2024年旅游行业新征程：生成式AI重新定义客户体验并解锁新价值报告（英文版）-埃森哲

Thetravelindustry’snewtrip

HowgenerativeAIcanredefinecustomerexperiencesandunlocknewvaluefororganizations

Content

Introduction03

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

04

HowgenAIcanreinventtravel

13

Wheretravelprovidersstand

17

BuildingthedatafoundationstotakegenAItoscale

23

KeyprinciplesforexecutivesseekingtounlockthepowerofgenAI

26

Let’smovepeople29

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip

2

Introduction

Thenumberofpeopletravelingaroundtheworldisexpectedtoreachanall-timehighin2024,as

globalleisureandbusinesstravelvolumesfinally

surpasspre-pandemiclevels.Overall,morethan

abillionpeople1willmakeaninternationaltrip

in2024,withjustasmanytravelingwithintheir

country.Andwhilesometripsareforbusiness,

othersforleisureorpersonalreasonsandothers

amixofbothorallthree,eachtriprequiresan

extensiveandcarefulplanningprocess.From

theindustrystandpoint,thatprocessopensthe

doortoahostofopportunitiesforcompaniesto

differentiateandwinconsumers,fromthemomentsomeoneisinspiredtotravelthroughpost-trip

follow-upservicesaftertheirtripisover.

Theproblemis,fromthetraveler’spointofview,today’stravel-planningprocessistoooftentime-consumingandfrustrating.

Consider:Whileeverytravelerhasuniqueneeds,

preparingforatriptypicallyinvolvesusingmultiplewebsitesandapps.Theyneedtobookthetravel

itself,accommodation,carhire,excursions

andmore.Andateachstep,theyfaceamyriadofoptions,whichcanbehelpful,butcanalsoleadquicklytooverloadanddissatisfaction.

AsrecentglobalAccentureresearch2found,

74%ofconsumershavewalkedawayfroman

intendedpurchasebecausethecomplexityand

anoverabundanceofoptionswereoverwhelming.Nearlythesamenumber(71%)saythattheysee

eithernoimprovementoranincreaseinthetimeandeffortrequiredtomakeapurchasedecision.

Whatiftherewereaneasierway?That’sthe

questionthatcompelledourmostrecentresearch.Wesurveyed8,079travelersand313C-suite

industryexecutivesandcomplementedthose

surveyswithacrowdsourcingexerciseinvolving

200travelersfromacrossfourcountries,andan

AI-basedclusteranalysisoftheirviews.3Welookedcloselyatthewholetravelerexperience—from

inspirationtoposttrip—toidentifytravelers’chiefsourcesoffrictionandfrustration,andwhattheywanttoseemostinthewayofimprovements.

Oneparticularlysurprisingfindingfromthetravelersurvey?Travelers’viewsareremarkablyconsistentregardlessofageorincome.And60%oftravel

industryCXOsseepotentialforgenAIinproductapplicationdevelopmentandmanagement.Theimplication?Effectivesolutionsmaynotbeas

difficulttotailorastheymayseem.

Inthisreport,we’llexplorethecurrenttravel

landscape,andthendelveintothepotentialto

transformitfortravelersandindustryplayers

alike.We’llfocusonhowadvancedtechnologies,particularlygenerativeAI(genAI),canremovethefrictionthattravelerscurrentlyexperience.And

wewilldemonstratethewaysinwhichadvancedAItoolscanoffertravelersasmarter,farmore

personalizedandfullyintegratedwaytoidentify

andexploreoptionsanddesign,buildandbooktheperfecttrip.

Thestakesarehigh:AccordingtoSkift,genAIpresentsa$28billionopportunityforthetravelindustry.4

Thetraveler

experiencetoday

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Tobeginwiththebasics,mosttravelersstillpreferusingtheirdesktopsorlaptopstoexploredestinationsandtobooktrips.Oursurveyrevealed,forexample,that48%oftravelerspreferusingadesktoporalaptop,while33%usetheirsmartphones.

Theyalsotendtostartearlyandplancarefully.Forthosetravelingdomestically,

preparationtypicallystartsonetothreemonthsbeforedepartureandforinternational

travelit’slikelytobesixmonthstoayear.Overall,oursurveyfindsalmosthalfoftravelers(45%)startplanningonetotwomonthsinadvance.Morethanaquarter(26%)startthreetosixmonthsbeforetheirtrip.

estartplanningourinternationaland

domestictravelwellinadvance.Wewatchfordeals,airfarefluctuations,andhotel

options,focusingongettingthebestvalue.

