Introduction
Tourism is considered as one of the major contributor in economy as tourism related activities contribute in the accomplishment of three high-priority objectives such as revenue generation, employment along with the foreign exchange earnings (Fletcher et al, 2018). Tourism is connected to the individuals who are travelling to other regions and locations, either locally or internationally for the relaxation or business purpose. The report is going to evaluate the tourism industry of Australia. In Australia, tourism sector is continued to see growth and its contribution in the country’s GDP get increased from 2.8% in FY 2022-23 to 2.9% in FY 2023-24. It also creates lots of job opportunities per year and jobs growing by 5.7% from 654,000 to 691,500 at the end of 2023-24 (Australian Government, 2025). The report will shed light on the role of technology in shaping the future of tourism and its impact on Australia’s tourism sector. Further, the report also depicts the technological developments, and its implications along with the future trends.
Main Body
The Role of Technology in Shaping the Future of Tourism
Tourism industry is considered as the great contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) and after Covid-19 pandemic, the industry has seen significant growth. In the year of 2024, the tourism industry is anticipated to contribute around $11.1 trillion, reporting for 10% of global GDP and presenting 12.1% increase per year (WP Travel, 2024). In Australia, tourism industry is well-developed and plays the most crucial role in the national employment, economy and GDP (gross domestic product). The country has wide range of attractions and tourism activities that easily grab the attention of visitors. Emerging technology plays a crucial role in the improvement of tourism industry (Holloway and Humphreys, 2022). Technology has made it possible for the tourism companies to offer innovative services & products and provide great customer experience.
Influence of digital platforms and social media on travel decisions
The Australia’s tourism industry is reacting to the technological transformation, with the tourism destinations and organisations for embracing sustainable as well as ethical practices to fulfil the expectations of contemporary travellers. In the technical era, the impact of social media platforms on tourism sector has been transformative. People are now using the social platforms such as; Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and TikTok etc. and spend lot of time on social media. Approximately 60% of travellers utilise social media platform to search about the different travel destinations, tour inspiration and planning (Australian Tourism, 2023). User-generated content like travel images, reviews and suggestions holds an important role which impact the decisions of customers who are going to plan holidays. More than 80% of travellers trust user-generated content as compared to the traditional marketing.
From Millennials to Gen Z all travellers are choosing social media channels for pre-trip research. Based on Skift’s State of Travel report of 2024, nearly 50% of travellers book travel directly on social media as these channels offer visually engaging content which make it simple for people to explore the travel destinations, accommodation and activities (Tanner, 2024). Further, social media platforms also offer real-time information regarding the weather conditions, local events as well as travel advisories. Social media also provides different ways to the tourism organisations for promoting the services and products which also contribute in customer decision making. Social media allows organisations to connect with the customers by replying to comments and convince them to book tickets immediately. Influencer marketing also boosts appeal and reach of destinations.
Role of technological advancements to shape future tourist experience in Australia
There are different technologies that help in promoting sustainability in the tourism industry. The technologies involve artificial intelligence, virtual reality, big data, data analytics, internet of things (IoT) and many more. The tourism sector has embraced advances technologies and using a multi-level approach to reach the international markets involving main tourist targets Indonesia, India and China (Travel Technology & Solutions, 2025). Technology influence how agents meet changing needs and preferences of the client. Due to technological advancement, leisure and business travellers are growingly knowledgeable regarding routes, airlines, flight schedules along with seating on the specified routes. Due to the digital tools and software, travellers can get the latest update about the flight and it also ease the waiting times (Page and Connel, 2020). Digital technology like data analytics makes it easy for the businesses to access the real-time data that helps in improving the customer safety as well as experiences in terms of future.
Digital tools like tracking systems, social media and data analytics will make it gradually easier for the corporate and leisure travellers to control their travel arrangements at own level. In Australia, Queensland will own high-functioning tourism network of which operates as an efficient partnerships model created on advanced technology strategies which harness the data, platforms and partnerships (Queensland Government, 2025). The future-focused event which was conducted at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre demonstrated tech wonderment, novel ways of working as well as the best approaches. The Australian’s tourism industry will reduce the barriers by using the advanced technology and innovation in future to make the tourism more sustainable and thereby attracts more travellers.
Benefits and drawbacks of technological advancement
Advantages
Technological advancement in the field of tourism provides many benefits and positively affects the Australia’s tourism landscape. It helps is enhancing the efficiency and convenience by offering online booking services and mobile application. By this technology, travellers can easily book the flight tickets, hotel rooms and get update from their homes. AI and big data technology allows the tourism organisation to provide personalized suggestions regrading destinations, restaurant, accommodation and tour activities (Pansuwong, WNakku and O’Connor, 2024). Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies assist customers to explore destinations before planning which lead to informed decision-making. The increasing use of social media marketing empowers the tourism companies to reach international audience. Social media channels, search engines along with online review approach enable organisations to promote services more efficiently and reach to particular target groups worldwide.
Drawbacks
Development in technology has some disadvantages which impact the tourism landscape in Australia. One of the major prominent cons of technology incorporation in tourism is over-reliance. Traveller growingly depends on GPS, online reviews and applications to plan trips that possibly lead to lack of discovery and impulsiveness. It reduces the interpersonal communication with local people. Technologies have increased the privacy and safety problems. When people book tickets and make payment online, they provide their personal information and because of poor security system their data can be easily hacked (Lu et al, 2022). It may reduce the trust of people and they can cancel their tour plans which adversely impact the Australia’s tourism. Dependency on technology like continuous internet access, real-time data streaming can raise the problem of unethical infrastructure expansion in the fragile ecosystems.
