newspaper marketing. Today, there are several sales channels, and marketing is only electronic. The Visit Finland DataHub has been launched in Finland, bringing together tourism service data. We are part of DataHub and, at the same time, part of an international marketing network.
In our company, digitality is also part of sustainable business. Visit Finland footprint calculator is a tool for a tourism company’s climate work, which can be used to calculate the company’s carbon footprint. The results can be used to develop operations to be even more climate-friendly and to communicate climate work. The Green Key certification of sustainable tourism and the Sustainable Travel Finland mark help communicate sustainable tourism activities to domestic and international tourists. The certified destinations are also presented as sustainable tourism destinations in Finland on the Green Key and Visit Finland’s sustainable tourism Finland platforms.
From the traveler’s point of view, digitalization development has promoted the discoverability, purchasability, and experiential nature of services. For tourism companies, digitalization offers opportunities for developing services, reaching more customers, and targeting communications.
In my current job, I ensure that digital booking channels have correct and up-to-date information. Since there are several channels, there is a lot of overlapping work. I communicated with customers electronically before booking the holiday, during the booking situation, and after. Customers are interested not only in accommodation and its services but also in the area’s experience services. Today, speed is essential. Digitization has made people impatient. The customer wants to get answers to his questions quickly, or he can change the service provider. We use an electronic cottage folder with instructions for the villas and maps and services of the area conveniently in an app that the customer downloads to their phone. The electronic cabin folder and digital media channels communicate to customers about sustainable tourism activities, and it is the channel that encourages customers to make sustainable choices on vacation.
Future:
I have often wondered how the future of tourism will be. The pandemic showed that everything could change in an instant. Virtual entertainment has been possible for tourists for some time already. In the future, virtual tourism can replace more authentic experiences and real trips. The virtual traveler only needs VR glasses and can jump into a new need or adventure.
Can a virtual tour replace the experience? On a virtual trip, at least you can’t feel the pinch of frost on your skin, the heat of a sauna, or the bed’s softness. But you never know when that will be possible. As a company that brings accommodation services, virtual tourism also feels like a risk. What if tourists stop coming? If the tourists run out, much innovation is needed to develop ideas for virtual tourism in their accommodation services. I can also see the good sides of virtual tourism. The environmental burden of a virtual trip is much smaller than that of a real journey, including the flights, car rides, accommodation, etc. Many destinations also suffer from too much tourism, and virtual tourism would bring relief.
Digital society:
Digitization is both a threat and an opportunity. Digitization creates inequality because everybody doesn’t have the same knowledge and skills to use digital services. Electronic identification is challenging because it requires several passwords. Unfortunately, people often do not take care of sufficiently secure passwords, or use the same passwords for several sites, which creates a security risk. At the same time, the digital society also makes it easier to manage many things when they are managed from home with the help of solid identification.
The young generation has only lived through digitalization. It is common for them to share many of their things digitally. Many people don’t think about its risks. Many of our devices are connected to data networks, e.g., smart watches, television, telephone, etc. Everyone should think about whether it is necessary for all devices to be connected to the network because it forms a gateway to our personal lives. I read an interesting article in the MIT Technology Review, where it was reported that photos taken by a robot vacuum cleaner had leaked to Facebook. Taking pictures and using photos for training and development purposes was the users’ permission but leaking intimate images on the web was very unfortunate. We also often give digital devices permission to take pictures or use the microphone. These involve risks that we don’t even think about.
GDPR, the law regulating the processing of personal data, entered into force in all EU countries in 2018. The data protection regulation provides better protection for personal data, and the individual has more ways to control data processing. Data protection matters are present in my work. By the GDPR, the company must have a data protection statement explaining what kind of personal data we collect from customers and what we use this data for. This should be readable by customers in the place where data is collected. Customer’s personal data must be handled carefully and by the information provided in the privacy statement. Reading the privacy statement remains the responsibility of the consumer. This should be done carefully. In addition, the privacy settings of the network and different channels should be made carefully so that you can protect your privacy. I think that many of these still have room for improvement.
