Has Technology Done Away with Certain Kinds of Travel?

With online experiences, virtual reality tours and Wi-Fi hotspots all now available, the way that we see and experience the world is changing. In this post, we’ll look at these factors and assess how technological advancements have impacted on tourism in Croatia. We’ll look at the challenges faced by the industry in Croatia and how these can be overcome by embracing the technological revolution.

Wi-Fi Hotspots and Data Roaming

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Tourists are now also more interconnected than ever before. Whereas most tourists used to head to Zagreb armed only with a map and a list of things they’d like to see, now tourists can bring their smartphones and stay connected to the world around them thanks to Wi-Fi hotspots and data roaming. This means that they can tour the city while reading blogs about what to see and do for themselves, rather than asking tour guides.

This poses challenges for the tourism industry because it means that people are less reliant on certain tourism industries, such as sight-seeing buses (as they know exactly where to go on their smartphone apps) and guided tours (as they can read about the history or culture of where they’re visiting on their phone as they travel around). However, providers are now smartening up to this, releasing their own apps to complement their services.

Online Experiences

Following on from this, the creation of online experiences is one of the reasons why people are travelling less. With so much exposure to the wonders of the world now online, many travelers may feel like they do not need to travel at all.

For example, with many online providers such as Betway now offering online casino experiences, travelers may not feel the need to visit the casinos of Croatia. Instead, they can receive this thrill from the comfort of their own home, saving the expense of travel while still receiving the same overall experience.

This causes problems for Croatia’s top casinos, such as the Diamond Palace casino in Zagreb, which is continually rated as 'excellent' on TripAdvisor. Without the tourism trade, these casinos are less likely to thrive and must heighten their experience to respond to the threat.

Virtual Reality Tours

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For many travelers, Croatia’s best destinations, such as Pula, simply have to be seen to be believed. However, due to technological advancements, it is quickly becoming possible to see these locations online, lessening the need for people to visit them.

For many, Google Maps was a rather primitive form of virtual reality. All you had to do was input a postcode or a destination and it would transport you there. Alternatively, you could even take a look at our cameras to see what was happening in Pula in real-time.

This technology has now expanded further and companies such as Virtual Reality Croatia can transport you back in time through Pula’s history while you visit. This is a neat response to the need to include new technologies in the experience of travelers and tourists, continually using technology to heighten their experience.

Heading Further Afield

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It’s only a decade or so ago that travel was so expensive that trips abroad were a luxury that very few people could afford. However, thanks to improvements in technology, people can now travel further for a lower cost.

Thanks to a number of newly developed apps and websites, it’s easier to find affordable airfare, cheaper housing and well-reviewed locations. Many people even simply receive text alerts when discounts become available.

This means that technology has increased competition in the market, and countries like Croatia have to respond because they are now competing with the rest of the world.

To conclude, all of these technological advancements have caused problems for the travel industry across the world. However, the travel industry still has a bright future as long as it embraces these technologies and heightens the experience for travelers. Tourism in Croatia continues to boom, with towns and cities continuing to appear on ‘must visit’ lists. As long as Croatian tourism embraces these technologies, it will continue to thrive.