Future Outlook
In terms of tourism, Australia has bright future and will see growth & development in the industry. The estimated development in the Australian tourism sector, for the upcoming years, shows a promising viewpoint for job searchers in the future. Lots of local people in the country will get job in this field and improve their quality of life by earning money. The number of visitor will be also increased in the future because people desire to spend their holidays at places like Australia. The tourism organisations also use social media marketing to promote the destinations and attraction points that will grab the attention of the travellers in a high manner. According to report, in Australia total spend of visitor will reach approximately $223.3 billion in the year of 2028 which is a positive sign for the country (Torrens University Australia, 2024). Domestic as well as international tourism industry will grow which positively contributes in the improvement of local infrastructure, businesses and culture.
Future trends within the tourism industry such as; travel technology, sustainable tourism, mobile booking and many more contributes in improving the efficiency of Australia’s tourism industry. The tourism organisation will provide more safe travel to the customers so that they can enjoy their holidays and choose Australia again for their trips. Advances in the artificial intelligence, environment-friendly innovations, VR and AR technology will transform how people experience their traveling (Morrison and Buhalis, 2023). Australia tourism sector can positively affect the regional development and facilitate the elimination of inequalities among the different people. Along with this, demand for the skilled and talented professional will also increase in the coming years across the tourism sector. Therefore, it can be said that technical developments and innovation will help the country in generating more income, revenue and improves the economic conditions of the country.
Native Assignment Help offers expert academic support for students needing well-structured tourism and technology-related projects. Our professional writers deliver high-quality content tailored to university guidelines, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and originality. If you require reliable Assignment Help, we provide timely solutions to support your academic success.
Conclusion
By summing up this report, it can be concluded that tourism is major industry that facilitate the Australia to develop economy and contribute to wellbeing of society. Besides this, it can be inferred that technological advancement or digital tools help the tourism companies to grab the attention of more people. Social media platforms has made it possible for the businesses to convince the people for making the informed decisions regarding their trips by offering them chance to explore the destinations virtually. User-generated content, eye-catching images and positive reviews help the travellers in their tour planning. There are several drawbacks due to technological developments like data breaches, over-reliance and lack of interpersonal relationship which need to be addressed.
Recommendation
Based on above analysis, it is recommended that ‘Ecotourism’ will be suitable business type in the Australia tourism market. With the help of the technology, the organisation will easily operate the ecotourism. By using renewable, water saving techniques and waste management technology the organisation can protect environment as well as improve tourism.
References
Books and Journals
Fletcher, J., Fyall, A., Gilbert, D. and Wanhill, S., 2018. Tourism: Principles and Practice. 6th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Holloway, J. C. and Humphreys, C., 2022. The Business of Tourism. 12th edn. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Lu, J., Xiao, X., Xu, Z., Wang, C., Zhang, M. and Zhou, Y., 2022. The potential of virtual tourism in the recovery of tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(3), pp.441-457.
Morrison, A. M. and Buhalis, D. (eds) 2023. Routledge Handbook of Trends and Issues in Tourism Sustainability, Planning and Development, Management, and Technology. London:Routledge.
Page, S. J. and Connel, J., 2020. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis. 5th edn. London: Routledge.
Pansuwong, W., Nakku, V. and O’Connor, A., 2024. How digital technology impacts tourism business models in Australian tourism destinations. In Handbook of Tourism Entrepreneurship (pp. 352-370). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Online
Australian Government, 2025. National Tourism Satellite Account. [Online] Available through < https://www.tra.gov.au/en/economic-analysis/tourism-satellite-accounts/national-tourism-satellite-account#:~:text=tourism%20GDP%20as%20a%20share,jobs%20than%20in%202018%E2%80%9319 >
Australian Tourism, 2023. The Impact of Social Media on Australian Tourism: A Statistical Analysis. [Online] Available through < https://australiantourism.org/blogs/tourism-news/the-impact-of-social-media-on-australian-tourism-a-statistical-analysis >
Queensland Government, 2025. Tourism Technology and Innovation Roadmap. [Online] Available through < https://www.desi.qld.gov.au/tourism/tourism-development/tourism-strategy/towards-tourism-2032/tourism-technology-and-innovation-roadmap >
Tanner, K., 2024. Social Media Marketing for Travel: Engaging Audiences and Inspiring Journeys. [Online] Available through < https://inmarketingwetrust.com.au/social-media-marketing-for-travel-engaging-audiences-and-inspiring-journeys/ >
Torrens University Australia, 2024. Australian tourism industry outlook 2024 and beyond: Jobs and trends. [Online] Available through < https://www.torrens.edu.au/stories/blog/hospitality/australian-tourism-industry-outlook-2024#:~:text=Tourism%20industry%20job%20and%20growth%20projections%20to%202030&text=According%20to%20TRA%2C%20by%202028,(up%2064%25%20in%202019) >
Travel Technology & Solutions, 2025. Travel Technology in Australia. [Online] Available through < https://www.tts.com/blog/travel-technology-in-australia/ >
WP Travel, 2024. Global Tourism Statistics 2024: Trends and Forecasts. [Online] Available through < https://wptravel.io/global-tourism-industry-statistics/#:~:text=The%20global%20tourism%20sector's%20contribution,year%2Dover%2Dyear%20increase >
