How an open data cloud is enabling Airports of Thailand and EVme to reshape the future of travel

Aviation and accommodation play a big role in impacting the tourism economy, but analysis of recent data also highlights tourism’s impact on other sectors, from financial services to healthcare, to retail and transportation. 

With travel recovery in full swing post pandemic, Google search queries related to “travel insurance” and “medical tourism” in Thailand have increased by more than 900% and 500% respectively. Financial institutions and healthcare providers must therefore find ways to deliver tailored offerings to travelers who are seeking peace of mind from unexpected changes or visiting the country to receive specialized medical treatment.

Interest in visiting Thailand for “gastronomy tourism” is also growing, with online searches increasing by more than 110% year-on-year.  Players in the food and beverage industry should therefore be looking at ways to better engage tourists keen on authentic Thai cuisine.

Most importantly, digital services will play an integral role in travel recovery. More than one in two consumers in Thailand are already using online travel services, with this category expected to grow 22% year-on-year and contribute US$9 billion to Thailand’s digital economy by 2025. To seize growth opportunities amidst the country’s tourism rebound, businesses cannot afford to overlook the importance of offering always-on, simple, personalized, and secure digital services.

That is why Airports of Thailand (AOT), SKY ICT (SKY) and EVME PLUS (EVme) are adopting Google Cloud’s open data cloud to deliver sustainable, digital-first travel experiences.

Improving the passenger experience in the cloud

With Thailand reopening its borders, there has been an upturn in both inbound and outbound air travel. To accommodate these spikes in passenger traffic across its six international airports, AOT migrated its entire IT footprint to Google Cloud, which offers an open, scalable, and secure data platform, with implementation support from its partner SKY, an aviation technology solutions provider.

Tapping on Google Cloud’s dynamic autoscaling capabilities, the IT systems underpinning AOT’s ground aviation services and the SAWASDEE by AOT app can now accommodate up to 10 times their usual workloads. AOT can also automatically scale down its resources to reduce costs when they are no longer in use. Using the database management services of Google Cloud to eliminate data silos, the organization is able to enhance its capacity to deliver real-time airport and flight information to millions of passengers. As a result, travelers enjoy a smoother passenger experience, from check-in to baggage collection.

At the same time, SKY uses Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) to transform SAWASDEE by AOT into an essential, all-in-one travel app that offers a full range of tourism-related services. GKE allows AOT to automate application deployment and upgrades without causing downtime. This frees up time for the tech team to accelerate the launch of new in-app features, such as a baggage tracker service, airport loyalty programs, curated travel recommendations, an e-payment system, and more.

EVme drives sustainable travel with data

Being able to travel more efficiently is only one part of the future of travel. More than ever, sustainability is becoming a priority for consumers when they plan their travel itineraries. For instance, search queries related to “sustainable tourism” in Thailand have increased by more than 200% in the past year, with close to four in 10 consumers sharing that they are willing to pay more for a sustainable product or service.

To meet this increasing demand and support Thailand’s national efforts to become a low-carbon society, EVme, a subsidiary of PTT Group, is building its electric vehicle lifestyle app on Google Cloud, the industry’s cleanest cloud. It has also deployed the advanced analytics and business intelligence tools of Google Cloud to offer its employees improved access to data-driven insights, which helps them better understand customer needs and deliver personalized interactions. These insights have helped EVme determine the range of electric vehicle models it offers for rental via its app, so as to cater to different preferences. At the same time, the app can also share crucial information, such as the availability of public electric vehicle charging stations, while providing timely support and 24-hour emergency assistance to customers.

As we empower organizations across industries with intelligent, data-driven capabilities to make smarter business decisions and be part of an integrated ecosystem that delivers world-class visitor experiences, our collaborations with AOT, SKY, and EVme will enhance their ability to serve travelers with personalized, digital-first offerings powered by our secure and scalable open data cloud.