From data to delight: Is AI your passport to transforming the travel experience?

Hospitality is one industry where the real-life application of AI is evident. A 2024 Accenture report found that executives in the travel industry worldwide use generative AI for chatbots and customer service, product and applications development, sales and marketing, and personalised travel planning and recommendations.

On the consumer front, travel decisions are often fueled by personal motivations—luxury escapes in Bali, cultural experiences in Kyoto, or adventure tourism in New Zealand. According to a Criteo study, AI can turn these personal motivations into reality by offering consumers destination ideas, activities or excursions, accommodation suggestions, and dining experiences.

Capturing travellers’ attention can be tough. In a world where the average consumer gives a brand only 2.5 seconds of attention, yet 85% of brands fail to capture it, the challenge is clear: we cannot buy attention—we have to earn it. And this means moving beyond traditional advertising paradigms to focus on building meaningful connections with consumers.

Most brands use AI to improve productivity and efficiency, but how do we go beyond and create strong emotional bonds with AI?

Let data be your superpower through AI

The key to offering consumers value is not having more data but rather using AI to quickly translate and unearth nuanced consumer behaviours and cultural trends based on the treasure trove brands already have. This allows the creation of more predictive, hyper-personalised experiences that consumers crave, which is important in a fragmented region such as Asia Pacific.

Online travel platforms, for example, could offer a family with young children discounts to theme parks, guided nature walks, and family-friendly dining options based on past bookings and preferences. Meanwhile, a hotel’s AI chatbot could provide a solo traveller with local tips and suggestions such as curated cultural tours through key districts in a city.

Additionally, AI can elevate sentiment analysis by detecting stress-related social media posts and triggering targeted ads that offer consumers options to escape and relax, focusing on connecting emotionally with consumers.

As AI continues to gain prominence, the way brands harness and deploy data against new tools such as agentic AI is what will give them an edge. Unlike traditional AI models that provide insights or automate specific tasks, agentic AI takes action, presenting an opportunity for the travel industry to capitalise on. Autonomous travel planners, for example, can recommend and book flights, hotels, and experiences based on real-time data. Meanwhile, smart travel assistants can monitor flight delays and rebook hotels while suggesting alternatives without human intervention.

While convenience can optimise experiences, it is still critical for brands to strike a balance and maintain a human touch. Otherwise, they could risk removing the excitement associated with travel planning and turn it into a purely algorithmic experience. It is critical that we use AI to augment our experiences and not automate them. Craft emotionally resonant messaging, humanise AI interactions and always maintain transparency of when AI is used to reinforce trust.

There are no quick fixes with AI

Something one must first understand is that any success with AI is not quick fixes – it’s a journey. Instead of focusing on long-tail strategies at the outset, start small by identifying mission-critical use cases where others in your industry are already seeing success. Then, adapt those use cases to align with your brand’s unique values and business goals. This approach allows you to build momentum while ensuring AI delivers tangible value for your brand.

AI has the power to supercharge creativity and storytelling, but it’s not without risks. One common pitfall is when AI-generated content feels off-brand, even unsettling, rather than emotionally engaging or compelling consumers to act. That’s where human insight into cultural nuances and contextual relevance becomes indispensable—ensuring that AI-driven content resonates authentically with your audience.

Before adopting AI, be clear about your objectives and the problems you aim to solve. Don’t fall into the trap of implementing AI just because it’s trendy. Instead, identify pain points across the marketing value chain to understand how AI can deliver real, end-to-end impact. Without a well-defined strategy, AI becomes little more than a wasted investment.

That said, don’t be afraid to experiment with AI. Standing still in today’s competitive environment will only lead to falling behind. Foster a culture of innovation by providing your teams with a safe space—such as an AI sandbox—to explore and test ideas. Encourage cross-functional collaboration to spark creativity and inspire new solutions.

Five ways to measure the success of your AI investments

To ensure AI investments drive real impact, brands must align initiatives with clear objectives and track relevant metrics. Here’s how:

1. Be clear about the goals you set and track them – Instead of long-term strategies, define specific use cases.
2. Measure revenue growth and track customer metrics: Measure incremental revenue from AI-driven campaigns. Monitor acquisition, retention rates, and lifetime value. Continue to use AI to monitor sentiment analysis to ensure the message is resonating positively.
3. Continuous improvement: Create AI sandboxes for testing and iterating on solutions. Foster collaboration across marketing, data, and tech teams to optimise performance.
4. Focus on long-term value: Beyond immediate wins, AI can provide lasting competitive advantages when integrated into a brand’s long-term strategy.

The role of agencies in fuelling AI-powered creativity

As the marketing industry in APAC embraces AI, agencies must lead the way by building expertise in AI-powered platforms, predictive analytics tools, and talent. Redefine the meaning of collaboration by bringing together data scientists, content creators, and strategists to develop campaigns that blend data precision with emotional storytelling.

Most importantly, cultivating a culture of innovation and learning requires teams to be comfortable with failures. Share the wins and think about how to recover from the initial stubbed toes. AI could potentially feel like a new tool versus a necessity if we don’t carve out time to upskill our teams and let them experiment.

The future of marketing belongs to those who are bold enough to innovate, adapt and evolve. Are you ready to start your journey?

The article was written by Rochelle Chhaya, CEO, Hearts & Science Asia Pacific.

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