Part 2 - What AI is useful to travel agents
Major travel companies are getting in on the AI action. In April, Expedia announced an exciting new use for artificial intelligence with the beta launch of a new in-app travel planning experience powered by ChatGPT.
Jennifer Cole, Director of Corporate Communications at Expedia, told Travel News that Expedia members could now start an open-ended conversation in the Expedia app and get recommendations on places to go, where to stay, how to get around, and what to see and do, based on the chat. Said Cole: “Much more than that, the new trip-planning experience brings in intelligent shopping by automatically saving hotels discussed in the conversation, to a ‘trip’ in the app, helping members stay organised and making it easier for them to start choosing dates, checking availability, and adding on flights, cars or activities.”
Travel News tested the Expedia App ChatGPT and asked it for recommendations for airlines to Toamasina in Madagascar and beach hotels on a R20 000 budget. While the app did not set up an itinerary, it recommended airlines and several hotels within our specified budget, with descriptions that could be used as a basis for travel agents to put together their own itinerary and explore various trip ideas in one place. To become an Expedia member, agents simply need to download the app – it’s free.
The power of AI is huge for travel agents. They can use the technology to find new places to visit, experience new activities, and offer experiences they may not be familiar with – AI does all the work and provides the information for agents to build on and offer more interesting, exclusive and exciting travel experiences.
Hopper
Hopper is a flight price-tracker that uses AI to analyse historic travel data and predict future prices. Hopper utilises more than eight years’ worth of travel data and analyses around 60 billion price itineraries to power its algorithms, which accurately predict prices for flights, hotels, and rental cars by leveraging a comprehensive understanding of volatility patterns, market pricing dynamics, and consumer preferences. Free app.
Traivl
Is the first truly digital travel agency that puts the user in control. Traivl empowers customers to customise every aspect of their trip and book it hassle-free in one place. Free app
Routeperfect
Routeperfect is an AI-powered route-planning tool that helps to optimise travel itineraries. It suggests the best attractions to visit, calculates travel distances, and provides recommendations based on the users’ interests. Free app.
Riaan van Schoor CEO of Agentivity, told Travel News that AI had numerous applications in the travel industry and travel agents could utilise the technology to gather information and enhance their service offering. The presence of AI online has expanded and applications are available for every travel agent to integrate into their expertise.
“It can be as simple as asking ChatGPT to generate outsourced tasks like NDA agreements or Terms and Conditions or Description of Services – these are time-consuming tasks for humans. AI has all that information at hand and can generate documents within minutes. Agents can ask ChatGPT how to respond to a client complaint or how to prepare an email for a client who has not paid their account. I recommend that travel agents explore the possibilities online, of how ChatGPT and AI can make them much more productive and save valuable time.”