Self evaluation:
The videos were interesting and educational and made us think about digitization and the change in which we live. I was born in the 70s, and the development has been enormous during this time. I’m not a digitalization miracle, but a cautious approach to new things. However, keeping up with growth requires keeping up with the times and learning new things all the time. In this task, I noticed how many digital channels our company is involved in. The videos also made us think about issues related to information security. I now adopt a password manager and protect my data better. I want to learn more about information security and teach them to my children so that we can make safe movement in the digital world possible for all of us. It was also great to make a blog according to the instructions.
References:
Annunziata, Marco. (no date). Welcome to the age of the industrial internet. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/marco_annunziata_welcome_to_the_age_of_the_industrial_internet
Cukier, Kenneth. 2014. Big data is better data. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/kenneth_cukier_big_data_is_better_data
Data protection in the EU. 2022. European Consilium. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/data-protection/
Guo, Eileen. 2022. A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook? MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/19/1065306/roomba-irobot-robot-vacuums-artificial-intelligence-training-data-privacy/
Lyne, James. 2013. Everyday Cybercrime — and what you can do about it. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/james_lyne_everyday_cybercrime_and_what_you_can_do_about_it#t-59111
Yen, Andy. (no date). Think your email’s private? Think again. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_yen_think_your_email_s_private_think_again?language=en
I visited and commented on Sari’s blog https://blogi.savonia.fi/sarinsivusto/digi-society/ and Mirjas’s blog https://blogi.savonia.fi/digitaalinenperiferia/digi-society-2/
Hi Tiina,
it was great to read from your blog about Digi Society and the tourism industry. As you say, the industry has changed a lot during the past years. For example when I was a child my parents made the hotel reservations by calling to the reception of the hotel, but nowadays making the reservation like that feels a very old way. By using only a phone call the discoverability and the info of possible services that you mention may not all be found out when making the reservation. You may also for example miss a great deal offered only online. It is also great how the tourism companies have many tools to use to work for the better climate and make this work visible for example for their clients.
I also agree with you that the digitization creates unfortunately inequality as well – in addition to the fact that everybody don’t have the same kind of knowledge and skills to use digital services, I have experienced in my own field in health care that all the people either have economical possibilities to them.
I also think that it is very interesting to see where the future leads us when for example thinking about the possibilities that the VR glasses enable us, not only in tourism but in other industries as well. Perhaps the virtual experiences cannot replace all experiences, but at least add something to them. I hope we can all find that out soon enough!
Hi Tiina,
it was great to read from your blog about Digi Society and the tourism industry. As you say, the industry has changed a lot during the past years. For example when I was a child my parents made the hotel reservations by calling to the reception of the hotel, but nowadays making the reservation like that feels a very old way. By using only a phone call the discoverability and the info of possible services that you mention may not all be found out when making the reservation. You may also for example miss a great deal offered only online. It is also great how the tourism companies have many tools to use to work for the better climate and make this work visible for example for their clients.
I also agree with you that the digitization creates unfortunately inequality as well – in addition to the fact that everybody don’t have the same kind of knowledge and skills to use digital services, I have experienced in my own field in health care that all the people either have economical possibilities to them.
I also think that it is very interesting to see where the future leads us when for example thinking about the possibilities that the VR glasses enable us, not only in tourism but in other industries as well. Perhaps the virtual experiences cannot replace all experiences, but at least add something to them. I hope we can all find that out soon enough!
Hi Tiina,
first of all thank you for a really interesting text from the point of view of the tourism industry!
I use travel services every year at home and abroad, electronic booking sites have become familiar. I automatically received a paper travel catalogue from a travel agency, and while browsing the catalogue, I noticed that I got excited about the destinations in a different way than I did about online presentations. I don’t know exactly why this is the case, because there are usually more comprehensive presentations on the internet and it is possible to look at the pictures. Maybe there is so much variety to see on the net at once that it starts to feel heavy?
If I book a trip, I spend several hours browsing and comparing options from different sites through. A week’s trip to Finland in a cottage or hotel usually costs more than an international all inclucive package tour so you want to make the choice as carefully as possible so that the trip fulfills your wishes without much extra cost.
You wrote about virtual travel. I agree with you that virtual tours do not give a similar experience when there is a lack of real touch, sounds and smells. Virtual trips could be made to relax, but it is not a substitute for a real experience. But it’s great that there are options – something for everyone.
