Large tech players are actively exploring the lucrative travel vertical, and Meta is no exception.
In a now widely reported moment from its recent earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg called travel one of the company's "top use cases" for its artificial intelligence (AI) agent Muse.
Since launching Muse with a Duffel integration in September, Meta has announced multiple travel-focused integrations, including partnerships with Expedia, Agoda and Klook.
"We are working more deeply with travel companies now to build deeper integrations so that Muse can actually connect a person's request to partners and fulfill it in a more streamlined way," said Sanjay Bhatia, managing director and head of industry, travel, auto and experiences at Meta, during an interview with PhocusWire.
Meta also works with travel companies via its Business Agents, AI agents that handle customer conversations for brands on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
"Messaging is becoming more than a support channel in travel. It's a thread that is connecting a booking confirmation, a question before departure, an update during the trip and even help when something changes," Bhatia said.
Bhatia further discussed Meta's distribution strategy, which involves meeting consumers on the platforms they use.
"In everything we're trying to build, we're trying to do it in places where people are spending their time," Bhatia said.
How Meta will make money from travel on Muse is undecided, and according to Bhatia, the tech giant isn't in a rush to figure that aspect out.
"The priority right now is growing adoption, usage, number one, and then secondly, creating user value—really understanding what things are beneficial for users, what things are beneficial for brands," he said.
Bhatia also touched on how Meta is handling data privacy and what sets Muse apart from travel-specific AI agents.
Watch the full interview below.