How will artificial intelligence really change the future of tourism?
Technological advances are taking giant steps and bringing to the market technologies with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which will have the potential to transform the tourism and healthcare sectors if the right balance is found between high-tech and high-touch.
Last April, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) was held, one of the main global events for the Middle East tourism industry for the last 25 years. The experts participating in ATM 2019 concluded that an effective implementation of technological innovations will help the tourism sector grow even more.
Today, technologies such as virtual reality (VR), virtual assistants and AI chatbots are already facilitating many customer experiences.
Charbel Sarkis, Google’s head of Tourism, Hotels, Retail and E-Commerce verticals for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Machine learning is not something that will happen in the future. It is happening right now.”
“The help this type of technology provides is very intelligent. By predicting our behavior, it can personalize the entire travel experience. If I am a first-time visitor to Rome, for example, I have different expectations than someone who has been five times before and is returning for business. Machine learning can help personalize the offers we receive.”
New technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), could also lead to greater internal efficiency for sectors such as aviation. Implementation of these technologies could improve unplanned maintenance costs, generating savings of up to $250 million per year across the industry.
According to the latest report by Colliers International, carried out for Arabian Travel Market (ATM), it reveals that 73% of manual activities in the hotel sector have the technical potential to be automated. In fact, large international brands such as Marriott International,Hilton Worldwide andAccorhotels are already investing in automating elements of their human resources.
“The challenge we have is that we are part of a broader ecosystem“, quoted Matt Raos, B2B vice president of Corporate and Leisure. “We must recognize that we are participants in an ecosystem and find ways to collaborate so that we can deliver what customers want.”
Machine learning and AI-driven innovations, such as robot concierges and butlers, as well as facial recognition and room personalization technology, are increasingly popular in the international hospitality sector. However, there are still brands that have been reluctant to implement innovations due to high customer expectations.
Danielle Curtis, director of the ATM exhibition, stressed: “The average investment in hotels by hotels is currently 4%, however, almost three quarters of all manual activities in the industry have the potential to be automated. There is great potential for our industry to benefit from the implementation of technology.”
“However, the healthcare and tourism sectors have built a global reputation based on high-quality, personalized service, so the right balance between high-tech and high-touch is vital. In the long term, companies operating in the Middle East tourism segment are likely to remain committed to human interaction, but with the help of technology.“
Do you want to know more about AI? Visit our Artificial Intelligence page and get the most out of it.
More related articles
This post is also available in: