In the news: An assortment of travel tech news – a new brand identity for Expedia Inc., the possibility of visual recognition technology replacing QR codes, and using self-service technology at Beijing Capital
OTA: Expedia Inc. has a new name, and it’s Expedia Group Inc.
Mark Okerstrom: Name change “to better reflect the global nature of our business”.(Image credit: Expedia Group)
Expedia Inc., one of world’s largest travel platforms, has changed its corporate name to Expedia Group Inc.
The change is “to better reflect its identity as a leading global technology company, at the centre of one of the most socially and economically important industries in the world – travel,” said the company in a statement.
Expedia Group will continue to trade on Nasdaq under the EXPE ticker symbol.
“We are excited to introduce the new Expedia Group name and identity to better reflect the global nature of our business, more clearly articulating who we have become and who we aspire to be,” noted Mark Okerstrom, Expedia Group president and CEO.
“With this clarity and focus, we can now get on with what we do best: bringing the world within reach for travellers and partners across the globe.”
The US-based travel giant owns numerous travel brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Expedia Partner Solutions, Egencia, trivago, Homeaway, Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif, Lastminute, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire, Classic Vacations, CarRentals.com, Expedia Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert, Expedia CruiseShipCenters, SilverRail Technologies, ALICE and Traveldoo.
Last month the Priceline Group also changed its corporate name to Booking Holdings to more accurately align the company’s name with its largest business – Booking.com.
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Visual recognition technology to replace QR codes?
Visual recognition technology used for travel planning (Image credit: SasinParaksa/iStock-Getty Images)
QR codes are getting to be as ubiquitous as smartphones, easy to use and just scanning them give us access to services such as AI chatbot in railway stations or travel sites to check in our flights.
But a competitor is coming in the form of visual recognition technology, and some brands are already using them to have more interactive engagements with their customers.
Singapore-based Insight Vacations used this technology at the NATAS and Travel Revolution fairs held over the March 23-25 weekend in the city-state to enable its customers to win prizes or to enjoy savings as part of its 40th birthday celebrations.
The company, working in partnership with Singapore’s intelligent visual solutions company AIQ, said it was “the first travel company in Southeast Asia to adopt AIQ’s Visual Recognition Technology (VRT)”.
Here’s how it works: The VRT replaces the QR codes and enables brands to interact with customers using the IV40 branded mobile app by embedding information on each “still image”. The app allows the users a personalised and direct channel to connect quickly with a brand, and they can submit a request for more information or easily enter a contest to win prizes.
Evon Ler, president of Insight Vacations, Asia, said the company wanted to find “a creative way to inspire travel and engage customers.” as it celebrates 40 years of innovation, and it was able to do this with AIQ’s VRT.
Marcus Tan, AIQ chief executive officer, added that interactive experiences have become important for brands seeking to connect with customers. “As travellers seek personalised experiences, it is important for travel companies to demonstrate that they are able to offer such a personalised engagement at the start of the customer’s journey.”
On AIQ’s website the list of brands using its products include lifestyle company CHARLES & KEITH, America’s Got Talent, ELLE Magazine, Bens & Jerry’s, Dove and more.
AIRPORTS: China’s largest airport is using self-service tech to boost capacity
Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital, Asia’s busiest airport (Image credit: lnzyx/iStock-Getty Images)
Beijing Capital International Airport, Asia’s busiest airport handling more than 95 million passengers a year, is turning to technology to manage its services and passenger flow.
The airport is utilising SITA’s self-service kiosks for passenger check-ins on all Air China domestic flights departing from Terminal 3.
The terminal, opened in 2008 in time for the Summer Olympics held in the same year, is the world’s second largest airport terminal after Dubai International’s Terminal 3.
Beijing Capital is using up to 70 SITA AirportConnect Kiosks to help Air China process passengers faster, while freeing up airport and airline staff to focus on other services.
The kiosks feature boarding-pass and bag-tag printers; passport and Chinese ID card readers; and large user-friendly screens. They support a wide range of travel documents including those of Hong Kong/Macau and Taiwan residents travelling to mainland China, as well as expats who reside in China permanently.
The self-service kiosks make use of the existing CUTE platform SITA has deployed at Beijing Capital and can process close to 20,000 passengers per day. They can also be used by other domestic airlines that use Air China’s ground handling solutions.
Li Lei from Beijing Capital’s terminal management department said the kiosks with the Chinese card reader functionality was a big bonus for Air China’s passengers. “Flexible technologies like this help us transform and improve the passenger experience across the airport.”
