CX in the Travel & Hospitality Industry

While all industry sectors have needed to pivot and flex to address the global pandemic, few other industries have had to reinvent their processes and solutions the way the travel and hospitality market has needed to. Constantly changing restrictions and regulations have made any sort of market recovery in this sector lumpy, at best. The travel & hospitality sector has always needed to walk the line between internal operational and cost efficiencies and personal attention to the guest or traveler. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused many travel & hospitality companies to reassess their priorities and current technology status, focusing on those that will result in greater efficiencies as they navigate the upcoming recovery, and provide a smooth, friction-free, and positive CX for those traveling.

The customer journey of a traveler can be complicated and leverages many disparate technologies. The process of researching a trip via the wide variety of channels and third-party providers, booking, paying, moving through a transportation hub, and arriving at a destination of choice has a lot of opportunities to rise to the occasion to provide outstanding CX or fall short of expectations. Each touchpoint in that journey is an opportunity to build brand loyalty, trust, and positive emotions. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for implementing CX technologies and services. While the industry will take some time to fully rebound, an exploration of CX in this sector demonstrates that it is a market primed to reap the benefits of implementing CX technologies. Dash Research forecasts that the global market for CX/CE software and services will reach $4.3 billion by 2026, reflecting a 2019-2026 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -2.6%.

This Dash Research report focuses on the software platforms, applications, and services that are offered to travel & hospitality companies to help them achieve excellent CX that leaves travelers feeling safe, satisfied, and eager for a return trip via all the companies that eased their journey. The report examines the current and future market issues, market drivers and barriers, and case studies within the travel & hospitality CX/customer engagement (CE) industry. Market sizing and forecasts include segmentations by geography, functional area, product offering, and visibility to the customer. Discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the industry is responding, is also included.

Key Questions Addressed:

• What is the total market size for CX and CE software and services for travel & hospitality?
• How is the market for CX/CE segmented by function?
• On which CX/CE functions will travel & hospitality companies spend the most on software platforms, applications, and services?
• What are the current and future market trends that will affect CX/CE strategies and technology implementations?
• What are the key market drivers and barriers for spending on CX/CE software and services?
• Which geographic regions will spend the most on CX/CE software and services?
• What are the short-term and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel & hospitality market?

Who Needs This Report?

• Travel & hospitality industry professionals
• Contact center solution providers
• Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology providers
• Data and analytics providers
• Customer data platform (CDP) companies
• Survey and Voice of the Customer (VOC) technology companies
• Customer relationship management (CRM) vendors
• Customer journey mapping (CJM) providers
• Personalization and optimization providers
• Investor community

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary
   1. Introduction
   2. Market drivers
   3. Market barriers
   4. Market forecasts
   5. Dash Research insights
2. Market Overview
   1. Introduction
   2. Market drivers
      1. Demand for omnichannel interactions and self-service
      2. Changes in the nature of the travel experience and desire for personalization
      3. Acceleration of contactless and convenience technologies
      4. Increased communication needs
   3. Market barriers
      1. Market uncertainty and budget constraints
      2. Fragmented and sometimes outdated technology stack
      3. Labor shortages and employee burnout make operational issues difficult to address
      4. Consumer concerns over health and safety issues
   4. Current issues
   5. Future trends
3. Case Studies
   1. Great Wolf Lodge: Implementing messaging technology and a virtual concierge
   2. Carnival Cruise Line: Using feedback to improve quality of interaction
   3. Xanterra: Consolidating siloed data into customer profiles and personalized experiences
   4. Key Travel: Reliable and flexible call center technology to keep customers safe
   5. KLM Dutch Airlines: Improved mobile experience by using customer feedback
4. Market Forecasts
   1. Forecast methodology
   2. Travel & hospitality industry CX/CE software and services revenue by world region
   3. Travel & hospitality industry CX/CE software and services revenue by segment
   4. Travel & hospitality industry CX/CE software and services revenue by function
   5. Travel & hospitality industry CX/CE software and services revenue by product offering
   6. Travel & hospitality industry CX/CE software and services revenue, customer facing versus back office
   7. Recommendations
5. Acronym and Abbreviation List
6. Table of Contents
7. Table of Figures
8. Appendix
   1. Scope of Study
   2. Sources and methodology
   3. Forecast methodology
   4. Copyright notice

Charts

• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Segment and Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Product Offering, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software and Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Platform Revenue by Segment and Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Platform Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Platform Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Applications Revenue by Segment and Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Applications Revenue by Segment and Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Applications Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Software Applications Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Services Revenue by Segment and Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX/CE Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Platform Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Platform Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Applications Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Applications Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Software Applications Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CX Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Platform Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Platform Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Applications Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Applications Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Software Applications Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality CE Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026

Tables

• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Product Offering, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Application Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Application Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Software and Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Software and Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Software and Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Software and Services Revenue by Product Offering, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Software and Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Application Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Application Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX Platform Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Software and Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Software and Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Software and Services Revenue by Product Offering, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Software and Services Revenue, Customer Facing versus Back Office, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Services Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Services Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Application Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Application Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Platform Revenue by Region, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CE Platform Revenue by Function, World Markets: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Offering, Product, and Function, North America: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Offering, Product, and Function, Europe: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Offering, Product, and Function, Asia Pacific: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Offering, Product, and Function, Latin America: 2019-2026
• Travel & Hospitality Industry CX/CE Software and Services Revenue by Offering, Product, and Function, Middle East & Africa: 2019-2026

Figures

• Customer Experience versus Customer Engagement
• Omnichannel Interactions Along the Customer Travel Journey
• Hotel Guests Want the Reassurance of Contactless Technologies and the Ease of Convenience
• Contactless and Convenience Technologies Along a Travel Journey
• The Global Tourism Industry Is Still Hampered by the Pandemic

Author Information

Clint Wheelock

Clint brings over 20 years of market research and consulting experience, focused on emerging technology markets. He was co-founder and CEO of Dash Network, an integrated research and digital media firm focused on the CX market, which was acquired by The Futurum Group in 2022. He previously founded Tractica with a focus on human interaction with technology, including coverage of AI, user interface technologies, advanced computing, and other emerging sectors. Acquired by Informa Group, Clint served as Chief Research Officer for Informa’s research division, Omdia, with management and content strategy responsibility, formed by the combination of Tractica, Ovum, IHS Markit Technology, and Heavy Reading.
Clint was previously the founder and President of Pike Research, a leading market intelligence firm focused on the global clean technology industry, which was acquired by Navigant Consulting where he was Managing Director of the Navigant Research business.

Prior to Pike Research, Clint was Chief Research Officer at ABI Research, a New York-based industry analyst firm concentrating on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets.

Clint holds a Master of Business Administration in Telecommunications Management from the University of Dallas and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington & Lee University.