–Traveler,US,41–50agegroup,traveling2–5timesayearforleisure

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip5

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Atamoregranularlevel,theybreaktravelintothreedistinctstages:

Seekinginspiration,planning(balancingcostwithotherconsiderations)andbooking:

Whatinspirestoday’straveler?

Travelersdrawfromawidevarietyofsourcesthatarenotmutuallyexclusivetofindinspirationfordestinations,activities,andtypesoftrips.

Travelreviewsarethemostpopularandinfluential.90%ofpeoplesaytheyusethem,

and96%thinktheyareveryimportant.Socialmediaandtravelinfluencers(onsites

suchasTikTok,InstagramandFacebook)arealsoleadingguides.Andastrongmajority(71%)oftravelersconsultsocialmediaandinfluencersforinspirationaboutwheretogo.Infact,63%saythesesocialmediaplatforms/sitesdirectlyinfluencetheirfinalchoice.Theappeal?Thesesitesoffermulti-modalcontent,offeringinsightsintoallfacetsof

anexperiencefromactivitiestoaccommodations.Andifaconsumerfollowssomeonebecausetheyshareinterests,thentheinsightscanbeparticularlyrelevant.

“IrelyonYouTube,Instagram,TripAdvisor,

Yelp,andChatGPTasdependablesources

fordiscoveringnewdestinations.Asavisualperson,Iprefervideorecommendationsovertextwheneverpossible”

–Traveler,US,41–50agegroup,traveling6–10timesinayearforleisure

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip6

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Personalcontactsholdconsiderableswayaswell,with61%oftravelerssayingtheyrelyonconversationswithfamily,friendsandpeerstohelpthemmakeuptheirminds.

Othersourcesofinspirationincludebooks,magazinesandthearts(musicand

entertainment).Unsurprisingly,55%oftravelersreportthatindustryconferencesandnetworkingeventsinfluencetheirdestinationdecisions.

Rich,immersivemediatoplanandinspire

Travelers(96%)useinteractivemapsorvirtualrealitytoolssuchasGoogleStreetViewtoexploredestinationsbeforetheybook.Givingthemrichmediaoptions

willhelpthemmakebetter-informedchoices.Visualappealisalsocrucialattheinspirationstage.Overhalfoftravelers(55%)sayphotosandvideosinfluence

theirdecision-making.For13%,theycanbeadealmakerorbreaker.

Mostnotableinrecentyears(post-pandemic)hasbeentheriseof“bleisure”trips,

wherebusinesstravelerscombineleisureoptionswithworktravel.Thesetripsnow

accountforoveraquarterofalltravel(27%versus38%forbusinesstripsand36%forpureleisuretrips).

“Onlinetravelreviewsprovideaccurate

informationaboutdestinations,andYouTubeoffersvideos,makingthemmygo-tosourcesfortripresearchandplanning.”

–Traveler,India,21–30agegroup,traveling2–5timesinayearforleisure

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip7

Fromplanning

tobooking,

howmany

sourcesdoes

atravelerrefer?

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Gettingdowntoplanning

Today,28%oftravelersturntoanofflinetravelagentorspecialistforhelpplanningtheirjourney.Theylikethefull-servicenatureofagentsandspecialists,aswellasthesense

ofsecuritytheygetfromworkingdirectlywithsomeone.Theyalsoappreciatethe

abilitytoaskforclarifications,andanagent’sabilitytounderstandandaccommodatespecialrequirements.

Butfortherest,thisiswherethehardworkbegins.Knowingthatgoodplanningis

crucialformakingthebestoftheirinvestment,andseekingtherightbalanceofprice,timeandnumberofactivities,travelersoftenvisitmultiplesitestopulltogetherthe

informationtheyneed.Forthe44%oftravelerswithafixedbudget,alwayslookingforthebestdealisthegreatestchallenge.Thosewithmoreflexiblebudgets(43%)still

havemanydecisionstomake,rangingfromhowlongtheywanttostayinoneplacetothetransitlinksthey’llusebetweentheairportandtheirdestination.

Isitanywondertheoverallplanningexperiencecanbetime-consuming,stressful

anddisjointedforsomany?Afull68%saytheyuseupto10sitestoplantheirtrip,

and25%visitbetween11–20differentsourcesforinformationduringthisplanning

stage.Tomanagethedetails,theyoftenrelyonmulti-tabbedbrowsingsessions,

bookmarkingwebsites,offlinespreadsheetsanddetailednotetaking.Themost-usedplanningactivityacrossalltravelers?Amap,toscopetheirdestination,locatinghotelsandactivitiesinadvanceofbooking.

