According to a KPMG study conducted at the end of 2020, tourists’ preferences have changed: many
Experts expect an increase in direct tour salesoperators through their websites, mobile applications for booking services and instant messengers. There has been a tendency to replace traditional tourism services with their online format - online excursions, exhibitions and master classes with the help of VR/AR technologies, machine learning technologies, and AI have become accessible and acquired independent value. We are talking about eight promising startups from Russia, Europe and America that can significantly influence the TravelTech market.
Rethink family travel
TripAbrood came from Alexa-Maria RathboneBarker in 2018, when she struggled to book a vacation with her husband and three young children at regular services. The startup is using machine learning to rethink family travel, remove irrelevant options from searches, and find options with unique characteristics.
The basis of the service is an AI assistant for the organizationfamily trips, helping users choose the best locations and travel dates: algorithms simplify the planning process and partially replace a travel agent.
Skye virtual assistant launches on websitechat, asks the user about his family and habits, searches for the best options among hundreds of thousands of objects and gives individual recommendations. The service allows you to avoid endless scrolling and filters and provides consultations 24/7.
Split checks
Launchtrip is the world's first platform fortravel bookings focused on group travel and events. The service helps friends plan complex routes, find interesting locations, events, and divide checks for the trip. In addition, Launchtrip offers discounts for large groups.
An interesting hybrid of Travel and FinTech solutionscreated by serial entrepreneur Julian Ing. The project is at the beta testing stage, but you can join the closed version on iOS or Android this summer.
Check location
Often, when planning trips, it is not completelyIt’s clear whether the advertised location is worth visiting. The 360STORIES platform allows you to take a virtual tour, explore attractions remotely under the guidance of guides, and decide how strong your impressions are and whether you really need to go there. Group tours and activities are possible on the platform.
In the service from the participants of the Moscowinnovation cluster, you can use AR functionality during live excursions. Imagine you are visiting New York. With AR glasses, you can be joined by a virtual guide who can give you restaurant recommendations or point out attractions. The platform is available in desktop, iOS or Android versions.
Check in the hotel virtually
The AVATOUR service allows hotels to remotelyconduct room tours using inexpensive and mobile 360° capture technology. Hotel owners can show potential guests their rooms in detail, and ordinary users can host a party remotely, inviting guests from all over the world.
If you are conducting a tour, you will need a camera with360° shooting capability, selfie stick and audio headset. With the AVATOUR Host app, you can invite guests to join your tour in a browser or using a VR headset for a fully immersive experience. During the meeting, the number of participants is limited to 20 guests; people from anywhere in the world can join you virtually and watch the video stream, scrolling through the panorama on their screen and asking questions about the location. The AVATOUR Host application works on iOS and Android.
When you need a translator
The PIE project helps clients connect remotelyan interpreter under any unclear conditions. For example, when buying tickets in another country, an emergency situation arises or in a foreign city a tourist has to interact with the police.
You can use the service around the clock.The client orders an interpreter through the application, books a time, indicates the desired language, and the specifics of the conversation, for example, if we are talking about medicine or legal issues. A video meeting with an interpreter will start in the client’s personal account at the appointed time. Currently, managers manually select translators from any language from the partner database; in the future, the startup plans to launch a marketplace of translators and assign them automatically.
Introduce yourself for an emergency
QRepublik service develops QR codessecurity for travelers who perform the Travel ID role. The client opens an account on QRepublik, if desired, buys a bracelet or a silicone watch attachment with a QR code, and in his personal account provides basic information about himself for an emergency: medical history, medications taken, possible allergies. One account can have several profiles. In a crisis situation, QRepublik will translate information into 24 languages and help you get qualified help from a doctor.
The data is stored in the cloud, and in the system it iscompletely anonymous, making them useless for theft. QRepublik Key depersonalization technologies allow you to safely store client medical data. The project was developed by participants of the Travel Tech Challenge technology competition.
Take a walk with a personal guide
The Singapore Port service helps you find in anotherthe person’s country and send him to a specific location, for example, to a museum, a conference or an industrial exhibition. Guides are specially trained by Port. The user can make video calls to a personal guide from anywhere around the world, attend important events in real time, take the necessary pictures, and interact with other people.
The authors of Port claim that the service, available in the browser, on iOS and Android, saves travel budgets and provides complete immersion in events, making client sessions productive.
You can pay for tickets later
Startup Fly Now Pay Later offersfintech services for travelers. The client can choose the appropriate loan or installment plan format and issue a voucher. You select a trip through a service like Trivago or Booking, book it through the app, then Fly Now Pay Later pays for it through the travel provider, and you pay for it over the course of several months. The service makes money from a one-time commission for installments.
The startup team says its goal isbuild a future where you can spend less time dreaming about your next trip and more time exploring the world and having new experiences. Available on iOS and Android.
Innovative travel products, services withusing artificial intelligence, industry marketplaces continue to develop the market, and somewhere they even open new niches, creating products at the intersection of several industries like Travel and FinTech.
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