How AI Can Support The Global Travel Recovery

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the travel industry worldwide. Learn more about how AI can support the global travel recovery and help travel companies adapt to the “new normal.”

There is no denying that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hit the travel industry particularly hard. Since early 2020, when the pandemic first hit, travel has been significantly reduced on a global level. It is still having a profound effect on tourism companies and travel organisations worldwide. This includes business of all sizes, ranging from small businesses to major airlines, hotel chains, and booking companies.

Luckily, we are already starting to see the first signs of recovery. With more people vaccinated than not, travel is picking up both domestically and internationally. As we look ahead, the travel industry’s recovery and growth will be some of the biggest trends to come next year. But to make a full recovery, travel companies will need to effectively adapt to the changing consumer habits and the expectations of future travellers.

One significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the ongoing limitations of what people can do outside of their homes have accelerated the travel industry’s transition away from in-person bookings to e-commerce. In other words, instead of visiting brick-and-mortar travel agencies, today’s would-be travellers are increasingly turning to digital solutions to plan and book their trips. They also expect to receive personalised information in a matter of minutes on any device they use.

Unfortunately, with limited human, financial, and technical resources, travel companies and organisations are now struggling to meet customer needs efficiently. Potential clients are left dissatisfied, which hurts both the brand image and the bottom line. By employing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, travel companies could not only automate repetitive customer support requests in real-time, but they could also increase engagement rates, boost sales, and improve their overall revenues.

One of such solutions is Eddy Travels, an artificial intelligence travel assistant. The AI assistant chatbot is available 24/7 to offer people the best travel deals with real-time prices and inventory. By simply chatting, would-be travellers can search flights, accommodation, tours, activities, and car rentals from reputable companies, such as Booking.com, Kiwi.com, GetYourGuide, Rentalcars.com, and more.

The messages are processed automatically using machine learning technology for natural language understanding (NLU). With an AI assistant, travel websites can significantly increase user engagement levels and time spent on-site, as well as generate more travel searches and bookings.

To further support the recovery of the travel industry, Eddy Travels has recently launched a new affiliate partner program. Any company or individual can install the AI travel assistant on their website or mobile application for free. The installation is easy and only takes a few minutes using either the WordPress plugin or a custom code snippet. Affiliates can even white-label the AI-powered chatbot using their own branded colours or logos.

Since launching the new program, Eddy Travels has attracted a wide range of partners. The AI assistant is already installed on the three national Lithuanian airport websites, helping people find the best travel offers for destinations already open to tourists. You can also find the Eddy Travels chat widget on many travel blogs, mobile applications, tourism and governmental websites.

“After an extremely challenging year, travel is once again growing around the world.” Said Edmundas Balcikonis, Co-Founder and CEO at Eddy Travels. “We are delighted that we can help our partners increase their revenue and contribute to the travel industry recovery with our AI technology.”

Although we are beginning to see the signs of recovery, there is still a long way to go before things are fully back to normal. The global COVID-19 pandemic has pushed travel companies to innovate and improve their online activities. Fortunately, even with limited resources, travel companies can employ cost-effective tools powered by artificial intelligence to boost their results.

As the global industry continues to recover, we expect to see even more demand for machine learning-based technologies in the travel industry. By incorporating AI solutions into their business, travel companies can take full advantage of the pent-up demand for holidays and make the most out of the future recovery of the industry as a whole.