How do you imagine the future of travel?

Hello! I'm going to be on this blog often, so first of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Sara, one of the founders of MOGU, experienced in digital marketing and current product manager.

Since I began the adventure of entrepreneurship, I have been soaking up all the agents that make up the exciting but chaotic tourism sector. In this process, I have identified two players in the market that move at completely different speeds: on the one hand, Expedia, eDreams, Tripadvisor, Booking, Airbnb —companies commonly known as OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) —which in less than 10 years of life, have grown exponentially. Business models focused on B2C and on the planning and booking of hotels and flights. And on the other hand, we have the traditional tourism brokerage chain or, as my colleague Andrés would say: “the chain of tourism artisans”, the one made up of those who have historically sold trips: tour operators or TTOO (they create the trips), wholesale agencies (they distribute them) and retail agencies (they market them). Although it is true that traditional tourism still exceeds that of OTAs in terms of turnover, its annual growth is decreasing. This scenario has made me reflect on how I imagine the future of travel. In a few years will we only travel with the Booking on duty? What will happen to the neighborhood agency?

I believe that future travel will combine elements of both worlds and it is precisely at this intersection where MOGU appears, as a technology that helps travel agencies to be more competitive.

Let's see what those elements are that I'm referring to. The Internet has been a great step forward and that is undeniable: with the click of a click anyone can book a flight, a hotel or rent a family van. It is no longer necessary to go to an agency to contract these services, which means savings in time and, in many cases, with comparators, also savings in cost. Why go to an agency to buy a plane ticket if in 10 seconds I have access to 3,000 airlines? It's clear, add technology brings great advantages to tourism: efficiency and autonomy.

However, we know that when traveling, not only those two variables are taken into account. Clients also seek advice, support, to feel protected, cared for. A trip is enthusiasm, emotion, it is the fruit of several years of savings, it is investing in family memories, in experiences that otherwise could not be experienced. Nothing can go wrong, there is too much at stake. Therefore, an OTA is sometimes not enough and that is the moment when digitalization reaches its peak. The assistance of a human being is needed to set up a customized itinerary, to suggest the best local food, to tell anecdotes about the destination that Google does not know or simply to solve any unforeseen event that may occur. The traditional agency, in theory, is the most appropriate vehicle to provide this more personalized service. Now, is it really capable of meeting all those needs so associated with the knowledge of the destination? No, he's not capable. Even if an agency sells trips to Costa Rica, it will not know which are the best beaches, the most impressive sunset or the most ideal dates to enjoy all the fauna. We are aware that, in this sense, they need a push to be able to offer that added value to the traveler and we know that technology is the best way to achieve it. So, many startups are developing platforms for this purpose, since Triporate or Vyootrip, that focus on corporate tourism, to MOGU, which connects travelers with local experts throughout the trip.

We see the future of travel in this way, combining the technological level offered by OTAs with the irreplaceable human face provided by a travel agency.

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