“AI is going to become more than a benefit if you enhance it right and use it [in a way] the customer wants to use it,” Trip.com group general manager EMEA Andy Washington told TTG. “It’s going to bring huge benefits.”
The Chinese group, which owns and operates brands like Trip.com and Skyscanner, is already on the AI bandwagon, and claims to have been the first OTA to launch an AI-generated chatbot, which it has called TripGen.
On the market since February, the Chat GPT-powered chatbot provides real-time assistance, as well as personalised travel solutions, including hotel and flight reservations.
“Our immediate focus is bringing these new technologies in and that will help us advance head and shoulders above a lot of the industry,” said Washington, a veteran of the travel industry who has worked with a number of consumer and online brands including Expedia, Lastminute.com Culture Trip and Groupon.
He is also a previous dnata Travel Group B2C lead, where he had oversight for Travel Republic, Sunmaster, Travelbag and Netflights.
According to Washington, AI will not spell the end for they way in which OTAs go about their business, replacing only some elements of their role.
“OTAs have always had this dilemma of making sure we are taking the traditional high street approach and being dynamic and technical with it,” he said. “AI only enhances that, taking it to the next level.”
AI is not Trip.com’s sole focus, though; the company is currently working on localising its website for each of its 39 markets to help fulfil demand. “It’s about understanding customers’ wants and needs, what their patterns are with bookings, and ensuring our sites are localised to fulfil that demand,” said Washington.
Globally, Trip.com’s bookings for the summer are running +170% on last year, and have also already surpassed 2019 levels. In its EU market, the uptick is 72% after bookings returned to pre-pandemic patterns with people booking two to three holidays a year, despite ongoing cost of living worries.
Eastern promise
However, in China – which only reopened its borders in January – the surge is more stark, with bookings up +350%. Washington told TTG that Asia-Pacific has become the most sought-after region, with Thailand its best seller.
According to Washington, demand for the region has boomed since China reopened its borders, fuelling confidence, and customers becoming “more culturally aware” post-Covid.
“Asia really appeases a market that wants more than just flying [to] flop on a beach,” Washington continued. “You’re seeing a consumer shift that isn’t just seven or 14 nights on the beach, [but] more and more demand for doing more than just lying on a beach.”
He said the Middle East had also performed well in recent months due to its weather and value proposition.
Trip.com figures reveal the UAE remains among the group’s most sought-after destinations, while Saudi Arabia has started to pick up following an increase in flights and, Washington claimed, a cultural shift.
He nevertheless stressed the US was continuing to lag behind in terms of demand. “The Middle and Far East are doing extremely well [but] I wouldn’t say the US is doing as well as other regions,” he added.
