Open Destinations Unleashes Smarter Travel Tech to Turn Smooth Operations into Lasting Memories

Written By: Pamela Das

Pamela Das

I'm Pamela Das, an SEO Content Writer at Travel and Tour World, a leading travel and tourism news portal based in Kolkata, where I work on crafting engaging, search-optimized editorial content for a global travel audience. Alongside my professional role, I'm pursuing an MA in Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University, expected in 2027, which reflects my deep and abiding interest in literature, language, and cross-cultural storytelling.

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September 13, 2026 01:38 GMT+5:30

Open Destinations is putting customer experience at the centre of its travel technology strategy, as tour operators face growing pressure to work faster, manage complex bookings and still give every traveller personal attention. David Bailey, Global Commercial Director at Open Destinations, said the company wants to help travel businesses improve the work behind the scenes so customers receive a smoother and more reliable journey.
Bailey said travel is not only about processing a booking or sending a confirmation email. It is about creating memories. A traveller may remember a family holiday, a special tour or a long-awaited adventure for years. That is why the final experience matters more than the complex systems, contracts and data that support it.

The customer experience remains the real goal

Whatever happens operationally in the background, the fulfilment of what the customer gets and their experience is the most important thing, Bailey said during an interview at the TravelTech Show.
His message is simple. Travel companies must run a strong business, but they must also keep the traveller at the heart of every decision. A guest does not see the work needed to load a supplier contract, update a hotel product or manage a booking change. However, the guest will notice if the service does not work properly.
A travel business needs many moving parts to work together. It may need to sell flights, hotels, tours, transfers and insurance. It may also need to manage prices, availability, supplier terms and customer questions. If these tasks take too long or remain disconnected, staff can lose valuable time. This can make it harder to give customers the support they need.
Bailey said better operations can create more bandwidth for travel teams. This means employees can spend less time on repetitive work and more time helping travellers. The result can be a faster, more joined-up and more personal service.

Travel Studio supports tour operators and DMCs

Bailey said Open Destinations has several products. Its flagship product is Travel Studio, which he described as an end-to-end bookings and reservations system for outbound tour operators and destination management companies, also known as DMCs.
Outbound tour operators organise travel from one market to destinations in other countries. DMCs support travel arrangements within a destination. Both types of business can handle many suppliers, changing prices and different customer needs. They need systems that help them manage these details carefully.
Bailey said Travel Studio has been in the market for many years and is moving through a period of innovation. He did not give specific details about the new developments, but he said the company has been working through this phase for the past two or three years and expects it to continue.
Open Destinations also operates in the wider travel technology space through mobile applications. Bailey said these apps can support travellers while they are on tour or taking a trip. They can also help tour managers and operations teams communicate more effectively.
This type of support can be important when a traveller needs quick information. A tour operator may need to share a schedule update, provide trip details or help a customer during a holiday. Clear communication can make the journey feel calmer and more organised.

Manual work can take time away from travellers

A key part of Open Destinations is its business support services, known as BSS. Bailey said many travel businesses still spend a large amount of time on manual processes. These can include loading products, loading contracts and supporting some customer service activities.
Manual work is common in travel because the industry has many variables. A single contract can include room types, seasons, prices, cancellation conditions, occupancy rules and special offers. Travel businesses need to understand these details before they make them available for sale.
Bailey said Open Destinations can take on parts of this work. The aim is to allow a company’s high-value teams to focus on selling, marketing and improving the customer experience.
He gave Jet2 and Holiday Extras as examples of companies supported through business support services. Bailey said the work can include data-driven customer service and contract loading. He said Open Destinations stands out because of its long experience in the travel sector and its knowledge of travel contracts.
The service is not presented as a replacement for travel professionals. Instead, it is designed to reduce some of the heavy work that can stop teams from focusing on customers. This can matter when travel companies need to respond quickly and accurately.

Travel businesses seek more flexibility

Bailey said many conversations at the TravelTech Show focused on outcomes. Businesses want stronger commercial results, better operations and better customer results. He said external factors are also encouraging travel companies to review how they work.
Travel technology is a fragmented market. Different companies offer different systems and services. Bailey said there is no single system that can do everything in one place. For this reason, he believes the strongest travel businesses will be those that connect their technology ecosystem well.
Operators are looking for more flexibility. They want to quote faster. They want to reduce the data workload on their teams. They also want staff to have more time for tailored customer conversations.
These needs show how travel technology is changing. The focus is not only on adding more tools. It is on making tools work together in a useful way. A system should help a travel company make quicker decisions, manage information more clearly and give travellers better support.

Better operations can help create better memories

Bailey said customer experience is fundamental to everything in travel. He said companies need to find a way to give travellers better service while also operating efficiently.
The main idea is clear. When the back-office work becomes slicker, faster and more connected, travel teams can spend more time on the people they serve. This can help a company manage its business well while still delivering the experience that customers expect.
For Open Destinations, travel technology is not only about systems. It is about supporting the people who create holidays, tours and meaningful travel experiences. The operational work may happen quietly in the background, but its effect can be felt throughout the customer journey.