A look at some clever uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in travel and how it is already helping travel marketers overcome some of the biggest problems they’re currently facing in the industry.
Last year, WBR Insights and Sojern published a study, entitled How Travel Marketers are Activating Digital Advertising in 2021. In one of the key insights, 82% of travel marketers rated AI and machine learning (ML) as high priority or very high priority in personalising experience for customers.
Travel marketers in the
EU listed machine learning and artificial telegram number database intelligence as the top ad tech to increase usage the most in 2021/22.
AI technology remains a work in progress but travel companies ae already using it to solve a variety of marketing problems.
#1: Predicting travel trends
The generational shift from Baby Boomers to should you run a flash sale? Millennials has been particularly challenging, compounded by rapid advances in technology. With the whole world connected and travel trends changing faster than ever, it’s increasingly difficult for brands to keep up with travellers’ constantly-changing demands.
At the same time, we have a constant shift in booking habits with new platforms emerging all the time and giants like Google and Airbnb cornering more of the market for themselves.
In November 2021, Airbnb’s market cap peaked at over $200 billion (~£150bn), more than the combined caps of the world’s top hotel chains: Marriot, Hilton, IGH, Wyndham, Chice, Hyatt and Accor.
In 2019, Vice President of Creative at Guinness World Records, Paul O’Neill, told TravelPulse that companies would soon have to compete with the likes of Amazon, too.
“Amazon is already selling theater[sic] tickets. That’s the first move in that direction. If they aren’t selling hotel rooms in the future, I’d be surprised.” – Paul O’Neill, Vice President of Creative at Guinness World Records
By late 2020, Amazon launched Amazon Explore, a platform designed to help travellers find “experiences” with local hosts in their travel location – and, of course, spend some money shopping while they explore.
With travel trends developing so quickly, brands can’t afford to wait until things change to react. They need to spot new trends as they emerge or even predict them before they catch on and adapt their marketing efforts accordingly.
Earlier this year, travel management platform CWT teamed up with AI predictive analytics company ZYTLYN Technologies in a pilot initiative to “accurately predict travel demand in near real-time, whilst complex, fluid contextual factors such as COVID are at play.”
#2: Reacting to indirect travel influences
Prior to Covid-19, Chinese tourists singapore number were by far the biggest spenders overseas, becoming a major driving force behind the industry. In 2018, Chinese nationals made almost 150 million trips overseas – an increase of more than 1,300% since 2001.
However, China’s zero-Covid tactics and ongoing concerns about international travel drained the world’s biggest source of travel revenue.
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As the world tentatively emerges from the worst of the pandemic, uncertainty remains and global tensions place further strain on travel prospects. Pre-Covid data loses much of its value because we’re living in a new world with different priorities – no matter how much we want to get back to “normal”.
Travel marketers need to adopt a more predictive approach to analytics to adapt to external influences faster – economic shifts, geopolitical developments, etc.