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Can ChatGPT revolutionise the travel industry and help you plan your vacation?

Recent developments demonstrate that ChatGPT may further refine the new era of tailored experiences which AI has opened the gates to.

March 26, 2023 / 06:14 PM IST
Trip planning is the most significant opportunity for ChatGPT in the travel industry.

Trip planning is the most significant opportunity for ChatGPT in the travel industry.

Conversational capabilities have advanced significantly in the previous decade, but there is still a vast chance to improve them by teaching chatbots to comprehend and forecast traveller preferences. Nevertheless, in just a few years, our technology has powered more than 29 million virtual chats, saving more than eight million hours of agent time and allowing travellers to self-serve more quickly.

Why do we need ChatGPT for travel planning?

Trip planning is the most significant opportunity for ChatGPT in the travel industry. Imagine if travellers could utilise AI to construct a trip plan or find the best accommodations for their trip and then have these suggestions immediately added to their Expedia trip board. It can reduce to minutes a tediously manual planning procedure that involves sorting through numerous possibilities. For example, AI-powered instant translation services can negotiate last-minute changes of plans directly with hosts and rental car companies who don't speak the same language. Machine Learning models can automatically tell hosts that we'll be late to their beach cottage because our flight was late. Technology will continue to smooth out unexpected bumps in the road with more finesse and foresight. It remains to be seen if ChatGPT or other developments like it improve that.

Automation software vs AI bots

Automation software, compared to AI bots, is a more dependable alternative for those looking to streamline their workflow and operations. Booking systems, for example, are programs that enable digital reservation administration, online ticket sales, and connecting to online travel agents. (OTAs). Regiondo, the market leader in this space, is a powerful tool that may help you optimise your business operations and reduce the need for paper. It can also save you money by automating repetitive processes, which is especially valuable if you have a small crew and need help hiring new people.

Possible applications

Travel planning/itinerary planning: ChatGPT has the potential to transform how passengers arrange their travels. It can let customers create bespoke itineraries with minimal effort and study.

Post-booking support: Post-booking support, like helping with flight and hotel confirmations, itinerary modifications, travel document and visa needs, travel insurance and claim process needs, etc., can take up a lot of a travel start-up's time and resources.

Customer service: ChatGPT can assist in reducing the workload of customer support staff and enhance the overall customer experience by efficiently managing client inquiries and delivering solutions to frequently asked questions, thanks to its capacity to remember and learn from prior conversations.

Virtual guide: It can serve as a virtual travel guide. ChatGPT can provide tourists with comprehensive information on their destination, including weather conditions, local customs, the best time to visit, prominent tourist attractions, local cuisines, and more. It can help passengers plan their trip more efficiently, maximising their time and avoiding travel obstacles. Imagine always having a personal guide by your side!

Review and ratings: It can be trained on a set of hotel reviews to aggregate and summarise reviews (hotels, attractions, etc.). Once trained, the model can create a summary of the reviews by identifying recurring themes and feelings. In addition, the algorithm can be adjusted to forecast a hotel's rating based on the reviews it has received.

Furthermore, there are countless additional possible applications for ChatGPT, including travel marketing, event planning, fraud detection, travel agent training, etc. In addition, it can be modified to serve as a virtual shopping assistant for travellers, providing guidance and recommendations for e-commerce and local purchasing.

Recommendations

Here are some recommendations for implementing ChatGPT or another machine-learning model in the travel and tourist business.

Providing travel and tourist recommendations: ChatGPT could provide travel and tourist suggestions based on a user's choices and interests. For instance, the model may be trained on an extensive dataset of travel and tourism data and then utilised to deliver personalised suggestions for places, activities, and lodging options.

Generating marketing materials: Travel and tourism businesses might employ ChatGPT to create marketing materials such as brochures, website content, and social media postings.

Improving customer service: ChatGPT could be used to enhance customer service in the travel and tourism business by producing customised solutions to customer questions and concerns.

Enhancing trip planning: ChatGPT could assist with trip planning by generating destination, activity, and lodging recommendations based on a user's preferences and interests.

Creating event-related materials: ChatGPT could be used to develop event materials, including agendas, programs, and promotional materials, for these sectors.

Analysing customer information: ChatGPT could be used to analyse consumer data to uncover trends and patterns that could be used to enhance the quality of products and services in several industries.

In the end, nothing else matters?

It would be best if you utilised ChatGPT for inspiration rather than copying and pasting all of the information it provides. Being current with technology and AI is now an essential aspect of our lives, and ChatGPTs are used to generate Artificial Intelligence literature. However, keep in mind that what a human can read, research, and evaluate, an AI-based system cannot. As a result, people in the tourism industry should accept this as a source of inspiration and learn from it. However, the experiences people write, express, or share result from human emotions, not artificial intelligence. Furthermore, ChatGPT never visited the locations, so how can it sympathise with a traveller's problems?

So, to maintain authenticity, learn from ChatGPT, share from the heart, read about real-life experiences, and go exploring on your own.

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Nivash Jeevanandam is a senior research writer at INDIAai (Govt. of India) - National AI Portal of India | NASSCOM. Views expressed are personal.