Everyone is Buying Tech, But Who is Really Winning?

In the first part of this series, titled “Nothing Will Be the Same in Tourism Anymore”, we established: The old rules of tourism are obsolete. Today, technology is no longer a luxury, but a condition for sheer survival.

Over the past few months, I have observed the market intensively, attended trade fairs, and listened to the industry grapevine. Whether in Incoming, flight consolidators, pilgrimage organizers, golf specialists, or transfer service providers – everywhere the same buzzwords are repeated like a mantra: “Transformation”, “System”, “Software”, “Integration”.

These terms may sound tempting and promising in PowerPoint presentations – almost romantic in their promise of an effortless, shiny future. They are used like magic spells in the hope that they will simply conjure away complex problems. But let us not be deceived by this romance. When you look behind the shiny façade, helplessness is often revealed.

For what I see is not a visionary revolution, but a dangerous “herd mentality”.

As someone who has spent years in the “kitchen” of this industry and personally built the digital backbone for the operations in Turkiye of one of the world's largest international DMCs, I say this clearly:

What we are currently experiencing is not a strategic transformation. It is panic buying, driven by pure existential fear.

The Gold Rush Syndrome

“In the business world, we call this phenomenon the 'Gold Rush Syndrome'.

Everyone is rushing blindly to buy the same technology, hoping to strike gold. But history teaches us one thing about gold rushes: It is not the gold miners who got rich, but those who sold them the shovels.

Today, software companies are the shovel sellers. And travel agencies, driven by the fear of missing out (FOMO), are digging in the wrong places without a map.

Note: Just because you buy a Ferrari (expensive software) does not mean you know how to master it on the race track (in digital business).”

The “Copy-Paste” Business Model

I often ask entrepreneurs this critical question:

In a world where everyone uses the same global software, sells the same hotels via the same XML connections at almost identical prices... what actually distinguishes you from the rest?

The answer is usually an awkward silence.

Million-dollar investments in foreign systems will not save you from sinking if there is no unique business model and no clear strategy behind them. On the contrary: They only accelerate bankruptcy. Because technology does not fix a bad business model; it only exposes its weaknesses much faster.

Transformation is More Than Just Buying Software

This does not only affect the big players; niche providers are falling into this trap too. Whether a golf specialist or a transfer service provider – many try to put on a “technological suit” that is two sizes too big for them, instead of perfecting their own niche.

Let's not forget: In an era where the big fish eats the small fish, one does not survive by imitating the shark. One survives by swimming in waters he cannot reach – supported by technology, but focused on specialized, human service.

Conclusion: Don't Dig Blindly

A warning and friendly advice to my colleagues reading this:

• Do not invest a fortune in software you do not fully understand, just because “the competitor is doing it too”.
• Do not burn through your capital chasing the dream of becoming a “Bedbank” if the foundation is missing.

Digitalization does not mean being an extra in someone else's script; it is about writing your own success story with the help of technology.

In Part 3 of this series, we will dedicate ourselves to the topic of “Breaking Internal Resistance” and “Data-Driven Operations” – for all those who want to escape the chaos.

Because the future belongs to those who create real value, not those who only buy the tools.

Mehmet Özseren
Tourism & Technology Consultant