Can autonomous AI bots help travel agents automatically grow their social media?

Marketing and promotions, especially through social networks, appear to take out a large chunk of a travel agency’s annual operational budget.

According to recent figures from Airbnb, Booking Holdings, the Expedia Group, and the Trip.com Group, these firms spent a record amount of money to promote their brands online and increase their respective customer bases.

Indeed, the four largest online travel agencies in the world collectively spent $16.8 billion for sales and marketing in 2023, an increase of around 20 percent from where it was in 2022.

However, it is easy for the likes of these four global players to spend so much to promote their services. Budget constraints remain the largest barrier to success for many small- to medium-scale travel agencies who are challenged to grow their respective marketing teams internally or outsource such services to external contractors.

Surprisingly, a solution may be found in one of the most controversial of contemporary technologies: artificial intelligence (AI.) Indeed, the use of AI is changing the game, enabling smaller travel agencies (both offline and OTAs) to access relevant technologies for managing their presence on social media.

Autonomous AI bots, in particular, are proving to be a great help to travel professionals.

What are autonomous AI bots?

Autonomous AI bots are like ChatGPT but instead of just giving text replies are actually capable of performing action. 

For example, AI bots can search for trends, create instagram posts and automatically post on a travel agency’s Instagram profile, all at a fraction of the cost. 

As a result, instead of paying thousands of dollars to an agency, technologies like enso make AI accessible to travel agents all over the world.

Addressing challenges

One of the most challenging processes is producing video content. Currently, on social networks like Instagram and TikTok, the most popular content format is video. 

Traditionally this process needed a specific expertise that travel agents don’t possess. Hence, agencies who want to create a strong social presence have to use external service providers who cost dearly and take many back and forward communication. This is a great example of the value agents are getting from autonomous AI bots. 

But it doesn’t stop at Instagram. With enso, travel agents can handle their entire marketing strategy. They get access to bots that work together to create a smart marketing system that runs in the background all day, every day. 

It’s easy to set up, and no technical skills are needed. Just tell the bot what to focus on and give it feedback to help it learn.

Evolving beyond sales and marketing

The future of autonomous AI bots far beyond marketing. These intelligent systems are evolving to tackle even more complex tasks, such as handling legal requirements and facilitating bookings across multiple platforms.

Later iterations of autonomous AI bots will be capable of ensuring compliance with various regulations, managing contracts, and even drafting legal documents. These are tasks that, traditionally, would require a legal expert.

The capabilities don’t stop there, though. Autonomous AI bots are also poised to revolutionize how travel agents handle bookings. 

In the near future, these bots will be able to automatically search for the best deals across multiple booking platforms, compare prices, and even book accommodations, flights, and activities on behalf of the agent or the client. 

This level of automation will free up agents to focus on personalizing the travel experience for their clients, while the bots handle the tedious details.

This expansion into legal and booking assistance represents the next frontier for AI in the travel industry. By automating these critical aspects of the business, enso’s autonomous AI bots will empower travel agents to operate more efficiently and effectively, reducing overhead costs and allowing them to compete with the biggest names in the industry.

In essence, the future of autonomous AI bots is not just about automating marketing but about creating a comprehensive tool that can manage multiple aspects of a travel agency’s operations. 

As these technologies continue to evolve, they will become indispensable tools, enabling travel agents to offer a seamless, end-to-end service that is both efficient and cost-effective.