The EXPLICIT nature of a dumb search in travel contrasted – badly – with a conventional search in both web search and regular human interaction, which today allows humans to use knowledge they possess.

This is where the travel agent could always do a better job by drawing on knowledge they possess rather than the consumer just seeing the algorithm of the best possible search mathematically generated. But let us not kid ourselves – search is subject to the old adage of garbage in, garbage out.
 
Recently some smart people have started to look hard at the way the travel lifecycle works and they are breaking free of the boundaries of conventional travel supply constrained processes.

Search has finally emerged from the shadow of booking process domination to become a sector on its own. It was inevitable. Fragmentation is not constrained just to search and shopping – itinerary management too is now a fully-fledged category. But that is a topic for another day.
 
This article will look at how the next generation of search that is shortly to come to the market will impact the whole area of travel. I call this emerging trend Natural Search.

It is more akin to the way Google’s search algorithms work which, in turn, are based on human interaction – and lots of it. It is also fundamentally more like what we humans actually engage in as travel users. It also marks a fork in the road between the process-driven and highly rigid structure of procurement driven corporate travel and the softer side of leisure/pleasure travel.

While we are entering Version 1.0 of Natural Search, it will fundamentally change how we see travel. To me, this marks the dawn of Travel 3.0. Just so we are clear – structured search will still have a place but it is rather the last hurrah of a failed regime.
 
One could very easily ask why is this change happening and why now? For far too long, travel as a category has been constrained by what goes on at the back. The supply side has controlled and driven travel. It will continue to be very important but the rise of the consumer and tools which are consumer-facing and consumer-driven changes the basic model.

Google’s rumoured interest in wanting to buy Search Technology firm ITA Software is but another example of the “why”.  We must not forget one of the underlying trends that started way back in the 1990s –  the supply side wanted the consumer to start paying for the provision of travel services.

The abolition of the commission compensation model means that suppliers, wanting to reduce costs, also passed on to consumers the right to dictate.

In my opinion, Natural Search is a convergence of a number of factors. Commercially it now makes sense.

·        The consumer-facing conventions make it possible
·         Loosely coupled technology through mash-ups breaks the bonds of the supply controllers who held sway far too long over travel
·         It also makes it far easier to make everything work – less dependency on making sure the tightly choreographed ballet of interlocking pieces actually function. Banish the word “seamlessly”.
·         Geo-location – mapping is finally ubiquitous.
·         The line between mobile and fixed position makes the definition between the two largely irrelevant
·         The supply side has better infrastructure and processes (not to mention better technology) to support Natural Search.
·         The Cult of Individualism is a natural state and a natural act.
 
But perhaps the biggest reason of all is that the consumer finally grew up. No longer the petulant child when the web was a toy – now the web is as important to life as our DNA. Social media is but a part of that – albeit a very important part.

In my view the maturity of these elements is now at the stage of making Natural Search not only possible – it is of course desirable – but practical. Just add the spark of human ingenuity and away we go.
 
But don’t just take my word for it. In the next article, I will look at how some smart players are looking at this and putting both serious effort behind it. I am going to highlight some different approaches to natural search. These players are not just garage workers but have some serious money behind them.

Featured image credit (Surfing the internet): Ockra/iStock