Traveltech for Scotland has rolled out a free online course to help tourism businesses find and use the right digital technologies.
‘Getting Started with Travel Technology’ is a collaboration between Scottish and international experts from across the tourism and hospitality sectors, including contributions from Q-Line Consulting, ScotBeer Tours, Stampede and the Tourism Marketing Agency.
The interactive learning experience is made up of short learner videos and practical tasks which businesses can pursue in modules at their own pace.
The course follows the five elements of the customer journey: dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing and sharing.
It aims to equip businesses with a ‘traveltech toolbox’ including suggested Scottish and international travel technology products and how they can be applied in this customer journey.
Having completed the course, businesses will be able to assess the use of technologies which could improve the efficiency and user experience.
The development of the course was funded by the Edinburgh Futures Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, and the Scottish Funding Council.
It is hosted on the FutureLearn platform.
Joshua Ryan-Saha, Director of Traveltech for Scotland, said: "The last two years have been incredibly difficult for tourism businesses, but we’ve also seen innovation and ingenuity in the use of technology from the sector. Contactless ordering and payment systems are everywhere, and we can now find and book a broader range of experiences online."
"However, we know it is still really challenging for small businesses to make confident decisions to choose the technology systems they need. That is why we designed the course to be useful for all."