Hi Tiina,
It was interesting to read your blog, thank you! Recently I was on a holiday with my family in Imatra and Lappeenranta area where I have never been before. When I was booking the holiday, I pumped into several platforms where to book it although I looked holidays to the same place as you said. Some of them had more information about the destination beforehand and some less. I appreciated the “extra” information about the area and it services where I was going, because it makes easier to plan the activities which I would like to experience. I feel that this more important especially now when we are travelling with 4-year-old child. Would it be a good idea to have activity ideas for different target groups on company’s website? Or what if traveller’s could filter search results according to company’s sustainability or activities which actually is already possible to some degree.
You asked also if a virtual tour could replace the real experience. For me, the real experience is still more important, because travelling to the destination is also part of the experience and it is nice to go away from home sometimes. I acknowledge the benefits of virtual travelling in the sustainability point of view and hopefully there are more sustainable ways to travel in the future. Competition in the field is enormous! It is truly a challenge to stand out positively from the competitors. I believe that virtual travels have their own user base in the future, but it can take time before virtual travels become more common.
I think GDPR is an improvement to our privacy, but I also feel that there is still room for improvement. People should be more aware of their rights and get more education about cyber security issues. I hope that Digi native ‘s already get more information in school about these issues, because big data and internet has both benefits and threats.
Hi Tiina,
It was really interesting to read your blog. I totally agree with the point that digitalization is both the opportunity and threat. I realised that as we advanced through ahead, we are having the problems that were not a problem before. this modern life has changed the views and ways of looking to the things that everything that we do should be done very carefully and under the guidance of the specialist as it help us to balance the risks and benefits.
Hi Tiina,
Thank you for your very authentic blog! I’m genuinely interested in hearing your perspective on the future of tourism digitalization. It’s hard to imagine how they can work without experiencing the real, natural world.
Hi Tiina,
I enjoyed very much reading your perspective regarding the constant changing and growing relationship between technologies and the tourism industry.
To be more specific, I really find enlighthig to read about the concept that digitalization goes along with sustainability. Finland hold a great reputation in terms of innovations of sustainability, the reduced carbon footprint policy, efficiency and resource optimization applied in a tourism business background, being a brilliant example to follow for other countries as well. Furthermore, to be above the other competitors, where digitalization enhances global connectivity, enabling finnish businesses to take part of international markets.
When it comes to customer as a multi layered target, it’s undeniable that the advancement of digitalization has greatly benefit tourism in Finland by improving accessibility, fast and efficient communication and overall customer satisfaction. All these digital advancement (such as online booking platforms, virtual tours, the integration of digital payment systems, real-time information and support as well, supported by the help of digital marketing and social media) they do not only increase operational efficiency but also contribute to the growth and sustainability of Finland’s tourism industry.
Digitalization poses a dual role of both threat and opportunity for tourism businesses in Finland. While the rapid evolution of technology presents a risk by intensifying competition and demanding adaptation to the digital landscape, it also offers significant opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and improved customer experiences. Failing to embrace digital trends may lead to decreased visibility and market share loss, but businesses that leverage digital tools can streamline operations, personalize services, and reach a wider audience. Navigating this dynamic environment requires Finnish tourism businesses to address the challenges of digitalization while actively capitalizing on its potential benefits to remain competitive and flourish in the evolving industry.
Highlighting GDPR compliance in Finnish tourism businesses is vital for preserving individuals’ privacy rights amid the routine collection of customer data for bookings and services. It not only fosters trust among tourists, bolstering Finland’s reputation as a reliable and privacy-conscious destination, but also shields businesses from legal repercussions and financial penalties linked to data breaches or non-compliance. Emphasizing GDPR adherence contributes to the long-term sustainability of Finland’s tourism industry, while prioritizing a secure and transparent digital environment. Ultimately, this commitment enhances Finland’s appeal as a destination for travelers valuing privacy and robust data protection measures.
I also appreciated that the author here mentioned the importance of information security: it is indispensable to defend against a multitude of cyber threats targeting sensitive data, systems, and networks. This understanding is critical for preserving personal privacy, upholding the integrity of business operations, and earning the trust of users and clients. In a digitally interconnected world, information security training is not only a proactive measure but also a fundamental aspect of responsible and ethical technology use.
To conclude, very concise and easy to read and understand, good job Tiina!