How the drivers of technological innovation will shape the future of touriems

1. The Future of Technology
Dr Ian Yeoman
School of Management

2. Learning points
• In order to understand the future of
technology advancement reality can be best
viewed through the paradigm of science
fiction
• The lecture overviews the drivers of
technological change as an interface between
tourist and tourism
• This is the story of Maria, on holiday in
Edinburgh

3. • Maria, a 29 year old from Madrid loves culture, art and festivals and every other
year visits the festivals of Edinburgh. She is thinking, what shall I do this year?
Using her mobile phone, she watches the latest www.visitscotland.com, an
interactive film which follows the exploits of Hamish, holidaying in Edinburgh,
whether it is bungee jumping off the Forth Road Bridge, a performance of the
Chicago Ballet at the international festival or the Russian veteran political satirist
Vladimir Putin. As Maria watches the film, she ‘tags’ the things she wants to do,
places to stay and makes arrangements for flights all brought together as an
individual itinerary. Maria then confirms everything speaking to Mary,
VisitScotland’s intelligent agent, a 3D hologram image on her phone.
• On arrival at Edinburgh Airport, Maria wants to check some local information; the
cyborg information assistant is a wealth of knowledge advising Maria on local
restaurants and pubs. Arriving in the city centre, Maria checks into her hotel using
a biometric eye registration system. Before leaving for a tour of the old town, she
has purchased a ‘witchery tour’ app for her contact lens so that she can visualize
what medieval Edinburgh would be like in 1650. All possible given the ubiquitous
nature of the city’s information network. That night, dinner is at the Rhubarb
restaurant with friends before heading to the Festival Theatre to watch Mr Putin’s
‘vodka politiks’ comedy routine. The evening finishes about 1.00am with drinks at
the Balmoral Champagne Bar, a seven star bar which features mind reading bar
attendants who offer immaculate service.

4. Technology
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5. 2050: An Information Society
• The role of technology in tourism is increasingly becoming
more pronounced. Constant innovations and
developments of new technologies allow users and
suppliers to interact on platforms that were unimaginable
in the past decade. Today, the provision of information on
tourism products is available through a variety of
channels and technological platforms, bringing with it a
range of benefits such as convenience with user-friendly
interfaces, up-to-date information and affordability to the
end user. These developments increasingly drives the
integration of technology within our everyday lives with
mobile internet, navigation systems and smartphones,
which attempts to constantly keep us connected to the
digital world.
5

6. 2050: An Information Society
• The role of technology in tourism is increasingly
becoming more pronounced. Constant
innovations and developments of new technologies
allow users and suppliers to interact on platforms that
were unimaginable in the past decade. Today, the
provision of information on tourism products is available
through a variety of channels and technological
platforms, bringing with it a range of benefits such as
convenience with user-friendly interfaces, up-to-date
information and affordability to the end user. These
developments increasingly drives the integration of
technology within our everyday lives with mobile
internet, navigation systems and smartphones, which
attempts to constantly keep us connected to the digital
world..and this is only the beginning6

8. 2050: An Information Society
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Ubiquitous Computing
Virtual Reality

9. • Ubiquitous computing (UC) refers to
technologies which interact with humanity out in
the open rather than users with a computer
• Maria uses a ‘witchery tour’ app to experience
and interpret medieval Edinburgh. Virtual reality
(VE) is defined as computer-generated 3D
environments that consumers can navigate and
interact with. Augmented reality (AR) is a live,
direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world
environment whose elements are augmented by
computer-generated sensory input such as
sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

10. • In Japan 30% of online
travel agents report
30% of hotel bookings
coming via mobile
phones on the day of
arrival (Hatton 2009)
Augmented audio and visual recognition
technology means that a smartphone with a
camera can recognise the environment and
provide information

11. 11

12. Terminator Salvation…….
Scientists at the University of Washington have been developing
a contact lens containing one built-in LED, powered wirelessly with
radio frequency waves, facial recognition systems etc (Nelson 2008)

13. 2050: An Information Society
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15. 15
2050: An Information Society