7%

25%

68%

1-10sources

11-20sources

>20sources

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip8

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

etravelplanningprocesscanbelengthy

andchallenging,asmanywebsitesredirectyoutoothers,makingithardtocompareandfindthebestdeals”

–Traveler,GreaterChina,61andolderagegroup,travelingmorethan10timesinayearforBleisure

“Istartbybookmarkingtravelblogsand

sites,thencreatemanualliststosortmy

preferencesandcompilepricelists-themostchallengingpart.Mapsarehelpfultoo,butallthisisquitetime-consuming”

–Traveler,India,41–50agegroup,traveling2–5timesayearforleisure

Who’sdoingtheplanningandbooking?

Just32%oftravelersplantheirtravelthemselves.Oftherest,31%dependonexecutiveassistants,while29%takehelpfromspouses,familyorfriends.

Whataretheirbiggestplanningheadaches?

Respondentstooursurveycitedthefollowingkeychallenges

•Complexityofmanagingallthevariables,especiallyaccommodation

•Managingtheiritinerary,includingtheneedtocompareoptions

•Tightschedulingandlackofsupport

•Travelunknownsorunfamiliaritywithlocalconditionsandtransportation

•Decisionfatigue

•Riskofgettinglostduringthetrip

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip9

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Interestingly,27%citedsafetywastheirmostimportantcriteriawheninitiallyplanningatrip,followedbytripexperience,flexibility(tochange,cancel,etc.)andaccommodation.

27%

Destination/tripexperience

Flexibility(tochange,cancel,etc.)

Accommodation

Budget

Transportation

Activitiesandattractions

Reviewsand

recommendationsCuisine

Safety

22%

13%

11%

10%

8%

5%

3%

1%

Figure1:Keyconsiderationsfortravelers

Oncetheydecideonadestination,travelersstarttoconsidermorespecific

criteria.Themostcommonlycitedoftheseisqualityofservice,including

cleanlinessandfriendliness(28%),followedbyfoodanddiningoptions(26%).

Otherthingstheysearchfor:extrareassuranceonsafetyandsecurity,proximitytolocaltransportandattractionsandwhetherthey’llhaveaccesstopersonalizedservicessuchaspick-up/drop-offoptionsfortransfers,orconciergeservices.

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip10

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Thegreatdisconnect:

Travelers’expectationsversusreality

Asignificantmajority(66%)ofoursurvey

respondentssaidthey’redissatisfiedwiththeplanningoptionsavailabletothemtoday.

Mosttravelersusehotels,airlineoronlinetravelagents’(OTA)websitesorappsforexploringtheiroptions,planningand

booking.Morethanhalf(57%)saythattheytrustthoseproviderstolookaftertheirtravelandbookingdata.

But61%oftravelersalsosaythattheyfindnavigatingappsandwebsitescomplex.

And56%saythatthelackofoptionsfor

customizationorfilteringcontentaddsto

thetimerequiredtomakeadecisionand,insomecases,preventsthemfrommakingadecisionatall.Manyalsocomplainof

unwantednotificationsandpromotions,

and52%saythattheyhaveconcernsaboutgeneraldataprivacyandsecurity.

Oneoftheproblemsmanytravelersfaceisalackofjoined-upexperiencesintheplanningandbookingphase.Almosttwo-thirds(64%)saythatlackofbundlingoptionstocreate

aseamlesslyconnectedtripistheirbiggest

challenge.Manyarelookingforconvenienceandsimplicity:69%saytheypreferbookingtravelpackagesandadditionalservices

alongwiththeirhotelorairlineticketsfromthesamewebsite.

Interestingly,mostpeople(89%)alsosaid

theyhaveatleastsomeinterest(with38%

veryinterested)inasubscription-basedtravelplatform.Foramonthlyfee,thatapproach

wouldgivethemaccesstobenefitssuch

ascustomizedtripplanning,bestdealsandcurateditineraries.

Themost-citedfeaturetravelerswishforfromproviderwebsites?Personalization.More

thanathirdrankedthisastheirtopdesirefortheirtravelplanningexperience.Afterthat,theyseeknaturallanguagesearch(25%),

connectedtriprecommendations(15%)andautomaticitineraries(11%),aswellasbeingabletoaskopen-endedquestions(7%).

