Why A.I. is the Kevlar Your Travel Agency Needs

A.I. technology has captured headlines for years now, with various industries experimenting with different uses. This begs the question: What role does artificial intelligence play in relationship-based businesses like travel agencies? In an industry built on human connection, does A.I even matter?

According to TRAVELSAVERS’ Christine Vincent and Travel Gurus’ Hidar Elmais – who spoke at TMP Calgary earlier this month – A.I. is already making a huge impact on how advisors run their businesses. Not only is the emerging technology useful, but it is on the path to becoming standard practice.   

“A.I. will never replace travel advisors,” said Vincent. “But travel advisors who use A.I. will replace travel advisors who don’t.”  

Vincent is the director of online strategies and consumer engagement at TRAVELSAVERS Canada. Being in a tech-focused role for a consortium has provided her a unique perspective on how A.I. tools can enhance the travel advisor business.   

Vincent’s A.I. breakout session covered the basics of ChatGPT, and explained the practical applications for travel advisors.

“[A.I.] is a versatile tool for content creation, communication, and more,” she told a room full of travel advisors. “I give it work I don’t like.”

Saving time with ChatGPT

An obvious way to use ChatGPT to enhance your business is marketing. The generative A.I. program can quickly (and effectively) create text for various purposes based on a prompt. The more detailed the prompt, the better the results (usually).

A less-obvious use is research. Vincent explained how ChatGPT uses information scoured from online, and therefore can be a great way to find specific information that you would otherwise find by using a search engine and manually going through results. This could be finding pet-friendly hotels in a city within certain distance from the airport, or looking up tours for foodies in a specific destination.

“Instead of you going to Google … just ask [ChatGPT],” she suggested. “You don’t have to sift through links.” Results are ready in seconds. 

Vincent warned that these results may be inaccurate and will need to be verified; however, you’ll still save time over a traditional Google search engine approach. 

Take SEO to the next level

The same qualities that make ChatGPT great for finding specific information within search parameters also make it perfect for improving your online optimization. ChatGPT knows what ranks well on search platforms and social media, and can generate text accordingly. 

For example, you could use ChatGPT to generate hashtags for a post about a current resort promotion, or you could use it to write copy for your website’s “About Us” page that will rank well for a specified niche.  

One could go one step further and ask ChatGPT to generate SEO-friendly text for other elements on a webpage, like meta description, meta key words, and the title. These are all elements that contribute to how high a website ranks on Google search results – a higher ranking means more users being directed to your brand.     

Work smarter, not harder

Many of Vincent’s tips boil down to working more efficiently, letting ChatGPT handle the menial tasks so you have more time for the work you enjoy doing.

For example, you can use it to summarize a long email from an unhappy client and then ask it to draft an appropriate response. You can write advertisement copy. You can even brainstorm with it, asking for post subject suggestions or key words to target for your niche.  

ChatGPT can also be used to give yourself an edge. Vincent suggested using it to profile the ideal client for a specified niche; this would allow you to concentrate your marketing efforts on people who fit the kind of travel you want to be selling. You could even use it to research competition, or generate email subject lines that won’t trigger spam filters.

How travel advisors are already finding success with A.I.

Hidar Elmais, founder of the Alberta-based award-winning agency Travel Gurus, has used ChatGPT to enhance his travel business.

Elmais followed Vincent’s presentation as a practical example of travel advisors using A.I. tools to “boost client communications.” He characterized it as “not the new Google,” but a complement to it – a powerful tool to take your business to the next level.

For Elmais, A.I. has been particularly helpful with new hires. In his experience, new agents struggle to write effective copy when dealing with clients. He asks all his new agents to use ChatGPT for communications, making sure they write prompts asking for a client-focused call to action.

Another area he’s found success with is using ChatGPT for social media. He noted that it’s a great tool for “objective feedback management”: in other words, using A.I. to draft professional responses on social media to comments. 

Elmais said travel advisors can start with ChatGPT 3, but recommended using 4 because it does more. Whether you are tech-savvy or not,  the reality is that A.I. is here, and advisors are already using it to better their business. 

Vincent ended the session with a warning for advisors: “[A.I.] is not going away.”