Artificial Intelligence to speed up trip planning

Until two decades ago, planning a trip was a strenuous activity that involved scouting for a reliable travel agent to arrange trips and book accommodation. With the advent of the internet, things began to change. Travel websites like Expedia and Orbitz have enabled vacationers to book everything online with minimal hassle.  Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is all set to revamp the travel experience of millions of travelers several innovations. The AI-powered machine learning solutions can provide smart recommendations to personalize trips and create itineraries for enriching travel experiences.

AI-powered systems can identify and suggest new travel destinations to users based on their travel history. At the same time, machine learning algorithms can enable them to populate itineraries depending on factors like weather conditions and ongoing activities. According to a survey by Booking.com, nearly one-third of travelers are comfortable letting a computer plan their trip by accessing their travel history. Using AI, travel agencies are now able to create tailored recommendations based on a host of unique preferences. AI-based trip planning solutions aim to overcome travel challenges with advanced recommendation features. This blog post highlights the key benefits of artificial intelligence and how it streamlines operations in the travel industry.

How artificial intelligence applications populate itineraries with efficiency?

Researchers are exploring new possibilities with AI to transform different industries. From retail to finance and F&B, AI has influenced every industry in one way or another. Similarly, leading travel and tourism industry players have now adopted AI and machine learning to improve the travel experiences of millions of individuals.

According to Google, 85% of leisure travelers finalize their activities after arriving at their destination. Due to this, they lose valuable travel time by picking up the spots to travel. Travelers also miss out on a few places on their itinerary due to time constraints. Therefore, there has been a dire need for travel planners that save time so travelers can enjoy their trip.

Companies are formulating mechanisms to create real-time and personalized itineraries for travelers using AI. The idea is to cut short the planning time and present options based on specified preferences.

In 2018, TUI Group and AI-powered trip-planning service Utrip, teamed up to create a personalized trip planning service. This online tool asks travelers to rate their preferences across various categories, like “Food & Drink”, “Nature & Adventure”, “Shopping”, and “Relaxation”. Additional filters such as “Trip Style”, “Travelling With”, and “Trip Purpose” help to refine things further. Utrip’s AI algorithm then analyzes millions of potential combinations to create a personalized itinerary for the entire trip.

With AI’s immense potential, travel agencies are now adopting AI mechanisms to evaluate traveler needs more effectively. It is providing faster and cheaper ways to improve its offerings.

AI mechanisms improve the travel experience

Smart recommendations that enable travelers to save time go a long way in improving satisfaction levels. Travel companies are extensively using AI technologies like machine learning (ML) and natural language programming (NLP) to improve customer experiences. They are mining customer data and using analytics to predict customer behavior and intent. In addition, they keep travelers updated about their travel schedule.

For instance, a new start-up, Lola revolutionized the concept of travel agents by making trip planning more convenient. Lola uses AI algorithms to manage hundreds of clients at any given point of time.

How does it work? Lola users have to set up an account and punch in their debit or credit card details. They can simply send messages to a representative through the app mentioning their preferences for the trip. A traditional booking website requires users to type in dates, preferences, and other parameters, whereas Lola simplifies the process. Users can make requests in conversational language.

For example, users can type “need a flight to Sydney next weekend” instead of punching info into little boxes. These requests are analyzed by the company’s AI and then forwarded to one of Lola’s 15 human travel agents. With the help of computer-generated recommendations, an agent then sends potential itineraries and suggestions back to users.

Companies can learn from Lola’s trip planning capabilities and build more such platforms that connect travelers with their potential destinations.

Conclusion 

Travelers love to explore new places and make memories but face challenged in planning trips beforehand. Travel agencies can use AI to render an extraordinary travel experience to their customers. Using AI-based applications, they can recommend travel options instantly. Providers of artificial intelligence services can develop travel solutions that make travel planning smarter and less time-consuming. 

Avail our Artificial intelligence services

We, at Oodles, are an artificial intelligence development company, that builds smart solutions to solve industry-specific challenges. With a pool of experienced professionals, we develop smart AI-powered applications using the latest AI-toolkit. 

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