Travel Tech Companies Turn to Highly Qualified Personnel

The broader travel tech sector has suffered from a shortage of skilled staff since the pandemic prompted a mass outflow of workers into other professions. Could layoffs at big travel companies be good news for the travel tech industry looking to hire? We asked various travel experts if they thought the tables could turn now, or if we will continue to face challenges in the long term.

From a travel insurance industry perspective, Katie Crowe of battleface travel insurer notes that "in most cases it's not front-line workers, low-skilled, and the experience they can bring to other companies is invaluable. Talent from HR, finance, IT, sales and marketing, among others, is very welcome at a time when these types of staff are in short supply in most of the travel industry."

Meanwhile, for travel companies whose offerings are driven by technology and depend on constant innovation, many of the talents that suddenly appear in the market are very attractive. Alice Ferrari, of aviation technology provider Kyte, notes: “We are on the cusp of the NDC taking off for airlines and more and more airlines are investing in making it a reality. But practically all the necessary profiles are difficult to find. So the aeronautical technology industry – including us at Kyte – is trying to make sure that the best of that new-to-market talent comes to work for us.

Even looking at the hotel ownership level, Alex Barros of hotel revenue management provider BEONx welcomes any influx of talent. He tells us that "of late, too many hotels have been holding off investing and bolstering the back-office and marketing function because they are overwhelmed in the front-office dealing with record numbers of guests. This has affected the customer service function." income. So anything that gives homeowners a breather to reinvest in technology solutions is welcome. In the long run, this will pay off big for them."

As a final thought, Sami Doyle of Trust My Group, the insurance provider that protects travel companies, comments that "travel sub-industries, such as travel fintech providers, can benefit from these recent layoffs by shifting the industry talent to the areas where it's needed most. We've already seen some applicants from some of the big names laying off talent recently and we're open to more coming to us, of course."