Egencia’s Business Travel and Technology Survey found in its latest report that U.S. business travellers are among the most optimistic users of the artificial intelligence and big data to help them manage their trips.
About 55 percent of those surveyed in the U.S. said that artificial intelligence will improve their travel experience. However, about a third of respondents are apprehensive about the apocalypse that artificial intelligence and virtual reality might cause. Most U.S. travelers (76 percent) also wanted more cross-device integration at a greater rate than any other country polled. For those surveyed outside the U.S., the travellers are more skeptical of the ability of technology to help them ease their trip plans.
Michael Gulmann, chief product officer for Egencia, the business travel arm of the Expedia group said that “It’s true: business travelers in [Europe, the Middle East, and Africa] and [the Asia-Pacific region] are overall less optimistic about emerging technologies such as AI and VR in business travel when compared to those in the U.S., but they still want increased accessibility across mobile devices.” “While they may be a bit more pessimistic in the use of emerging technologies, it’s clear that business travelers outside the U.S. also crave a seamless experience. We can see that in the data when people say they want to more efficiently manage their travel using multiple devices.”
The survey showed that the travellers from Norway and Sweden do not depend on AI to improve their travel plan at all. UK and German travellers follow the trend. The research overall indicates that reliability is the main option they look for irrespective of the channel they use. European travellers want more of the human element in their travel service experience.
Tools such as priority boarding, airport lounge access, and expedited screening at airports to improve productivity and satisfaction are also equally important to as much as 20 percent of those who responded.
