Prospects for the use of blockchain technology in the tourism industry

Abstract

Nowadays, Blockchain is one of the most desired technologies, because almost every industry seeks to apply it. Tourism was no exception. Manufacturers of services on the basis of a distributed database claim that thanks to the blockchain it is possible to completely get rid of the monopoly in the market, which in turn will lead to lower prices for services and increase the level of tourist comfort. The technology was first applied to the Bitcoin network. Now blockchain finds application in a wide variety of areas, from processing financial transactions to storage of data on the purchase of virtual cats. The tourism sector can use the blockchain to store publicly available information about the quality of hotels and the behaviors of tourists, to process transactions for the purchase of tickets and reservation of housing, to create databases for storing identity cards, etc. The subject of the article research is the use of blockchain in the tourism industry. The goal is to analyze the current state and determine the prospects for using blockchain technology in the tourism business. The tasks are to highlight the main problems and prospects for using the blockchain, as well as formulating a strategy for using this technology in the tourism market as a means of improving the quality of travel. The study uses theoretical, methodological and systematic methods of source analysis, including statistical materials, regulatory documents, scientific articles to assess the state of the use of blockchain technology in tourism and the prospects for its application. The following results were obtained: the main directions of the use of the blockchain in tourism were identified, its influence on the creation of a more diverse and flexible offer in the tourism services market. It is concluded that blockchain technology can provide greater security and transparency in the tourism industry thus increasing its profitability, which in turn affects the creation of new jobs and the standard of living of the population.