Ten of the latest game-changing advances in travel tech
By collecting valuable research data, citizen science is a hands-on way travellers can help give back to the destinations they visit. Not too long ago, expensive hardware made researchers reluctant to hand over the controls to inexperienced travellers, but advancements and cheaper technology are opening new opportunities. Guests at Ritz-Carlton Maldives can aid turtle conservationists by piloting drones (after completing simulation training) to detect harmful ocean plastic and ghost nets, and at Tanzania's Usangu Expedition Camp they can help set up camera traps to monitor big cat activity. The iNaturalist app has also gamified conservation tourism by helping travellers collect wildlife sightings much like Pokemon. Antarctic cruise operator HX encourages travellers to download the app once onboard to help document whale, seal and penguin sightings on a voyage to the White Continent. See ritzcarlton.com; inaturalist.org; travelhx.com
GPS self-guided tours
Elon Musk's SpaceX has ambitious plans to launch thousands of satellites into orbit, with a record number of satellites launched in 2024. More satellites armed with next-gen technology will lead to stronger GPS systems, which is making independent travel more accessible. Australia-based European adventure company UTracks now provides hikers with a GPS-enabled app designed to help them navigate the trail and alert them if they go off-course. Closer to home, Australian Cycle Tours has developed a similar app that gives cyclists turn-by-turn instructions and statistics, such as distance covered, while suggesting local sights, cafes and restaurants for a pitstop. See utracks.com; australiancycletours.com.au
Hotel service goes digital
One legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it forced companies, such as Hilton Hotels, to adopt socially distanced digital room keys that can be downloaded to your phone. That innovation has since diverted hundreds of tonnes of plastic cards, so expect it to become more widespread as hotels increasingly go green. Also on the rise are AI-powered concierges such as Jean, the digital butler recently introduced at Park Regis by Prince Singapore. Jean can be called on for room service or to help decide how to spend your day in Singapore. Marriott Hotels has also created Renai, which merges staff insights with ChatGPT and other open-source data to create local recommendations. See seibuprince.com; marriott.com
Smart gate tech rolls out
Last year, Sydney's International Airport joined the rollout of SmartGate systems across Australia, joining Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth in the move to the new Gen 3 technology, reducing the time it takes to clear customs. While biometric technology has been in airports for a while now, a push for frictionless travel will see automated electronic gates introduced at border crossings and ports. Testing is already underway in Malaysia, Singapore, Bhutan, India and Zimbabwe, with updated algorithms that can adapt to a growing problem with deepfakes and spoofing, such as fake fingerprints and facial masks.
Power banks tighten up
In April, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and other Asian carriers tightened their rules on carrying lithium-ion power bank battery packs due to the fire risk posed by overheating. Battery packs can still be taken onboard along with other carry-on items, but travellers won't be allowed to use it, charge it using seat-back power outlets, or place it in overhead lockers. South Korea has indicated it will also require battery packs to be stored in a plastic bag. Virgin Australia and Qantas currently allow power banks to be used or charged onboard and don't plan to change their policies, although Qantas advises against using power banks during flights.
Drones take flight
Aided by AI and armed with specialist accessories, drones are now being deployed to do more than just capture sweeping beach panoramas. Case in point: New Zealand, Spain, France and the United States are trialling lifeguard drones to patrol tourist beaches and deliver life vests to struggling swimmers. Drones armed with bacteria-destroying ultraviolet light are being used to clean airports and aircraft cabins, while cities such as Dubai, Shanghai and Miami are embracing environmentally friendly drone light shows instead of fireworks. Australia has joined in on the aerial entertainment with Wintjiri Wiru, a light show at Uluru that brings Aboriginal storytelling to life using 1200 drones. See northernterritory.com
Loading
Emission-free flights
With the International Air Transport Association aiming to achieve net zero by 2050, the race is on to decarbonise Australia's aviation industry, which produces about 5 per cent of Australia's carbon emissions. Smaller Australian aviation companies are already retrofitting existing aircraft with green propulsion systems, such as Kite Magnetics in Victoria and Stralis in Queensland. But fleet manufacturers such as Boeing will need more time to adapt, transitioning to blended fuels made from waste by-products before switching entirely to electric. Perth-based FlyOnE is expecting to offer fully electric commercial flights later this year, with cheaper emission-free air travel to be more widespread in the next five years. See stralis.aero; flyone.com.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Australians in '$280 million Euro summer surge' — and emerging holiday hotspots
