Legacy systems are holding the travel industry back from digital transformation, according to a new poll by Travel Technology Europe.
Almost half (48%) of travel professionals – representing travel technology companies, tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers and travel management companies – cited legacy technology as a barrier to transformation.
This was followed by ‘knowledge gaps’ (45%), ‘budget’ (39%) and ‘talent/skills gaps’ (30%), while just over a quarter (26%) highlighted ‘lack of board buy-in or corporate vision’ as an issue.
Respondents also pointed to a lack of integration between technology suppliers, alongside the pace of change within the sector.
Commenting on the results, Charlotte Lamp Davies, founder of management consultancy A Bright Approach and advisor to Travel Technology Europe, said: “The travel sector is still rife with legacy systems and these results confirm just what an impact this is having on progress. Endless amounts of ‘patchwork’ solutions are being executed to antiquated technology platforms, which prevent many established travel companies from moving forward.”
However, she went on to warn: “New players with better tech will eradicate and replace those who don’t invest in new technology.”
Brian Sheerin, managing director of travel tech provider SABS, added: “Moving away from legacy systems requires significant investment and development of talent, which is why so much leisure travel technology still relies on them. The truth is, though, they are very quickly becoming unfit for purpose, are clunky to use and a drain on time and resources.”
Travel Technology Europe 2020 will be held on 26-27 February at Olympia London and Simon Wood, associate director of technology at Holiday Extras, will talk about ‘Killing off legacy tech the right way’ on day one of the event.
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