Digital Transformation of Travel and Tourism In India

Digital innovation is transforming the way we live, work and run businesses it has global impact on economies, sectors and industries. The commencement of the Digital India programme in 2014 led the country into the League of Nations that is revamping their economies and governance with the power of technology. Since then, Digital India has affected almost all aspects of our lives, ranging from work, travel, communication to shopping, education and healthcare. India is going to be digital and travel and tourism are no exceptions to it. India has been ranked 51st out of 63 countries in the 2017 IMD World Digital Competitiveness ranking. Technology today plays a vital role in shaping the travel industry. With the increase in internet penetration and availability of smart phones India's Travel sector has expanded in the recent years. Among the service sectors in India, the tourism and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the major drivers of growth. The rich cultural and historical inheritance variety in flora and fauna and places of natural beauty spread across the country has enriched Tourism in India. Key advancements in the travel space move around five themes, namely Artificial Intelligence AI , Big Data, mobile applications, social media and Virtual Augmented Reality VR AR . These advancements could enrich travel experiences through direct and flexible interactions with customers. This paper attempts to explore a broad view on the economic contribution of travel in India, trends, challenges and consequences of digital travel, the role of new technologies and automation in streamlining the business processes across the value chain thereby canvassing picture of digital travel revolution unfolding. Dr. R. A. Rathi "Digital Transformation of Travel & Tourism In India" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Special Issue | International Conference on Digital Economy and its Impact on Business and Industry , October 2018, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd18673.pdf