European summer spending is set for a rebound, one of Australia's biggest banks predicts, with travellers also looking to other destinations to escape the winter at home. ANZ says customers travelling to Europe across June, July, and August will spend up to $280 million — a projected 10 per cent increase compared to 2024 which it says is based on early trends in hotel and airline bookings. It says pre-travel spending data showed that between January and May, hotel and airline bookings were up 11 per cent on the same period last year. The projected total spend won't match the record of $313 million set in 2023, ANZ said. But it will be an uptick from 2024 where, despite more than 100,000 of its customers travelling to Europe, total spend and average spend per customer were down 19 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, compared to the previous year. Beyond saying travel to Europe among its customers had "dipped" in 2024, ANZ in its statement did not explain why it believes there might be an increase in total spending this year — although not one that would match the 2023 record. Some measures show consumer confidence — which predicts how consumers feel about the economy and their own finances — has improved since 2024. But it's also higher than in 2023. Interest rates , however, have fallen from the 12-year high which carried from late 2023 through 2024. That has eased mortgage repayments, though disposable incomes haven't significantly increased. Like Australia, Europe also battled a period of high inflation. Inflation in the European Union peaked at 11.5 per cent in late 2022 and has since cooled. Falling inflation doesn't necessarily equate to lower prices, it just means prices are growing at a slower rate — unless inflation turns negative. Additionally, a recent analysis showed that a drop in jet fuel prices had lowered airfares. Global capacity — meaning seats on planes — was also up on last year and pre-pandemic levels, contributing to falling costs, according to corporate travel advisors FCM Consulting. "Our data shows that customers are reigniting their passion for European travel. We're seeing strong growth in early planning activity," said Yiken Yang, ANZ's managing director of everyday banking. "While we may not hit the $313 million peak of 2023, 2025 is shaping up as a vibrant resurgence for the travel sector." ANZ said non-European destinations in 2024 saw a 3 per cent increase in spend for the June-August period. Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand and Japan were among the most popular destinations, ANZ said, which is consistent with what the Australian Bureau of Statistics says are countries favoured by holidaymakers. It also said Hong Kong and Sri Lanka were "emerging hotspots" and recording "significant" year-on-year growth in spend.
ABC News
10 hours ago
- ABC News
UNESCO to make final world heritage assessment on WA's Murujuga rock art
From the air, the meaning of Murujuga becomes clear. The Ngarluma-Yaburara word translates to "hip bone sticking out". It paints an evocative bird's-eye view of the Burrup Peninsula, which juts into the Indian Ocean north of Karratha, 1,500 kilometres north of Perth. In 2023, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape was nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List, culminating in a multi-generational campaign for international recognition. The referral is contentious among activists, who have condemned the federal government for extolling the area's heritage values while simultaneously approving heavy industry nearby. A final decision from UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is expected in the coming week. Central to the bid are between one and two million petroglyphs dotting Murujuga's rocky red mounds and shadowy ravines. It is arguably the densest single concentration of rock art on the planet. Traditional custodians say these ancient engravings inscribe a living cultural tradition and human creative genius. Here are some of those stories, handed down for more than 50,000 years. Aboriginal people have gathered at Murujuga for millennia. Five language groups, known collectively as the Ngarda-Ngarli, have connections to the land: the Ngarluma, Mardudhunera, Yaburara, Yindjibarndi, and Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo peoples. Yindjibarndi man and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) director Vincent Adams says the rock art is a "cultural signpost" for those travelling on country. He stops at Nganjarli, one of Murujuga's most prominent "galleries", to point out a ghostly carving near the gorge's entrance. Hundreds of visitors pass the figure unawares, with photography of the image prohibited according to cultural law. "We call that the Marrga in Ngarluma-Yinjibarndi," Mr Adams says. "He's normally classified as a six-toe, six-finger figure, different to us, always dressed in headgear." The Marrga features in a host of Pilbara creation stories from "when the world was soft", like how the kangaroo got its tail and how the emu lost the ability to fly. "We couldn't just walk up onto anybody's country. We needed permission," Mr Adams explains. "How we got that permission? We see this significant site, and we know people are close. "[We] make fire, smoke. People inside the gorges will see this smoke, they come out to see who it is." The Marni, as the petroglyphs are called, signify the practical and religious significance of Ngurra, or country. They constitute a visual language: "footsteps" crossing boundaries of speech, marriage, and skin groups to form the basis of local lore. "We have symbols that have been marked around the Burrup that tell us we are in a sacred place, a special place," Mr Adams says. Stepping deeper into Nganjarli, Mr Adams recounts the meetings between cultural groups that once took place there. Yinjibarndi people would travel to the coast from inland and convene with the peninsula's first inhabitants, the "saltwater" Yaburara people. "Yaburara … meaning sea, sea breeze," he says. Mr Adams says the Yinjibarndi sought out the Yaburara during the season of Muhlu, when the days grew shorter and the weather cooler. They bartered for bush tucker and the fruits or "sweets" budding by the ocean. But in the late 19th century, the custodianship of Murujuga changed forever. One of Nganjarli's later additions captures what is thought to be Francis Thomas Gregory's ship, the Dolphin, which anchored off the peninsula in 1861. The settlers' arrival had a life-changing impact on the local Aboriginal communities. Colonial-era violence at the hands of settlers and local police, such as the 1868 Flying Foam Massacre, devastated the Yaburara people. The Ngarda-Ngarli adopted Murujuga, dubbed "orphan