MIAMI BEACH, Fla., April 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The travel sector has undergone numerous upheavals in recent years. Market structures that have been in place for decades are currently breaking-up, while the internet has created brand-new distribution and communication channels. The market is undergoing an unprecedented transformation.
From a technological point of view, the travel industry is not the hunter but the hunted. The global distribution systems, GDS, are preoccupied battling each other for market share. Some of the big players in the industry, as it seems, are even pursuing a strategy of defending obsolete equipment and processes and burying their heads in the sand.
Countries such as India or Russia welcome progress, and graphical agent user interfaces became a big success. At the same time, those products failed their initial US rollout, as the green screen is still predominant and all players restrict a potential collaboration.
So did the most prosperous countries lose ground and acceptance for innovation?
Where will this lead us?
President Obama would probably say: "But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed." For a "change," every individual of the travel industry no matter which industry group he or she belongs to, could tell him or herself: "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking (the travel industry)."
What large companies cannot do, small ones usually do much better. They are often drivers of innovation -- to the benefit of major players in every industry as well. The prerequisite for the development and propagation of progress is openness. The open-source scene in the software industry is an example of the dynamism that such openness can bring.
Why is the travel industry so slow to embrace innovation?
What are the reasons behind this?
For a more in-depth analysis and a look behind the scenes of the travel industry, read Michael's article:
http://www.pass-consulting.com/pass-travel/
Michael Strauss is the CEO of PASS Consulting Corporation and the business unit Travel worldwide, an end-to-end technology product and service provider, offering access to travel content and inventory from various sources through a single point-of-sale. PASS Consulting provides software and professional services using emerging, yet proven technologies, such as XML, XSL and Web Services along with SOA and MDA standards.
Our motto: "We take care of the technology -- you take care of the business."
The PASS Consulting Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5669