A travel agency in Northern Iowa is incorporating a bit of AI into its operations, but still maintaining the human element that some customers are looking for.
Carol Behnke, owner of Destination Travel in Clear Lake, said she sometimes uses AI to generate effective wording for marketing emails or to find photos and memes to use on social media.
“I don't use this trip for travel research, because I've been doing this for so long that I don't need to,” said Behnke, who started his own travel agency more than 30 years ago. . Destination Travel helps people plan vacations, honeymoons, and destination weddings.
Today's travelers can go to Expedia or similar websites, type in where they want to go, and let AI plan their trip for them. However, Behnke estimates that about 50% of people planning a vacation still choose to use a human travel agent.
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“It depends on who you trust,” she said. “When you go online to Expedia, you are sending money to a large company (possibly overseas) that outsources all of their customer service.”
Behnke says that when you rely on the computer world to make travel arrangements, you have to keep praying that everything will work out. But she said, if something goes wrong, such as realizing only after she arrives at her destination that her hotel reservation hasn't been completed, “Who do I call?” she said.
Behnke says destination travel is busier than ever, as AI is used to plan trips and all it takes is one bad experience for people to vow never to travel again. .
“I've gotten calls from people who used Expedia and created a mess and needed help,” she said. “I think customer service is what brings people back to travel agencies.”
According to Behnke, some people may be reluctant to use AI if they simply want to get from point A to point B, rather than visiting multiple destinations on the same trip. But even if the chances of success are high in that case, there's still a chance of disaster, she says. A recent call from someone who was experiencing issues with AI-powered travel planning was simply to go to Mexico.
Behnke said some travelers mistakenly believe they don't have to pay commissions to travel agents and are willing to take the risk thinking they can save money by booking their trip online. He says there is no. But they don't realize that the fees are added as hidden fees. And those fees are being paid to large companies, not local businesses, she said.
Randy Calaguas, owner of Randy's Adventures in Mason City, poses on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Provided photo
Randy Calaguas, owner of Randy's Adventures in Mason City, said AI has helped him write some tour descriptions. But one thing she said AI can never replace is the value of hiring tour operators.
“My business is a little different in that I'm a tour operator rather than just a travel agent,” she said. “I create unique, comprehensive tours and offer people to sign up for groups. I typically take 20 to 45 people on each trip. Day trips, multi-day trips. We also offer travel, domestic and international long-term tours.”
Calaguas will accompany you on all your trips. “So my customers have a lot of peace of mind knowing that if they have any issues or problems, I will be there for them,” she said. “They know that if they follow me around the airport, they don't have to worry about where they're going, how they're going to get through immigration, how they're going to get to their hotel.”
If a flight is canceled or a hotel room is not ready, “we will adjust the itinerary and resolve the issue,” Calaguas said.
