Like most of the world, the travel industry has been affected by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI). It is changing the way people search for information, plan trips, and make bookings.
As a result, AI tools are also impacting travel businesses, altering how content is created, how data is used and how your brand serves your clients.
So what do you need to do as a travel brand to fit within these changes? As people’s search habits change, it is important you stay on top of these trends.
As the go-to search tool, Google’s suite of tools has become indispensable for modern travellers. For some travellers, Google becomes the most used tool in planning a trip. It is used for:
- Initial discovery: Travellers often begin with broad searches like "best beaches in Thailand" or "European city breaks".
- Detailed planning: Once a destination is found, travellers use Google for flights, accommodation, activities, and transportation.
- On-the-go: During their travels, users rely on Google Maps for navigation, finding nearby restaurants and attractions, and checking real-time traffic conditions. Google Search helps them find quick answers to questions, such as currency exchange rates or local customs.
- Reviews: Google Reviews play a crucial role in decision-making, allowing travellers to read firsthand accounts of hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
Google Overview
Google’s recent introduction of its AI Overview tool has had an impact on people’s search patterns. Overview provides a consolidated snapshot of relevant information at the top of search results, saving travellers time and effort by presenting essential information in one place.
In some ways, this tool can act in the place of a travel agent, providing almost complete itineraries based on the user’s search query. While this makes travel planning faster for users, it also impacts traffic to traditional travel websites, as users may no longer need to click through to multiple sources to get the information they need.
For travel brands, optimising content for Google Overview has become crucial. High-quality, authoritative content that aligns with AI-driven summaries is more likely to be featured in these overviews, ensuring visibility in search results. Businesses must adapt by creating well-structured, informative content that AI can extract and summarise effectively.
Google Travel
Google Travel is another AI-enhanced tool that has changed the way travellers plan trips. It aggregates information from multiple sources, allowing users to book flights, hotels, and experiences all in one place. With features like price tracking, AI-generated itineraries, and personalised suggestions based on past searches, Google Travel streamlines the planning process.
But, no bookings or transactions take place on Google Travel. Users are eventually directed to the original product’s site where they can book and pay directly.
Large language models
Large language models (LLMs) have very quickly offered new avenues for personalised planning and information retrieval. These models, trained on vast datasets of text and code, can understand and generate human-like language, providing travellers with intuitive and comprehensive support.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is widely used for travel planning due to its ability to generate personalised recommendations and detailed itineraries. Travellers can ask ChatGPT open-ended questions, such as "What are some unique things to do in Kyoto?" or more detailed questions like "Plan a two-week road trip across Italy with a focus on food and wine."
Unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT engages in dialogue, refining responses based on user input. Users can specify their travel style, budget, and interests, and ChatGPT will tailor suggestions accordingly.
But, while ChatGPT offers insight, it does not provide real-time travel data such as flight prices or hotel availability. Travellers must verify details on booking platforms.
Gemini
Gemini is Google’s AI-powered LLM. Like Chat GPT, it operates on a conversational level, allowing users to ask questions and receive detailed feedback. But, unlike ChatGPT, Gemini can process text, images, and even video, allowing travellers to upload pictures of landmarks or accommodation options and receive relevant information instantly.
Since it operates within Google’s framework, Gemini can access real-time flight prices, hotel availability, and other live travel updates.
Natural language processing
AI-powered natural language processing (NLP) has meant a rise in voice search. Using tools like Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa, more travellers are using voice search to plan their trips.
Instead of relying on rigid keywords, users can now use conversational language to express their travel needs. Virtual assistants and chatbots, powered by NLP, can understand complex queries like "find a beach resort in Thailand with a kids' club and all-inclusive packages”.
This conversational approach simplifies the search process, especially for users who are unfamiliar with travel jargon. AI interprets the question and provides a relevant, contextual answer. This shift means travel brands must optimise their content for natural, spoken language queries rather than just typed keywords.
What can travel brands do to benefit from AI search?
To remain competitive and visible, travel brands can embrace AI-driven tools across various facets of their operations.
SEO and long-tail keywords
AI's ability to understand natural language queries means the way we understand search engine optimisation (SEO) has also changed. Instead of focusing solely on broad keywords like "hotels London," brands can target specific, conversational phrases like "family-friendly hotels near London museums with free breakfast”.
This means your brand’s website and content must change.
- Content creation: Developing content that answers specific user questions and addresses niche interests. Blog posts, articles, and FAQs should be optimised for long-tail keywords relevant to the brand's target audience.
Creating content that mimics natural conversations, addressing user queries in a direct and informative manner. This includes using question-based headings and providing detailed answers.
- Schema markup: Implementing schema markup to provide search engines with structured data about the brand's offerings, such as hotel amenities, tour details, and restaurant menus. This helps AI understand the context of the content and improves its relevance in search results.
- Voice search: With more travellers using voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, optimising for voice search is essential. People tend to phrase voice searches as full sentences rather than short keywords. Travel brands can benefit by structuring their content to match these natural language patterns. Adding FAQ sections with clear, concise answers can improve visibility in voice search results.
Personalised search results
AI-driven search engines prioritise personalised experiences, meaning travellers see results tailored to their preferences. Travel brands can use AI to analyse browsing behavior, past bookings, and search history to deliver relevant recommendations. Dynamic pricing, personalised travel deals, and AI-powered chatbots can help refine search results and make the booking process more intuitive.
AI-powered assistants
Virtual assistants and AI chatbots can improve the search experience by guiding travellers through their options. These tools can answer common booking queries, suggest ideal travel itineraries, and even recommend restaurants and activities based on the user’s interests. By integrating AI-powered assistants, your travel brand can provide instant, personalised support at any stage of your customer’s journey.
Image search
AI is making it possible for travellers to search using images rather than text. Instead of typing "beachfront hotels in Greece”, users can upload a photo of a destination and receive relevant results. Your website can be optimised for visual search by ensuring images are properly tagged with metadata and descriptions.
Dynamic content
AI can anticipate what travellers are looking for even before they complete a search. By analysing past user behavior and market trends, predictive search can suggest personalised travel deals, recommend destinations, and display relevant offers in real time. Dynamic search result pages that adapt based on user preferences help travellers find what they need faster, leading to increased engagement and conversions.
How does a travel brand access AI tools?
Having analysed all the ways your business can benefit from employing AI tools on your website and in your customer journey, how do you access them?
Travel brands access AI tools primarily through licensing agreements with technology providers. Cloud-based AI platforms, like those from Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure, offer AI as a service (AIaaS), providing pre-built models and APIs for various functionalities.
Travel brands can license these services on a subscription or pay-per-use basis. Once you’ve signed the licensing agreement, your web developer can integrate these services into your existing systems, paying for usage.
Or you can also choose to develop your own custom AI solutions, but this requires significant investment in AI expertise and infrastructure.
When using AI, travel brands must be careful of data privacy regulations and ensure that they are handling customer data responsibly. It is very important to read the terms of service, and any legal documentation, when using any AI service.
It is also very important to remember that AI is a tool, and should be used to add capabilities to your website and systems, not to replace humans entirely.
Interested in finding out more about using AI tools to improve your travel brand? Whether you need a new website, a redesign, or advanced AI integrations, Boost Brands can build a seamless digital experience tailored to your brand. Contact us today to start your journey toward a smarter, more engaging travel website.