Ultimately,whenweaskedtravelerstocreateandprioritizeawishlistforwhattomorrow’stravelexperienceshouldlooklike,here’s

whattheytoldus.(SeeFigure2)

•Aone-clickprocess

•Intuitivesearch

•Intelligentlivesupportforbookingandotherinquiries

•Automatic,personalizedsuggestions(schedule,itinerary)–mimickingalocaltravelguide

•Simplifiedviewofoffers(withpoints,miles,redemption)

•High-definitionphotosforreference

•Clearcancellation/modificationprocessandproceduresandsafetyadvisory

•Automaticpromptstothebestspotsandhiddenplaces

•Journeyassistantforlivereminders

Figure2:TheTravelers’WishList

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip11

Thetravelerexperiencetoday

Andwhenweanalyzedourfindingsmoredeeplyacrosseachstageoftravel,weidentifiedthesub-categoriesshowninFigure3:

Inspiration,planningandsearch

•Naturallanguagesearch.

•AI-generatedhotel/airlinedescription,

contentandimagery.

•Content

personalizationby

individual—includingrecommendations.

•Automatictripcreationbasedonwebsite/

chatbotinteraction.

•Automationloyalty

memberrecognition.

Compareandpurchase

•Productcross-sellrecommendations.

•Sortorderoptimizationonapp.

•Upsellandoffer

recommendations.

•Real-timepricingandoffers.

•Sortorderoptimization

onpaymentmethods.

Duringthejourney

•Real-timeitinerarymanagement.

•AI-poweredcustomerassistantforsupport,schedulingand

reminders.

•Real-timelanguage/contenttranslation.

•Contextual

recommendations

(e.g.,dining,attractions).

•Real-timesafety

regulatoryalertsandguidance.

•Proactivedisruptionmanagement.

•Supportremotedestinationtravelplanning.

•Adapttousers’

emotionsbasedoninteractions.

Post-journey

•Personalizedtravel

summaryformemoriesortraveljournals.

•Expensereporting.

•Automatedphotosortingandalbumcreation.

•Feedbackcollection

andanalysistoimprovefutureexperiences.

•AI-drivencontent

creationforblogsorsocialmediaposts.

•Suggestnew

destinationsfornext

trip,basedonpast

preferences—inspiringthemtobeginplanningalloveragain.

TheseareallcapabilitiesatwhichgenAI

excels.It’sclearthatthetravelsectorhas

muchtogainfromputtingthepowerofgenAIintoitscustomers’hands.

AISaudia’sTravelCompanion

SaudiaAirlineshaslaunchedTravelCompanion,anAI-poweredvirtualassistantdesignedto

enhancecustomerexperiences.Thisplatform,akeycomponentofSaudia’sbroaderstrategytoinnovatetravelexperience,simplifiesthe

bookingprocessincludingvarioustravel

services—suchasaccommodations,transport,dining,andactivities—intoasingleinterface.

Futureupdateswillincludeadditionalfeatureslikevoicecommandsandmultipledigital

paymentoptions.

Figure3:Zoominginonthewish-list

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip12

HowgenAIcan

reinventtravel

HowgenAIcanreinventtravel

Ourresearchconfirmsthattravelersarewillingtousededicatedtravelappsto

helpthemimprovetheirexperiencefromsearchtobooking.Infact,55%saythattheyalreadyusededicatedtravelplanningappssuchasTripIt,Routeperfect

andGoogleTrips,with37%sayingthattheysometimesusethem.Theseapps

offerfeaturessuchasautomaticitinerarygeneration,conversationalassistance(includingrecommendationsandoffers)tailoredtouser/traveler’sprofiles

andbehaviors.

Butanoverwhelmingmajority(97%)oftravelerswantatravel“superapp.”Theywantsomethingthatwillofferone-stop,integratedaccesstoawholerangeoftravel-relatedservices,includingpersonalized,inspirationaldestinationideas,flights,diningandeverythinginbetween.AndarelatedAccenturestudy,

TheEmpoweredConsumer,foundthatoverhalfofconsumersareopentousingconversationalAIsolutions.

EntergenAI

Duringtheinspirationstage,forexample,genAItoolscanpreventoverload.Ourrespondentsrankedinspirationasthesecond-mostcomplicatedstageoftravel,afterbooking.Withanoverabundanceofchoicesavailable,it’seasytobecomeoverwhelmedwithinformationandpossibilities.GenAIcantakeeachtraveler’suniqueneedsandmotivationstofilteroutthenoiseandfocusontherichsignalofwhatwillbemostrelevant,appealingandultimatelyrewarding

foreveryindividual.Moreover,theycandothisinthecourseofanatural-

languageinteraction,whileofferingmulti-modalresponses(photos,videos,chartsasdesired).

