Blockchain and Tourism
Blockchain and Tourism have a long way to go with each other.
The blockchain technology is the talk of the town these days. It came into limelight mainly because of the cryptocurrencies but blockchain technology is not limited to cryptocurrency only. Cryptocurrency is made on the blockchain platform and blockchain is way beyond that.
In this article, we will discuss the applicability of blockchain in the Tourism Industry.
What is Blockchain?
The blockchain is an online platform which records transactions in chronological order in a ledger which is shared on a network amongst the participating parties.
Once a piece of information is entered in a blockchain, then it cannot be changed or erased and neither its order can be altered.
In the blockchain, the information is stored in a block and all the blocks are arranged in chronological order as chains hence getting the name blockchain.
How does Blockchain work?
When two parties want to make an electronic transaction over the Internet then there is a need for the trusted third party to validate and secure the transaction. The role of these trusted third parties is to avoid any kind of fraud and this results in high transaction cost.
In blockchain technology, the participants in the network validate the transaction
The flow of the transaction is as follows:
- When a sender wants to make a transaction, the transaction is stored in a block.
- This block is shared over the network
- The participants over the network validate the transaction.
- Then the block is added to the chain, which makes a record of the transaction which can not be altered.
- Then the receiver receives his asset and the transaction is complete.
Use of Blockchain in Tourism Industry
As I have said earlier blockchain has a vast application. And the tourism industry can also get benefited by in the following ways:
Payments
Blockchain technology has given us an easy way to make international payments without much transaction cost.
Many of the travelers travel to other countries to experience a new culture and environment. And today, most of the travelers prefer to prebook tourism services. Now, making an international payment involves a high transaction cost.
Hence, cryptocurrencies can be used to make these payments which will diminish these transaction costs.
Food
Blockchain maintains the record in chronological order. Hence, the journey of your food can be recorded and shared.
Let us assume that any of us has ordered a Burger. Now every ingredient can be traced to its origin. From the farm where the potatoes grew to the bakery where the buns were baked every information will be available. Hence, the problem of food adulteration can be resolved easily.
Internet of Things
IoT has found its vast application in the tourism industry and I have discussed this topic in detail in one of my blogs
But today we are discussing the effect of blockchain on IoT
In IoT devices need to exchange data with each other and because of this, a requirement has raised to decentralize the IoT platform. Blockchain can efficiently serve this purpose.
Blockchain ensures trusted and secure data exchange between IoT platforms.
Guest Tracking
Hotels can track their guests by blockchain technology. This will not only increase the efficiency of the hotel but also enhance the guest experience.
Hotels can keep a record that when a guest has landed and how much time he will take to reach a hotel etc. But for many people, this can be a privacy concern. And hence this problem is not an issue in blockchain technology as it allows the users to share only that much information which they want to share.
Security
Approximately, all of us are concerned about our security whenever we visit an unknown country.
If every service point and place we are visiting is on the blockchain then there is no such issue.
For an example if at night you are taking a taxi and you are conscious about the driver, then if the detail of the driver is stored in the blockchain you there can be the feeling of trust. You also share your location on a public ledger making you less vulnerable to bad incidents.
Conclusion
Blockchain certainly has the potential to bring many changes around the globe in every sector of our lives. But one of the main challenges is that people are not adopting it at that level, it can be because of lack of knowledge or their inertia to accept a change.
The use of Blockchain technology in the tourism industry will be beneficial for both the traveler and the business.
Like every technology, the misuse of Blockchain is possible. But for a better world, we will have to fight our demons.
Support
For any kind of technical assistance, just raise a ticket at http://webkul.uvdesk.com/
and for any doubt contact us at support@webkul.com