31 pc of travellers find researching and planning vacations time-consuming and cumbersome, says data from the survey
The use of Artificial Intelligence for travel planning or research is likely to be used by 36 pc of travellers during the next 12 months, revealed a survey conducted among 1400 travellers. The survey was conducted on behalf of personal AI travel assistant GuideGeek, polling the community of its parent company, travel publisher Matador Network.
Ross Borden
“Travellers are rapidly realising that AI simply provides the best user experience for planning travel because it’s personalised and saves valuable time. Instead of spending hours trying to find what you’re looking for, you can tell an AI travel assistant your budget, preferences, and interests and it provides recommendations that match your specific needs,” says Matador Network CEO Ross Borden.
The survey also found that 31 pc of travellers find researching and planning vacations time-consuming and cumbersome. This is consistent with the findings of a survey of the American public GuideGeek conducted earlier.
“AI travel assistant’s ability to understand what I’m looking for and summarise it into tailored responses is amazing. It feels like you have access to a friend who is a local,” says Michael Motadmedi who is using GuideGeek to travel the world. He recently told KTLA that it reduces his travel planning time by at least half.
The statement adds that the sense of having a travel buddy in AI travel assistant may also encourage travellers to be more adventurous. Half of the survey respondents indicated that they would visit more foreign destinations if they had a more reliable way to learn about local customs and feel comfortable navigating the cities.
In addition to planning and logistics, adds the survey, AI can provide surprising travel inspiration. Nearly two thirds of survey respondents, or 64.2 pc, said their most memorable travel experience included a visit to a unique, off-the-beaten-path location, as opposed to one of the most popular destinations everyone would know.
“Most travellers are currently using GuideGeek as a replacement for or supplement to online research. But there is a set of users already shifting how they approach travel planning altogether by asking the AI open-ended questions such as, ‘I love beaches, spicy food, music and cocktails. Where should I go?’ I think we’re only seeing the very beginning of how AI will reshape travel planning for the better,” says Borden.
