Skyscanner unveils new generative AI travel planning tool
Skyscanner has launched its app-exclusive Savvy Search tool, powered by Open AI’s Chat GPT technology, to offer travellers an easier way to plan their trips.
Currently available in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, the UK and the US, travellers can now simply tell Savvy Search what kind of trip is on their mind and the app will find the best spots – from the most common queries like “a cheap European city break in October” to something more specific like “a 30th birthday trip with fun nightlife and a great food scene”. The tool will then generate up to three curated destination recommendations.
Following extensive traveller testing, imagery is combined with rich destination descriptions to highlight the unique characteristics of each recommendation. Upon deciding a destination, travellers are taken straight into Skyscanner’s flight search funnel to compare prices and pick their perfect flight.
Piero Sierra, chief product officer at Skyscanner commented: “Globally, 44 per cent of travellers are using AI to help them plan and research travel, but its use varies a lot depending on the market. For example, 23 per cent of Singaporean travellers are already using AI on their phones compared to just eight per cent in the UK.
“The next logical step is to use the AI technologies now available to us to help these travellers in the discovery phase of their travel planning journey.”
To celebrate the launch of the Savvy Search tool, Skyscanner has delved into the usage data collected during its beta phase to reveal some of their favourite queries so far.
These include “Somewhere to get lost and forget about all my life’s worries”, with recommendations like Santorini, Greece; “Birthday trip with fun night life and great food scene” which shows destination ideas like New York in the US; “Warm holiday where I can skateboard” suggests Spain’s Barcelona, a burgeoning destination for skateboarders due to its vibrant skateparks and diverse street skating scenes; and even Astrophotography highlights like a journey to Norway to witness the Northern Lights.