16. Gestural Interfaces
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A gestural interface is a platform that bridges communication between
humans by inventing measures which allow computers to understand
human body language (Yeoman 2011). The best example of future
development is the Sixth Sense Project or google ‘Pranav Mistry’

17. Gestural Interfaces
• The screen of these interfaces are embedded
with optical sensors that track the movement
of the user’s fingers such that they do not
have to come into contact with the display as
portrayed in Minority Report
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19. Biometrics
• The use of retinal eye scanners and biometrics
is present in todays technologies.
• Physiological biometrics refers too using
physical traits of a person, such as
fingerprints, the iris i.e., passports
• Behavioural biometrics is about individuals
psychology including voice, typing rhythm and
gait recognition

20. When will Moore’s end?
Moore's law is the number
of transistors that can be
placed inexpensively on
an integrated circuit has
doubled approximately every
two years
Predictions about the death
of Moore's Law have been
wrong several times, too. In
1978, IBM scientists predicted
Moore's Law had only 10
years left. When they got to
1988, they said it would end
in 10 years again. (Kanellos
2005)
20
Optical computing uses light
beams to store information and
perform computations. As
conventional silicon-based
electronic processors reach
theoretical limits, optical
computers present an attractive
alternative, because they are
much faster and energy
efficient. (Techcast 2010)

21. 21
What is the Future of Visitor Information Centres?

22. Ciudad Grupo Santander, Madrid
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23. New York Visitor Centre

24. Technology and Life
Eight Net Gen Norms
• They want freedom in everything they do, from freedom
of choice to freedom of expression
• They love to customise, personalise
• They are the new scrutinizers
• They look for corporate integrity and openness when
deciding what to buy and where to work
• The Net Gen wants entertainment and play in their work,
education, and social life
• They are the collaboration and relationship generation
• The Net Gen has a need for speed – and not just in video
games
• They are the innovators
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25. Artificial Intelligence
Since 1950 when Alan Turing
defined the ‘Turing Test’ in which
computers are indistinguishable
from human behaviour. Artificial
intelligence has proven to the
illusive holy grail of technology
forecasters. Computers have
beaten chess masters and chatted
with humans. But when will we
reach singularity? The point when
the processing power of the
computer surpasses the human
brain.
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26. Artificial Intelligence
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Adaptive Inc, is an artificial
general intelligence system that
can conduct smart intelligence
conservations with you.
SmartActionIVR monitors the
conversation for mood, degree of
certainty, learns how to respond
and even ask you on a date
Google’s cross-language
search can retrieve results
in another by providing
automatic translation
services

27. Artificial Intelligence
27
Adaptive Inc, is an artificial
general intelligence system that
can conduct smart intelligence
conservations with you.
SmartActionIVR monitors the
conversation for mood, degree of
certainty, learns how to respond
and even ask you on a date
Google’s cross-language
search can retrieve results
in another by providing
automatic translation
services

28. Can I read your mind?
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DAPRA’s Silent Talk. The goal is to
“allow user-to-user communication on
the battlefield without the use of
vocalized speech through analysis of
neural signals.” This is were telepathy
becomes real.

29. A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called
a direct neural interface or a brain–machine
interface, is a direct communication pathway
between a brain and an external device. BCI’s are
often aimed at assisting, augmenting or repairing
human cognitive or sensory-motor function.
Avatar: Artificial bodies operated
wirelessly by thought alone

30. Haptic Technologies
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The concept of haptic
technology builds on the
users’ sense of touch,
allowing them to touch and
feel objects within the
virtual real. (Yeoman 2011)
Hatsune Miku

31. Real People
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32. 32
Singularity is here

33. Concluding remarks..
• The internet has changed everything and the
mobile changing everything again.
• Ubiquitous computing brings the computer
into your domain as the ‘internet of
everything’
• Virtual reality, augmented reality and gestural
interfaces brings us to the world of ‘liminal
worlds’

34. Reference
• Yeoman, I (2012) 2050: Tomorrows Tourism.
Channelview, Bristol. Ch 5, pp65-87