After a rocky pandemic period, global travel is back and buzzing. More people are traveling to less visited destinations, luxury-hospitality is growing faster than any other industry segment, and younger generations show significant, growing interest in travel, according to a new McKinsey report.
In addition to these trends reshaping the industry, a new era of digitally enabled travel is emerging. Which technologies and trends will define the next “golden age” of travel? Generative AI (gen AI), for one, is equipping the industry to reimagine what it means to plan, book, and experience travel. “Gen AI could take the form of a digital assistant that interacts with customers throughout the journey,” say McKinsey’s Ben Ellencweig and coauthors. “It can provide personalized trip itineraries during discovery and booking, offer tailored recommendations based on preferences and real-time constraints during the trip, and help resolve unexpected disruptions.”
As tourism and hospitality continue to flourish in the post pandemic world, check out these insights for more on travel innovation and disruption.
The state of tourism and hospitality 2024
The promise of travel in the age of AI
What AI means for travel—now and in the future
Travel invented loyalty as we know it. Now it’s time for reinvention.
Travel startups: Disruption from within?
Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual?
The future of tourism: Bridging the labor gap, enhancing customer experience
Rebooting customer experience to bring back the magic of travel
Reimagining the $9 trillion tourism economy—what will it take?
Travel Disruptors: Capturing B2B growth
Travel Disruptors: Bringing fintech to travel booking