Deployment of Near Field Communication Technology Applications in Tourism Ecosystem

Use of technologies such as Smartphones and tablet computers by travellers has increased at a
phenomenal rate in recent years. Tourism is a hybrid industry because, though dominated by
the provision of information, it is essentially about a physical environment. However, physical
and digital worlds are becoming inseparable due to travellers’ need to be connected anytime,
anywhere. In addition, more and more devices will soon be supporting Near Field
Communication (NFC), which is a short-range wireless technology for data transfer and
information exchange. NFC has a huge potential to open up new opportunities for various
stakeholders in the tourism market because it has the capability of offering value-added retail
marketing services to mobile-centric travellers.
In this project, we assess the potential commercial viability of NFC applications and services
in tourism through market research, market testing, competitor analysis, Intellectual Property
(IP) position, and initial planning to take the project to commercialisation including costs
assessment, timescales and funding requirements. This is an expert perspective on how NFC
can impact all phases of the travel lifecycle: pre-trip, trip and post-trip. The project also
reports on current trends in the NFC products and applications market as well as its expected
trends in the tourism industry. It is designed to outline potential benefits and obstacles as well
as key considerations relating to the deployment of tourism-related NFC services. The aim is
to enhance the project commercialisation process in the future by providing comprehensive
market research and an expert perspective on NFC-based business models suitable for the
tourism industry. This initial planning for project commercialisation also improves market
growth capabilities in verticals such as retail, ticketing and smart-advertisement applications.