The rapid growth of Internet commerce has happened too quickly for the industry to completely discard a critical, but 40-year-old, infrastructure. These changes have created a hybrid reservations process that is complex in content and structure and utilizes a wide range of technologies. Traditional fears that newer technologies cannot provide the necessary performance seem increasingly ill founded.
Many travel companies rely on hosted services, which insulate them somewhat from technology decisions. However, they will want to be comfortable that the owners have the intent and resources to invest over a considerable period. Those operating their own systems, likewise, need to be sure that such a long-term investment is strategically wise.
The industry's history of having basic standards for information exchange is proving to be a strength, making it easier to define new standards to suit the distributed systems environment that is now normal. There will be much change in the market over the next three to five years as current investment programs come to fruition and new ones are introduced. Technology choices by the largest market ripe for change – China – will give impetus in other markets to those who are successful.