AI in Travel

True, as the head of ASTA says, some people will always prefer to use a travel advisor over an online travel website. But in the big picture, how will AI skew the trend?

Bilt lets users earn points for rent payments and exchange them for travel, and it's growing fast.

Could Trivago be looking to supplement its traditional metasearch revenue with that generated by a hotel booking site? Or is it just interested in Holisto's tech?

Following pandemic setbacks, ToursByLocals has completed a long-awaited rebrand meant to signal growth.

Meta AI was useful as a starting point for finding things to do in a new destination — an improvement from its first model but nothing new compared to competitors. Beyond that, a traditional search is far superior for trip planning.

As travelers seek more customizable options, airline retailing is modernizing to offer AI-powered ancillary offer management. This shift enhances the passenger experience and provides airlines with new revenue streams through targeted and personalized offerings.

These startups are modernizing tour packages, timeshares, and tipping with digital products.

Someday a computer-generated avatar may explain why you can't fly business class to Dubai. In the meantime, travel management and travel tech companies are testing how to apply Gen AI to various parts of business travel.

Today's podcast looks at Google's surprising pivot on cookies, industry leaders' disappointment in travel's use of AI, and why Turkish Airlines doesn't believe in premium economy.

As a baseball luminary once said, "It ain't over til it's over." Third-party cookies were about to be gone but then they weren't.