New Beyond data reveals AI opportunities for industry

The report found that 73% of international travellers use self-service booking platforms

New research from data and technology company Beyond has identified five key areas across a customer journey where companies can effectively employ artificial intelligence to improve the travel experience.

The report titled AI Takes Flight: The Future of Travel includes independent research on attitudes towards travel from over 1,000 UK adults to indicate the potential of AI within the travel industry.

It found that 73% of people who have travelled abroad already use self-serve booking platforms, providing an easy access point for businesses to augment their service with AI. 

It suggests that with the help of AI solutions like data processing, personalisation and automation, companies could provide the equivalent of a virtual full-service travel agent. 

These solutions could book hotels, coordinate flight transfers and, through integration with third parties, even book activities and restaurant reservations.

Third-party reviews are already a mainstay of most travellers’ planning process but the results found from the research cemented this assumption. 

It showed that 63% of travellers do read review sites, with 83% of those claiming it influences their decisions when on holiday. 

The report detailed that AI’s ability to efficiently summarise large swathes of content, like reviews, comes in handy. 

It also found that travellers struggle with logistical challenges such as scheduling, organising activities, and managing expenses. 

In fact, around half of travellers are deterred from travelling with groups of friends due to the difficulties of splitting costs. 

To solve this, the report suggested that businesses could build an AI travel concierge service to deliver personalised recommendations, oversee the booking processes and help with budgeting and cost-splitting. 

This AI concierge could also consider factors such as weather conditions, peak pricing, and busy times to make recommendations.

More than half of travellers want their booking service to match them with exciting experiences. Two-thirds of these travellers are in the 18-34 age bracket. 

Based on the findings, Beyond recommend travel companies can build AI solutions that take into account guest preferences, such as dietary needs or interests, and can provide tailored recommendations for their stay.

While almost three-quarters of tourists responded they like to capture special moments on holiday, nearly half (44%) said they want a more automated way to capture memories so they are not glued to their phones, with this number rising to 67% among younger demographics. 

Wearable technology, such as smart glasses offer an alternative for holidaymakers seeing this.

Cassiano Surek, CTO of Beyond, said: “Many tourists are increasingly seeing the value of AI in improving their holidays, and the businesses that offer the most effective AI solutions here will see their audiences grow. 

"AI based solutions to travellers' needs are being created and made available, but implementation and integration requires buy-in from a complex network of stakeholders in the travel industry.”