How this will affect the cultural travel?
No Flash
As in iPhone, Flash animations and files will not display on iPad. Tour operators and agencies, who design their websites with Flash will suffer from the lack of visibility and hence, lose their opportunity to reach the higher end of the market and younger generations.
Sites using Java-based animations and youtube.com videos, will prosper.
Integrated iBookstore
Travel agencies, directing their customers to buy books online related to a trip, or many other products that Amazon.com offer, will suffer from the iPad launch, since the myriad of apps and the iBook store are integrated into the new device. Smart tour operators and agencies can serve their patrons by adding a section for the iBook store, in addition to Amazon and Longitude books. Since the project is still not completed, it is unclear which affiliated programs will have iBook and iPad to help small travel agencies to incrementally add revenue and value.
GPS and other apps
Tour operators and travel agencies offering classical cultural tourism destinations will suffer from the introduction of this device. While the iPhone is a locked device, without the ability to connect when you are abroad, unless you spend a fortune roaming, iPad will come in the end of this month with global GPS and an unlocked SIM card, making it the first global media distribution Wi-FI and 3G device. That means that information will reach the iPad user around the world, making dynamic packaging a breeze.
Only agencies offering emerging destinations or unique experiences, will profit from the iPad. In fewer words, cultural travel will become a global commodity and only the narrow specialized “travel concierges” will survive.
Of course, this will not happen overnight. While restaurant reservation apps for France are abundant and most of the museums in Germany are accessible on an iPhone app, there are few if any applications to help visitors to emerging destination to do what really matters to them: find a great church concert in Prague or research helicopter services to Machu Picchu. The agencies who cater to an unsophisticated computer user will still get by, until there are no more “blank” spots on the apps map or no more users who don’t feel comfortable to press a button and reserve tickets, hotel and flight for the 1st of January concert in Vienna.
Virtual and Augmented reality
With growing mobile apps for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), ancient ruins in Rome (Roma Reborn project) or destroyed cultural heritage sites in Peru will be visible in their glory in a much bigger screen than iPhone or any hand held device. Combined with the hundreds of hotel reservations next to these sites or information from Wikipedia, pictures from Flickr and Picassa and a personalized itinerary app, the iPad will be the Mecca for those who love to explore cultural heritage, history or just enjoy learning while traveling.
Large screen and keyboard
So is this Cultural tourism on steroids? Yes, for the sophisticated, freedom-loving buyer, who doesn’t want a travel agency to get in the middle of his/her experiences; but is it the IPad the traveler concierge that will help you arrange a private visit of the Royal stables of Jordan? Not yet.
In the future, I assume that smart travel agents will include the iPad as part of their welcome package, when the prices of the device go down. With step by step itineraries, youtube.com video selection from the visits of museums or monuments, the device can serve as a perfect sales tool and companion for those travel agents who maximize its functionality as a sort of cultural iTravel iAgent.
Until then, brace yourselves for fierce competition from the friendly Apple store.
