Tourism and hospitality sectors have been challenged to integrate e-solutions to accelerate recovery from Covid-19 pandemic.
This was said by stakeholders in the hospitality industry during the Pesapal Caffè sessions.
Over the last decade, digitalization has revolutionised the tourism and hospitality industry.
Advances in technology and innovations have spurred a transformation in the sector and redefined how the travel and hospitality sectors operate.
"More business and leisure travelers are going online to make their travel plans and the industry must change their business models to meet the emerging trends," Pollmans Group head of operations and tourism influencer, Mohammed Hersi, said.
Hersi added that the hospitality industry must be able to conduct business without physical contact and technology enables easier and seamless ways of doing business.
Amongst the areas that have seen significant transformation are payments and reservations.
Today, the hospitality and tourism industries are at the forefront of cashless payments, with a broad range of merchants facing customers who demand fast and frictionless services.
Pesapal founder Agosta Liko said merchants need innovative payment solutions to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market.
The company's solutions enable payments from anywhere in the world and reduce the complexity of cross-border transactions.
According to Liko, the Pesapal payment platform enables seamless process integration for customers and players in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Following the outbreak of the pandemic last year, more business and leisure travelers are going online to make their travel plans.
From finding the next destination to getting reviews and making bookings, it's all gone digital, Liko noted.
To keep up with these new developments, stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sectors are adapting and engaging with their customers online and making their user journey as simple as possible.
This includes ensuring they can conveniently and securely make and pay for their hotel bookings.
“As an industry, the travel and hospitality sector, we have had to adopt sustainable business models to attract both local and international travelers, this meant adopting online solutions,” Tandaza Africa Founder Charity Githinji said.
Pesapal Caffé sessions is an initiative by Pesapal targeting professionals in various sectors.
The aim is to connect individuals, share learnings and transfer knowledge with a key focus on the digital economy.