Defining the next phase of transforming travel
Our personal and professional news feeds are full of how Generative AI is the latest technology to “transform” the world. That may well be the case but what, exactly, does transform mean and why is Amadeus talking about it in 2025 when it was talking about it in 2015?
Contributing editor Martin Cowen has a look.
“Transform” is one of the many buzzwords co-opted by the management consultancy industry which has now become part of how enterprises communicate. All businesses in all verticals across all geographies are advised – literally in many cases – to undertake a transformational business strategy to stay relevant, to think about their digital transformation roadmap, to have a chief transformational officer, to run transformation workshops and so on.
Like many buzzwords, its precise meaning is vague and unclear which is exactly what buzzwords are about. It is used interchangeably - transition, innovation, reinvention, evolution, revolution - diluting whatever specific meaning it might have into a word-salad-soup of corporate gobblydegook.
But by diminishing the importance of transforming something, many businesses are in danger of settling for the status quo. In travel, and technology, and travel technology, standing still is not an option.
So what does transform mean?
Dictionary definitions are the usual starting point for articles such as this. But what did the Generative AI engines say when I asked them for “the shortest and simplest definition of transform”?
ChatGPT thinks transform “is a major change in form, appearance, or nature”; Microsoft Copilot says it is “a process of changing from one state or form to another”. Google’s Gemini opted for a “complete change in form, appearance, or nature”. DeepSeek suggested “a thorough or dramatic change in form, appearance, or character.”
The responses are consistent, consistently missing the point. If you take them at their word, transform is a finite exercise, one with a beginning and an end. It isn’t. And that, dear reader, is the point.
Transforming is ongoing, dynamic and all-encompassing. It is qualitative, not quantitative. There is no point at which transformation is complete – one phase leads to another form where new transformations can begin.
If anything, the Generative AI definitions above talk to transition – a word often used interchangeably and inaccurately for transform. Transitions do have a beginning and an end. Take for example, the move in the late 1980s/90s by the major European economies from individual national currencies to the euro. This was a transition, from one clearly defined state to another. But the result of the transition was transformational.
Transformational technology
Technology is transformational. As a species, humankind did not, has not and will not transition from analogue to digital – instead, we are transforming how we live our lives as individuals and how our society is run through digital technologies (while retaining and redefining where appropriate analogue-based relationships and interactions).
And while we might think of the technology transformation in terms of software - HMTL5, the mobile web, streaming, Generative AI, quantum computing - there is also a hardware element to technology and transformation. Cassettes to CDs (for those of a certain vintage), Nokia to iPhones to wearables, Google Glass to Ray-Ban Metas to immersive reality.
Across technology, there are many crossovers between transition and innovation. Amadeus knows that the cloud supports innovation across many touchpoints , and many of these innovations are transforming travel. But this innovation-led transformation is only possible because of the transition from private data centers to the public cloud, a transition which started in 2016 and is still taking place.
(An aside on digital and retail transformation)
More than seven years agoI attended a conference where the keynote speaker was David Rogers, promoting “The Digital Transformation Playbook”. His argument – digital transformation is a mindset, it needs C-suite buy-in, it never ends – still holds true, but begs the question: seven years on, why have some businesses not got the memo?
The answer could be that some leaders do not understand that “digitizing is not the same as digitalization ”. As previously discussed, transitions only become transformational when they drive, support, encourage a new way of thinking and new ways of doing business. Transforming is about more than moving from analogue to digital.
Transforming and innovating
There are similarities between transforming and innovating in an enterprise context. Innovating, like transforming, is fluid, dynamic and does not have a defined endpoint in the same way that a transition does.
Innovation is a mindset, albeit a mindset with a more liberal outlook. One mantra in the innovation world is “fail quickly, learn fast” or variations thereof. An organization committed to innovation has to accept that every now and again a concept won’t work, and have processes in place so the innovators are empowered to try again.
Transforming, on a corporate scale, is less forgiving. There are investors, shareholders, employees, and the supply chain who are exposed to a transformation going off track.
But innovation does need guardrails. Responsible innovation is an emerging trend, and even has its own academic publication, The Journal of Responsible Innovation. The belief is that innovation should be an engine of prosperity, inclusion, and resilience, and as innovation becomes more widespread, so do the risks. Responsible innovation, within the innovation economy , is the path forward.
Transforming travel
Since its launch in 1987, Amadeus has been transforming from an airline-focused distribution partner and IT provider into a technology company powering the global travel industry across multiple touchpoints.
Developing an open ecosystem through a cloud-based infrastructure - and the mindset shift this supports - is supercharging this transformation. Collaborations are now commonplace, made easier with open systems. At the same time, the commercial landscape is more welcoming and accepting of partnerships than in the past.
Airports are a case-study validation of how tech-enabled partnerships are transformational. Today, the airport experience for travelers is smoother, driven by the ongoing roll-out of biometrics. This transformation will continue as biometrics develop further.
Airlines, airports and ground handlers are starting to share systems to ensure smoother, faster operations. This is driven by transformational thinking where the stakeholders are more receptive to sharing data, made possible by technology innovation.
Amadeus’ transition to the cloud is also transforming the hospitality industry. Cloud-native hotel tech
allows all types of property to run their business more sustainably, empower staff and delight guests on-property. Hotel tech is also transforming meeting and events, marketing, food and beverage, sustainability and more.
In terms of travel sellers, it could be argued that the bigger picture transition from offline to online has not happened. Even technology evangelists such as Phocuswright say that in 2026 offline will still account for one-third of gross travel bookings on a global scale. But the emergence of online travel has been transformational.
Payments were often a barrier to wider take-up of online travel, but there have been truly transformational changes in B2B and B2C payments, driven mainly by innovations made possible through open banking.
However, the travel industry ultimately is defined by the traveler, and their transforming needs have to be considered. Humans transition between different life stages which are reflected by our travel preferences. Most empty-nesters on a luxury cruise were at one stage traveling as a family; people who got the bus to Burning Man are now booking VIP packages to see Taylor Swift.
The net result of these individual sequential transitions is that, when taken collectively, ‘the traveler’ is always transforming. Sellers and suppliers need the technology (and the mindset) to keep their offer relevant in an ever-changing world.
Next steps of transformational technology
From an Amadeus perspective, understanding and addressing how to transform travel is business-critical. It always has been. The business is exposed to the transformations taking place in both fields, requiring it to constantly adapt and innovate across its business and all the B2B and B2C touchpoints of its global customer base.
Transforming travel needs to be freed from the baggage that comes with having become a buzzword. It is important for all businesses to understand the importance of transforming internally and externally.
Over the next few months, there’ll be more to come on how Amadeus is transforming travel with its customers and partners while preparing for the next phase, whatever that might be. Watch this space.
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