The pandemic is completely changing vacation habits. Hotels using contactless guest applications in the new era attract significantly more tourists than their competitors, with sales revenues increasing by 18% and profitability rising by 30%. The global tourism sector, which lost 1 billion tourists and 1 trillion dollars in revenue due to the pandemic, is focusing in the coming years on “contactless vacation” alternatives to attract tourists.With contactless guest applications, while you swim in the sea, your drink order given via your mobile app arrives at your sunbed; while sunbathing, you can make a SPA reservation with a command from your phone; while you get ready in your room, your meal is brought to your preferred table at your chosen restaurant. Thus, tourists enjoy a safe holiday without fear of virus transmission, while facilities using these applications start the race 1-0 ahead of their competitors.PROFITABILITY INCREASES BY 30%Turkey, which gained an advantage over other tourism destinations during the pandemic with its Safe Tourism Certificate, is also ambitious with its tourism software. Nilüfer Durukal, Managing Partner of Talya Bilişim, which plays an important role in digitalizing tourism facilities with its developed software, said, “Turkey ranks in the top 10 worldwide and second in Europe in tourism software. Our Elektra V5 Hotel Management System is used by 4,500 hotels in Turkey. Thanks to this software, hotels’ sales revenues increase by 18% and profitability by 30%. This program, which also ensures guest loyalty, provides 20% savings on inventory. Now we have launched the web-based version of this software, Elektraweb. We have migrated 500 hotels to this system.”With the Elektraweb application, 23 different transactions from online check-in to food and beverage orders, room cleaning, and bellboy requests can be done while maintaining social distancing. So far, 300 hotels have started using this application. 100 FACILITIES ABROAD HAVE SWITCHED TO THIS PROGRAMHighlighting that there is no web-based tourism software as comprehensive as Elektraweb in the world, Durukal said, “Because this application is web-based, you can manage the hotel from anywhere you want. Hotels that saw our software have stopped using global software giants and started using Elektraweb.”Durukal mentioned that they have especially growth plans abroad with Elektraweb: “Initially, we plan to operate through a distributor in each country. Currently, Elektra is used in nearly 60 hotels in Azerbaijan. We have new distributors in Macedonia and Romania. Over 100 facilities abroad have switched to Elektraweb today. Our primary target markets are Africa and the Balkan countries.”TAUGHT AS A COURSE IN FACULTIESTalya Bilişim, which produces smart solutions for tourism and health companies with its 110-person team, enables its users to closely monitor their financial, operational, and administrative processes electronically and offers full control opportunities with the software it develops. Since 2006, Elektra has been taught as a compulsory course in tourism vocational high schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education, and its web-based version has also attracted great interest, securing a place in over 100 tourism faculties.
