Artificial intelligence and technology will shape the future of tourism

14-05-23

Tourism leaders attending MarketHub Americas by Hotelbeds reported that artificial intelligence and technology will be their top strategic priority by 2023.

A survey of the nearly 500 event attendees revealed that 32% plan to adopt AI and technology over anything else this year. This is followed by 28% of companies planning to innovate more. The survey found that 13% plan to offer a more personalised service, 11% to create and use more data, and 9% to focus on the connected journey.

"AI has become the hot topic in the travel industry, but it's a tool that Hotelbeds has been using for some time, mostly to help with customer service through chatbots," said Nicolas Huss, CEO of Hotelbeds. "There's no doubt that the entire travel ecosystem can benefit from this technology. It can not only improve customer service, but also provide a superior personalised experience by remembering preferences and automatically implementing them every time a person books their next trip."

Attendees heard how AI and machine learning simplify travel decisions for the customer, reduce shopping time and improve personalised offers throughout the travel process. For travel companies, meanwhile, automating low-priority tasks frees up time for the human workforce, which can be used to add more value to their customers.

This was supported by @hotel and NH Hotel Group (part of Minor), as both companies told the conference how important they believe it will be, not just this year, but in the years to come.

"Technology is helping us to improve guest services. We offer our customers frictionless, personalised experiences while delivering operational efficiencies," said Diana Marin, SVP-Sales and Distribution at NH Hotel Group (part of Minor). "AI is also used to predict trends, thanks to powerful algorithms, to analyse data from various sources. What comes next is right there."

Konrad Walliszewski, CEO of @hotel, added: "There is no doubt that AI is a disruptive factor in the world of travel, but it is too early to say how much. It's not just about using artificial intelligence and machine learning to make all employees more productive - you're missing out if you're just doing that. It will soon become the new norm, but it's moving so fast that we all need to be aware of it."

MarketHub Americas is an invitation-only event attended by Hotelbeds' most important partners from all key source markets across the region.