Will AI truly replace a travel agent?

The AI wave has just started knocking doors and it’s already opened a world of opportunities. With travel, it’s no different. The complication of planning a holiday can be levelled out easily with the help of AI as said here in this article by Andreessen Horowitz and it is already in use at basic levels with https://roamaround.io/ . But can it really replace a travel agent today?

Reality is that AI can guide you right from getting tickets to being with you on trip – the inherent scope has always been immense. Truly, the real value-add that AI brings to the table is convenience. Imagine searching for something as easy as having a conversation with a person, and getting workable solutions within seconds. That is the convenience we always want technology to constantly evolve upon. And that convenience is what our tech-led travel model was built upon. And with AI into the game, we’re excited to see how we can leverage it into every aspect of planning a trip.

Starting with Inspiration.?

We look for different kinds of inspiration on different platforms for travel. For visuals - Instagram or Pinterest, for recommendations - Guidebooks, for reviews - Tripadvisor. But having them all in one place, given to us by typing down a few preferences is truly a game changer. AI truly has democratised travel in terms of information and discovery through its ability to scour various sources in seconds. But when it comes to travel inspiration, visuals will always have an upper-hand and also be the first step for travellers in their planning process.

Planning.

Here is where AI can truly make a difference. With people already using various tools online, the recommendations given are surprisingly specific and personalised to the dot. Be it the best days to visit a destination, available activities to do or the best ways to reach there, curating this information in one place saves so much time and energy using AI. Our unique itinerary building platform at Pickyourtrail, though not AI-powered at the moment, can recommend itineraries within minutes based on your preferences. And with AI now, turning this into a seamless booking experience is where the real opportunity lies for us.?

Bookings.?

While bookings today have been automated for most transactions, availability is what needs to be solved. This is where strong supply relations come into play. The cohesion of all available systems that can be recommended at the time of booking, is what can bridge this gap at the moment. Importantly, manual errors can be avoided and at the same time, best prices can be offered as a delight to travellers.

Finally, on trip experience.

Now this is where it is exciting for us at Pickyourtrail. Imagine you miss going to an activity on trip because you slept-in. Based on the location on your phone, knowing that you are not at the activity, AI can help change the itinerary at the last-minute and recommend a new activity before you wake up. Now how cool would that be? This could be the last leg of where things will change for better with AI in travel but getting here is what we look forward to.

Rounding back to the question, AI is the nitro-boost that can push travel to boundless limits but only the best riders who have good underlying technology can make best use of this power and truly withstand this phase. And to know we are on the right track already is what excites us.