September 15, 2023

How AI can (is ) changing the travel business

Where AI is going ( if not already) the business of a small business owner in the Travel industry

If you own a travel agency or any tourism-related business, you might wonder what is AI making in my industry? How and why it can be used?

Below are some cases that are used already and others that are coming in a near future,

Trip Planning

Everybody can do it by using Chat GPT for example. The free version has data till 2021, but you, also can use Bing AI for a short discusstion. In the business world, there are already examples of companies that do that for you, in a professional way.

What do you have a traveler has to win? Get a more personalized experience with better recommendations and suggestions. For the travel agency, you can give a better service to your clients by suggesting a trip that they really want and to see things that they really want to see.

  • Guide Geek - Chat with it on WhatsApp and find the best recommendations and personalized itineraries.
  • Expedia - From booking to planning, and even in flight cancelation situations, Expedia can suggest different transportation or accommodation. They also have their own Chat Gpt plugin, so you can start a conversation with it.
  • Google Maps - Used by improving accuracy by using text recognition to identify business and street names.
  • Kayak - Flight price prediction with the help of AI and historical flight data. In fact, that is a trend not only in Kayak. With AI you can monitor and analyze the pricing throughout the time and decide the best time to book your flight, hotels, etc.
  • Duve- Focused on the hotels and hostels around the world. A fast and easy way for the hotel to interact with guests.

Also, these websites based on chat GPT let you plan your travel with the help of AI - Tripnotes, roamaround, and curiosio

Business big and small

Those business trips that you or your employees need to do can be done in an easy and smooth process with the help of AI. For small businesses, it can be a great help not only for booking but marketing, design, etc.

Take these companies as examples of focusing on the hospitality area - Hijiffy, Allora, Aiello.

Airport

it all depends on how fast the AI is growing in the next years but with it, a fast and smooth check-in can be made with facial recognition ( privacy challenges ahead). Can also be used to detect any threat. The use is of course the smooth experience with an AI model that can inform you about new delays, bagage tracking, etc.

Customer Service

You've been there. Go to a travel agency website or some restaurant, and a chatbot pops up and you actually have a question but most of the time he really can't answer you or even speak the language you are talking to.

Enters a new travel agent/ customer service. 

Imagine you go to that same website, and the bot actually helps you, takes your requests into consideration, gives you a personal answer, and even completes your booking or reservation?

That is already possible and when well done give a great experience to a client.

Downsides

The main downside of using AI is losing the personality. It seems that it goes against what I just said about giving a personal answer right? :)

So it's personal as it takes your request and finds a solution for you, for your requests. What about authenticity? It can give you the experiences that the AI model has data on, but a real travel agent (hopefully) can give you the ones that make that trip unique and authentic.

What about compuding? Is it a downside or an upside?

AI works with data, so the more they have, the more they know. This means that when you trust an AI model with info for your trip, the next time it will know more about you, and it will create a better experience for you while also, knowing a lot about yourself

So where we at?

AI is growing faster and more and more every day new solutions show up. As a small business owner, you should take advantage and use AI to help with your needs, but always taking into consideration the personality and authenticity of the experience and that only a human can give it.

If you are a travel agency or work in the hospitality and travel business and are already using AIto help with your business, send me a message. Would le great to talk more

Sources:

  • https://matadornetwork.com/read/ai-travel-services/
  • https://time.com/6290940/ai-travel-industry/
  • https://matadornetwork.com/read/how-ai-will-change-travel/
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/ai-travel-dos-donts
  • https://a16z.com/adventure-is-out-there-opportunities-in-ai-x-travel/
  • https://insidebigdata.com/2019/01/07/3-ways-ai-will-drive-future-travel/

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