The best examples of innovation in the travel industry have not been innovations for the sake of being innovative, but for the sake of delivering on the needs of travel clients. Travel agencies have been in existence since the 1700s, and the first online sale of an airline ticket was made in 1995. After more than two hundred years, a necessary innovation happened because the internet existed as a tool travel industry customers wanted to use.

The time is right for more innovation, and we can all play a role in bringing innovation to the travel industry regardless of the role we play in the industry. With the focus on travel advisors, here are three ways to bring innovation to the travel industry.

1.    Find a solution to what customers want. It is likely that what customers now want will be new or a least different from what they wanted before. This may cause a problem if there is not a known or convenient way to deliver it. This is where innovation will be needed to create a solution.

2.    Focus on a niche. If you are focused on a niche in the travel industry, you are in a good position to deliver innovation to the industry, and within the area of travel you know inside and out. Use that intimate knowledge of your niche to get creative then deliver problem solving innovations.

3.    Collaborate. There is nothing better than coming together with someone else or with another entity to deliver for your customers. What customers want may be beyond what you can provide alone, but partnering with a supplier or even a competitor can help you to fulfil the need.

Innovation is needed right now, so that the travel industry may thrive again in the short term.