Thursday, 22 March 2018

Artificial intelligence : Transforming the travel industry




The article discusses how new technologies and especially artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionized the travel experience for individuals, making it more accessible and user-friendly. New technologies also allowed the prospering of tech travel companies like Airbnb and Uber which rely on the harvesting of consumer data to deliver tailored customer experience.

Consumers want a travel experience tailored around them. While traditional travel agencies can of course do that, technology is just delivering the same more quickly and more effectively than an agency would ever do it. AI is, for instance, being used to “predict preferences, personalize services, complete bookings and manage in-trip needs.”

Consumers want split second answers to their queries, which humans cannot provide, therefore AI can assist in making customer desires as well as complaints easily answered. “For example, Dutch airline KLM has already deployed AI to deal with social media inquiries, with the technology handling 50 percent of the total in 2017. The Dorchester Collection hotel chain recently tailored its breakfast menu, introducing customized options off the back of analysis of its guest reviews using the technology (…)”

Travelers who despise the long queues at airports with Border Controls and Customs scrutinizing their travel documents will soon thank Blockchain for making facial recognition technology reliable and bringing an end to tiresome paper-bound processes.

The technological advances are not only great for customers but also for tourism operators. “New technologies can provide new revenue generating opportunities every step of the way in a traveler’s journey” by leveraging big data, using the same concepts as the grocery stores would use. Imagine an airline company that knows what TV programs you like to watch and what your preferred drink is. Before you know it, you will become loyal and an ambassador to the brand.  
The article cites many other benefits of new technologies for the travel industry, including some related to social media. What is certain is that technological advancements are enhancing travelers’ experiences and are allowing the further growth of the tourism industry.

Today, it’s evident that interacting with AI will become an everyday activity but we should not lose the human interaction side, which remains important for some categories of people.

And you what do you think? How do you see the future of AI?


By Kenza & Solène

Source:

by : Adnan Saulat, General Manager of Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at Mindtree
published on March 16th, 2017on Gigabit Magazine


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