Trade and Tourism
Evolution and tech change
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1840
Innovation in transportation and the industrial revolution
The industrial revolution revitalizes trade, improving distribution routes to new consumer points. It also signifies the beginning of tourism, opening the possibility of moving large groups of people.
Advance
Steam engine
Commercialization and tourist destinations
Impact
1840
Advance
Steam engine
The steam machinery transforms means of transportation and radically changes trade. It accelerates the movement of consumer goods and takes advantage of available transportation infrastructure to mark the beginnings of tourism.
Impact
Commercialization and tourist destinations
The improvement of commercial routes involves the incorporation of professional profiles dedicated to marketing in new consumer points. Group travel paves the way for travel agencies and printed guides. Professionals focused on negotiating with hotels and railways emerge to find economical offers and attractive destinations for tourism.
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1931
The right to leisure time and vacations
The right to leisure time is introduced in the labor market, and tourism is no longer a distinguishing factor. New businesses associated with the democratization of tourism emerge.
Advance
Concept of «Leisure time»
Professionals for selling vacation travel
Impact
1931
Advance
Concept of «Leisure time»
In its early stages, tourism was an exclusive and elitist activity. During the Second Spanish Republic, the right to paid vacations for all salaried individuals is established. This becomes a turning point in democratizing tourism.
Impact
Professionals for selling vacation travel
The introduction of the concept of «leisure time» and paid vacations brings tourist practices to a broader audience, leading to increased demand for specialized professionals to market trips and destinations. Several elements accompany this tourism revolution, with commerce taking on an aspect of leisure—a pleasurable activity that complements tourism offerings.
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1960
Electronic Data Interchange – EDI
EDI unprecedentedly changes the commerce sector. This technology marks a before and after because the electronic method in buying and selling transactions has persisted to the present day.
Advance
EDI Platform
Technology as a requirement for commerce professionals
Impact
1960
Advance
EDI Platform
A platform that facilitated companies in transmitting financial data using electronic methods. This technology enabled instant communication over long distances. EDI marked the beginnings of what we know today as electronic commerce.
Impact
Technology as a requirement for commerce professionals
Professionals need new techniques to adapt to the use of technology, as processes of online transactions are significantly modified from EDI, affecting the way businesses conduct their buying and selling strategies. A decade later, commercial relationships emerged using computers to transmit data, revolutionizing how companies carry out their transactions.
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1990
The Futures Plan
The growth of European sun and beach tourism in Spain brings to the forefront the first political tourism strategy aimed at improving the country’s tourism and commercial services.
Advance
Futures Plan I and II
Languages and quality to make a difference
Impact
1990
Advance
Futures Plan I and II
Faced with the growth of the Spanish tourism sector, the first political strategy in tourism emerges, providing proposals and support for the improvement of hotel establishments and assistance for the internationalization of businesses.
Impact
Languages and quality to make a difference
In the early ’90s, tourism in Spain begins to generate a considerable share of the GDP and create many jobs in the hotel and restaurant sector. To bet on the tourism competitiveness of the destination, it was necessary to improve the skills of the sector’s personnel, particularly by incorporating more language skills and techniques for certifying the quality of establishments, both commercial and tourist.
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2000
The emergence of eCommerce
Commerce and tourism start to lead online projects that revolutionize the way of traveling and rapidly advance towards the personalization of tourist and commercial services through the internet.
Advance
eCommerce
Technology as a requirement for commerce professionals
Impact
2000
Advance
eCommerce
EWith the advent of eCommerce, multiple online stores are generated, and the escalation is still relevant today. Small and medium-sized businesses and freelancers seek business opportunities on the internet, employing technological solutions and multichannel strategies.
Impact
Technology as a requirement for commerce professionals
E-commerce requires web development and digital marketing professionals to help businesses position themselves on the internet. Staying up-to-date is what makes professionals competitive in the commerce and tourism sector. Today, airlines, hotel chains, travel agencies, tour operators, etc., aim to enrich the user’s shopping experience and innovate in sales strategies.
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Future
VR and AR transform experiences
Challenges in commerce and tourism focus on evoking positive emotions and enriching the customer experience beyond the web and mobile applications. Virtual, personalized, and useful environments.
Advance
Immersive technologies
Initiation of new business models
Impact
Future
Advance
Immersive technologies
o generate interest in tourist destinations or to offer more innovative and personalized shopping experiences, attention is increasingly directed toward the use of immersive technologies such as virtual reality in the commerce and tourism sector.
Impact
Initiation of new business models
The metaverse, augmented reality, and virtual reality are immersive environments capable of transporting the user to a personalized digital experience where they can explore and interact in a new dimension. Those responsible for developing these environments are primarily new business models and startups that impact fields such as advertising, tourism, health, or the entertainment sector, among others.