48%

50

40

29%

30

22%

20

10

0

Book(purchase)Inspiration(finding

relevantcontent)

Planning(search,

compareandcustomize)

Figure4:TravelPlanning:StagesRankedbyComplexity

“UsingvoicecommandstotellanAItravelapp

aboutmydestinationanddesiredactivities,andhavingitsuggestdetaileditineraries—includingtransportandexacttimings—wouldallowmetochoosethebestoptionseasily”

–Leisuretraveler,US,41–50agegroup,traveling6–10timesinayear

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip14

HowgenAIcanreinventtravel

Attheplanningstage,genAItoolscanstandoutwiththeirabilitytopersonalizeatrip.Whiletravelerssaythatplanningislesscomplicatedthanotherstages

(inspirationandbooking),thereisstillplentyofscopeforgenAItosimplifythewaystravelersplan,manageandtracktheirtraveldetails.Forexample,fewtoolstodaycanhandlecollaborativeplanning,andit’sstillnoteasytocomparepricesandtrackthemacrossmultipletripoptionsand/ortimetables.

Andalthoughtoday’schatbotsprovidesometailoredrecommendations,there’ssignificantroomforimprovement.Forexample,withtheresponsibleuseof

customerdata,genAIcouldanalyzeeachtraveler’suniquepreferencesand

travelhistorytoshapeanindividualized,highlyrelevantitinerarythatgoeswellbeyondstandardattractionsandactivities.

Useyourwords!

Beingabletousenaturallanguageinstructions–includingvoice–toaskquestionsandmakecommandsisoneofgenAI’smajorappealstousers.Today,travelers

arelargelyreluctanttomaketheirbookingsviavoicesearch,withonly28%sayingthey’recomfortablebookingthisway.Barrierstovoicesearchinclude:

•Difficultyinspecifyingpreferences(e.g.,roomtypeorairlineseat)duetointerfacecomplexity(56%)

•Misunderstandingorincorrectassumptionsmadebythevoiceassistant(50%)

•Difficultyinfindingspecificdates,flights,orhotelsduetolimitedoptions(47%)

•Difficultyinaccuratelyrecognizingspokencommandswithlackofconfidenceintheend-result(44%)

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip15

HowgenAIcanreinventtravel

Bookingisbyfarthemostcomplicatedstageofajourney.Today,itstilltendstobea

highlysiloedprocess,asarrangingeachpartofanoveralltrip—hotels,flights,activities,restaurantsandcarrentals—requiresseparatepaymentandreservationprocesses.

Here,genAItools—particularlyteamsofgenAItoolsoperatingthroughasingle

interface—couldofferasimpler,morecentralizedviewofoptionssuchaspayment,offers,rewardsanditinerary.Whileonlinetravelagents(OTAs)haveimprovedat

bundlingvariousoptionsintoasingleview,again,thereisgreatroomforimprovement.

Ultimately,thetransformativepowerofgenAIofferstravelbusinessestheability

toanalyzevastamountsofdatainrealtimeandgainunprecedentedinsightsinto

travelers’needsandpreferences.Itcanautomateresearchandplanningbyprovidingreal-time,data-drivenrecommendations—basedoncurrentandpastpreferences—

savingtravelerstimeandpersonalizingtheirexperience.Andthetravelindustrycanmaximizerevenuesbyseeingbookingpatternsinanewlightandembracingbothtraditionalanddigitalchannelsinreal-time.Inessence,genAIwillnotmerelybeananalysistool.Itwillalsousherinaneweraofinnovationandcompetitiveness.

TheTravelIndustry’sNewTrip16

Wheretravel

providersstand

Wheretravelprovidersstand

Aretravelplayersreadytograspthisopportunity?MostareembracinggenAItoolsintheorybutarefindingconsiderablechallengeswhenitcomestoscalinginitiatives.Consider:

Executives’genAIpriorities

TravelexecutivesareincreasinglyrecognizingthevaluethatgenAIcanbringtotheirconsumer-facingandinternaloperations.Oursurveyfindsthat,globally,almostthree-quarters(73%)oftravelleadersarefocusedonadoptinggenAIforcostsavingsandgreaterefficiency.Significantnumbersarealsolookingtouseittoimprovetop-linegrowth(63%)and

enhancebrandperception(61%).Thesefinding