Online course helps tourism and hospitality firms use latest tech 

A technology cluster organisation representing Scotland’s travel sector has launched a free online course to help tourism and hospitality businesses find and use the right digital technologies. 

Traveltech for Scotland’s “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.

A fun, interactive learning experience, the course is made up of short learner videos and practical tasks which businesses can pursue in modules in their own time. 

The course follows the five elements of a traveller’s 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 services and how they can be applied against this customer journey.

Having completed the course, businesses will be able to assess the use of technologies which could improve the efficiency and experience of their business and create an action plan to manage their implementation.

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 and hospitality 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. From the local fish and chip shop owner to the manager of a five-star international hotel, this course can help.” 

The Traveltech for Scotland cluster launched in 2020 to make Scotland one of Europe’s leading traveltech hubs. It is funded jointly by Scottish Enterprise and the 2014–2020 European Structural and Investment Fund through SPRITE (Scottish Programme for Research, Innovation and Technology Ecosystem), and is hosted by the Edinburgh Futures Institute and supported by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service.