country" because its owners could no longer care for it alone, melding artistic traditions and interpretations. "They depict stories of connection to country: how me, you, everyone here today connects to this place," Mr Adams says. He describes a kangaroo-like motif with three stripes on its back. It also taught hunters what game they would find. "When we want something to eat, we go to the supermarket," Mr Adams says. "Here [it is] no different." A handful of the creatures recorded by the rock art are frozen in time. "You'll see animals that are no longer here … megafauna, they call it," Mr Adams says. "He still got a songline today, belong to us even though he's gone." Some petroglyphs act as "increase sites", where rituals are performed to replenish resources. "If we run low on emu, we do ceremony; next year, big mob [of] emu," Mr Adams says. Special configurations mark paths and ceremonial grounds for men's and women's business, as well as warnings to unwelcome intruders. There is even, not pictured for cultural reasons, a tableau of a man and woman in what Mr Adams refers to, with a booming laugh, as the world's "oldest sex education" lesson. A short drive from Nganjarli, the spinifex-strewn hills give way to a sheltered bay. This is Hearson's Cove, so named for a member of Francis Gregory Thomas's crew mistakenly shot by his fellows as they headed ashore. Long before, it was known as Binabarranha. When Ngarluma woman Belinda Churnside looks out at this landscape, she sees her "old people", including her mother. "She's a very proud Ngarluma woman … I wouldn't be doing this today if I didn't acknowledge and support her fight, determination, and leadership," she says. As MAC vice-chair, Ms Churnside departed on Sunday for Paris, where a delegation of custodians will hear the UNESCO World Heritage decision firsthand. "To actually carry the fight for your old people … they want us young people now to support them and fight the fight until we do get this World Heritage," she says. Both MAC and the federal government have protested against a draft decision knocking back the bid amid fears industrial emissions could damage the petroglyphs. Others say it is a rallying cry for stronger protection. For Mr Adams, the looming outcome is immaterial in the face of deep time. "One day, [industry] will be gone, [but] this will still be here," he says. "People like me will be telling that story in 200, 300 years' time."
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Kestrel Nest becomes first 'dark-sky' lodging in Australia
A venue in southern New South Wales has become the first lodging in Australia to be internationally recognised as "dark-sky" accommodation, sparking hopes of a new tourism boom. The Kestrel Nest EcoHut, in the state's Snowy Mountains, has been identified by DarkSky International as a place with little light pollution and a clear night sky. Owner Louise Freckelton had seen a spike in bookings since the recognition, with patrons indicating they booked because of it. "We are hoping that it will increase … understanding of why dark skies are really important." Ms Freckelton said the recognition attracted a range of people "from the ordinary, everyday traveller right through to really niche markets". "You get people who are really into finding out what astro-phenomenon is happening at the time," she said. DarkSky International is a not-for-profit organisation that certifies areas that preserve and protect dark sites through lighting policies and education. More than 200 places across the world are DarkSky-certified, including the Warrumbungles and the Murray River. But there are only nine certified temporary-accommodation sites, and just two in the South Hemisphere: Kestrel Nest and a lodging in Brazil. DarkSky communications manager Drew Reagan said the lodging program started just over a year ago, due to the rise of astro-tourism. "Astro-tourism is really any tourism that brings people out to recreate in these dark-sky places," he said. Mr Reagan said Australia had great potential to capitalise on the growing market. "Eighty per cent of the world's population lives in light-polluted areas," he said. The eco-hut is close to several regional communities, including Gundagai and Tumut, which could potentially benefit from flow-on effects. Ms Freckelton said she encouraged visitors to "engage with other towns and other activities in the area". "As part of the information we give to guests before they come, we highlight different things they might like to do," she said. Ms Freckelton said her venue had to meet a certain threshold of low light pollution when applying for the certification, so she completed an inventory of lighting both in and around the hut. "We had unwittingly already met those [requirements] about having warm light, about having light when it is only necessary, not having excess lighting," she said. A Habitat Identification report also required the identification of species and insects living or migrating through a 2-kilometre vicinity of the site. "Nocturnal creatures like owls and bats are affected by light pollution. Their hunting and feeding and so on is distracted by too much light," Ms Freckelton said. Mr Reagan said DarkSky International aimed to protect the night-time environment "not just for the view of the stars and cosmos, but also to protect nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems". Tumut photographer Grant Hardwick said night-time photography could easily be affected by light pollution, resulting in overexposed highlights or shadows. "You're taking it over a long period of time, you're allowing the light to come into the camera," he said. "So if there's a house or a car or a truck or something moving past in the distance, that's going to be captured." Michael Maher, a volunteer at the Rock Regional Observatory near Wagga Wagga, is also no fan of big cities and bright lights. "The further you go away from the city, the better it is," he said. "The Milky Way … disappears immediately with light pollution. "In big city areas and with a lot of development around, you really have to go looking for it."
