While the tours and activities industry remains fragmented and largely offline, the sector is viewed as having significant growth potential.
Recent research by Phocuswright and Arival revealed the sector is projected to reach $340 billion by 2029, up from today’s $271 billion.
The Outlook for Travel Experiences 2019-2029 report also revealed that only a third of gross bookings take place through online channels, compared to 64% for the global travel industry.
Experts from Civitatis, Expedia Group and Nezasa joined a panel at the recent ITB Berlin event to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) might transform the experiences segment.
“I think we all agree we have so much data, and it's so messy. I do think AI is definitely going to help us normalize it and show it in a way that's much better for the consumer. It will play a part in how consumers redeem and have a better experience,” said Kasia Jawein, senior director of activities partnerships at Expedia Group.
“It's still early days when it comes to what everyone is testing, but we know it will help acceleration. On our end, we've just purchased Tiqets, and we're looking at how AI can help us through the journey of accelerating activities and how we’re going to make it easier for travelers [and] also for the partners we work with.”
Arturo Moreno, chief supply and data officer for Civitatis, agreed that AI will help normalize experiences data and inventory, enabling consumers to compare similar products. He added that it would also drive the overall digitalization of the segment.
“It’s going to be the enabling technology to bring online the myriad of small operators around the world,” Moreno said.
Panelists moved on to discuss how travel suppliers need to change how they think about AI and ensure it is deployed across internal operations.
“It's crucial to rethink how we work with AI. It's not just about automating repetitive processes; we must consider how we will perform our main functions in the future and challenge the status quo. Those who do this can move faster, even with small teams, and achieve significant results,” said Manuel Hilty, co-founder and CEO of Nezasa.
They also touched on whether AI is a leveler for large and small suppliers, visibility on AI platforms and the importance of building consumer trust around agentic AI.
See below for the full session moderated by PhocusWire’s Linda Fox.
Who Owns The Experience Now? Agentic AI: Winners & Losers