A new Amadeus report, ‘Navigating the Future: How Generative Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Travel Industry’, reveals that Generative AI is a top priority for the travel sector through 2025, despite emerging challenges. And, says Amadeus, it’s now time for generative AI to prove itself.
Of the 300-plus industry leaders surveyed, 46% named Generative AI as a primary focus. Other priorities included data management (38%), cloud architecture (36%), non-Generative AI IT infrastructure (34%), and biometric tech (23%).
However, challenges remain and there are common concerns among those surveyed: data security (35%), lack of AI expertise (34%) and infrastructure limitations (33%) were raised as major worries.
Additionally, many companies face ROI uncertainties and struggle to find skilled talent. Currently, 41% of these travel companies have allocated budgets for Generative AI, and 87% are open to third-party collaborations.
Generative AI applications are evolving and the use of them in agencies is currently digital assistance for travellers during booking (53%), followed by recommendations for activities or venues (48%), content generation (47%), helping staff to better serve customers (45%) and collecting and condensing post-travel feedback (45%).
The report highlights ROI, customer satisfaction, and productivity as key metrics for successful deployment.
Amadeus Chief Technology Officer Sylvain Roy says while technology will be a key focus for the next year, questions are rightly being asked whether Generative AI will deliver sufficient ROI, while talent shortages at the same time are also under the spotlight.
“It is crucial that we use this new technology responsibly, including ensuring data security, privacy, and content reliability. It is time for Generative AI to prove it can live up to the hype,” Roy says.
