The travel & tourism industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by a greater desire from consumers for personalised offerings that heighten the traveller experience. Delivering this requires the collection and effective use of large amounts of personal data and this has significant cybersecurity implications. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, and cloud solutions are all growing in importance. In the last three years alone, there have been over 15,000 patents filed and granted in the travel & tourism industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Travel: Reservation system database management. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 21,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the travel & tourism industry, there are 20+ reservation system database managements that will shape the future of the industry.
Reservation system database management is a key innovation area in travel & tourism
Reservation & online booking systems allow businesses to manage reservations, requests and bookings made online, often from multiple vendors on multiple platforms. Reservation management systems facilitate dynamic pricing strategies, inventory management, and improve the booking experience for guests or passengers.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each reservation system database management and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established travel & tourism companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of reservation system database management.
Key players in reservation system database management – a disruptive innovation in the travel & tourism industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to reservation system database management
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Flex | 114 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nuro | 112 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Walmart | 101 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amadeus IT Group | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| adidas | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Amadeus | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Didi Global | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Gurunavi | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Airbnb | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Trip.com Group | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toyota Motor | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Winnow Solutions | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alphabet | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SoftBank Group | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Recruit Holdings | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| OPTIMUM | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Grab Holdings | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sabre | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toast | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Enterprise Holdings | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEC | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
As a leading IT provider to the travel & tourism industry, it is no surprise to see that Amadeus filed for the highest number of patents in this area in 2021. The Spanish giant, whose global distribution system (GDS) is used in hotels across the world, has applied to protect (among other innovations) a method and system for centralised reservation context management on a multi-server reservation system. A leading rival of Amadeus, Sabre, is also innovating in the area of reservation system database management, which is again unsurprising given its position as one of the ‘big three’ GDS providers. Travel intermediaries are not heavily involved in patent activity in this area, but Airbnb and Trip.com, both of which have built a reputation for being strong innovators, have filed 16 and 10 patent applications since 2015, respectively. With an increasing number of bookings for travel now taking place online, there is an ever-growing need for highly effective and user-friendly reservation management systems, which means we will continue to see innovation in this space, likely spearheaded by specialist providers of these systems.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the travel & tourism industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Key Themes in Travel and Tourism for 2022.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
