Skyscanner has launched its app-exclusive Savvy Search tool, powered by Open AI’s Chat GPT technology, to offer travellers an easier way to plan their trips.
Currently available in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, the UK and the US, travellers can now simply tell Savvy Search what kind of trip is on their mind and the app will find the best spots – from the most common queries like “a cheap European city break in October” to something more specific like “a 30th birthday trip with fun nightlife and a great food scene”. The tool will then generate up to three curated destination recommendations.
Following extensive traveller testing, imagery is combined with rich destination descriptions to highlight the unique characteristics of each recommendation. Upon deciding a destination, travellers are taken straight into Skyscanner’s flight search funnel to compare prices and pick their perfect flight.
Piero Sierra, chief product officer at Skyscanner commented: “Globally, 44 per cent of travellers are using AI to help them plan and research travel, but its use varies a lot depending on the market. For example, 23 per cent of Singaporean travellers are already using AI on their phones compared to just eight per cent in the UK.
“The next logical step is to use the AI technologies now available to us to help these travellers in the discovery phase of their travel planning journey.”
To celebrate the launch of the Savvy Search tool, Skyscanner has delved into the usage data collected during its beta phase to reveal some of their favourite queries so far.
These include “Somewhere to get lost and forget about all my life’s worries”, with recommendations like Santorini, Greece; “Birthday trip with fun night life and great food scene” which shows destination ideas like New York in the US; “Warm holiday where I can skateboard” suggests Spain’s Barcelona, a burgeoning destination for skateboarders due to its vibrant skateparks and diverse street skating scenes; and even Astrophotography highlights like a journey to Norway to witness the Northern Lights.
Emirates has reaffirmed its strategic cooperation with Tourism Seychelles and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and has forged a new partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to boost tourism to these destinations.
The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tourism Seychelles to support travel agents and tour operators in their efforts to promote Seychelles as a leisure destination. This includes the development of special holiday packages among other incentives, marketing support and familiarisation trips.
Emirates also reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to promoting tourism to Sri Lanka. Now in its 38th year of operating in Sri Lanka, Emirates will continue efforts to support the island nation’s tourism by developing special packages and familiarisation trips from key feeder markets.
As part of its wider efforts to support the Indian Ocean nation, Emirates will also engage closely with travel agents and tour operators in key strategic markets to help showcase the destination’s offerings to customers across its global network.
With the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Emirates aims to boost inbound tourism into Hong Kong from key target markets in the Middle East and Europe. The MoU with HKTB will see various joint activities including familiarisation trips, a comprehensive promotional plan, and targeted advertising campaigns.