The Tours and Activities Sector Doesn’t Want Its Own Apple Plug Problem
Photo Credit: Developing tours and activities tech solutions. Source: Unsplash Standardizing code for developing tours and activities tech / y Christina @ wocintechchat.com o
Skift Take
Standardization of outdated tours and activities systems by a non-profit group called OCTO sees a teething-problem approach to modernization. It leaves little incentive for more established operators to get involved. How long will this attempt to customize the sector take to reach an innovation tipping point?
If booking friction and connectivity have been such a burning issue for the tours and activities sector, why has standardization to break digital barriers to growth taken this long?
It's a question many industry experts have been mulling. For years. But over the past couple of months, a few of them have banded together to form a non-profit called Open Connectivity for Tours, Activities & Attractions (OCTO).
In simple terms, it is about creating a dictionary of code to ensure stakeholders within the experiences economy are referencing the same language. Offline tours and experiences have access to the open API standards to make developing their connectivity easier and more efficient. So ultimately, they still need to invest in doing that – but with standardized specs, it could happen faster and for a lot less.
OCTO's challenge brings to mind the universal plug tension created by Apple and Android plugs and ports.
Essentially, the cross-s
