The Informed Traveller

The more one hears and sees of travel these days, the more one is convinced that technology is the single largest influencer of change in the way we travel today. There are various instances that prove the impact of technology on our travel, both in terms of the options it offers and the convenience factor. Online bookings, e-ticketing, wi-fi Internet connectivity, easy access to information whether on land, sea or sky, the ever changing interface of the omnipresent laptop and mobile phone are just a few areas where technology has completely changed the face of the way we travel. What is really pertinent though is the continuous stream of information that the traveller has access to in various forms which led to the emergence of the 'informed traveller'. One would think that all this access to technology and sophisticated communication systems would have a direct and adverse impact on the quantity of global business travel. However, the feBusiness Traveller in-house research, backed by various other business travel statistics reveal the contrary. Business travel has only boomed with the continuous advancement of technology. Our survey also reveals a few interesting facts on how the business travel community rates the positive impact of various technological applications on their travel. The feBusiness Traveller survey reveals that 41 per cent of business travellers rated the ability to access email on the move as the most important factor, 21 per cent voted for laptop/mobile power points, while 11 per cent voted for in-car satellite navigation, 20 per cent for broadband on planes/trains and 7 per cent for wireless hot spots; a clear indication that technology has been one of the key facilitators of growth in the business travel segment. These statistics explicitly explode the myth that travel and technology don't make good bedfellows... the Spotlight feature in this issue throws more light on the budding relationship between technology and travel, while our cover story deals with another facet of business travel that is yet to mature in this country - car rentals. I'm sure both these features will be eye-openers for the discerning business traveller.

Sheldon Santwan
EDITOR, feBusiness Traveller

Sheldon can be reached at editor@businesstravellerindia.com