Online travel agencies provide their customers the convenience of booking Flights, Hotels, Cars, Packages, and much more, by accessing multiple options simultaneously and choosing the best one for them, both through self-help options and assisted options. Over the years, with increasing demand for travel and myriad options to choose from, it has become extremely important to choose the most suitable one. With the significant rise in demand for OTAs, consequently, there is now a significant increase in the demand for a skilled workforce that’s required to continue to run its operations seamlessly.
OTAs today have become data and technology-intensive, in areas of customer acquisition, managing effective unit economics, driving great user experience, and tracking internal efficiency metrics. Market disruptions in the travel market have seen it become even more resilient & flexible to the changing nature of travel across global markets. Use of big data analytics, IoT devices, contactless payments, in-app chats/chatbots & other tech reformations – All have added to the complexity & depth of the travel domain. OTAs today hire travel experts who help customers in assisted buying; there is a whole new demand for Data Scientists, Developers, experts in the field of IT and Information security, Digital marketers, and web designers.
A critical impact of these external market complexities is even felt in the internal processes of these businesses- the use of RPAs, and AI chatbots are the need of the hour. The need for driving quicker, better, and cost-effective options to its customers, is redefining the way these companies work.
The OTA market has been seeing significant growth over the years and is slated to grow at a CAGR of 16% over the next decade (as per industry reports). With an increase in disposable incomes and ease of booking, these companies have seen significant traction across age groups. Now with travel returning to normal, post the Covid impact, the global tourism market is already touching pre-pandemic levels. With increased and anticipated demand, these companies are offering a plethora of options for their customers.
The demand for talent/ skilled workforce has seen a significant rise across all sectors of the travel industry, especially in the online space. There are immense career opportunities for potential candidates with an ever-increasing online travel business and the spectrum of demand across the sector.
The OTAs hire Travel experts, to provide assisted support to their customers. With the increased online demand, there is a huge requirement for fresh to experienced developers. These companies are significantly investing in hiring Data Scientists and Data Engineers. Data security and managing strong IT infrastructure have become extremely important, with continuous push on better user experience and digital acquisition of customers through cost optimization
Overall, the next few years will see significant investment by the OTAs in building a strong workforce to meet the increasing business demand and transform these organizations into strong technology-driven organizations. This pandemic-fueled demand has opened immense career opportunities for potential candidates, across a wide spectrum of job types, especially for those wanting to build careers in the Travel and Technology related fields.
The author is the Director on Board / VP –People & Culture (International), Fareportal India.
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