UK-based AI start-up Go There Travel has gone to market with a development of a customised AI travel assistant search widget solution that agents can integrate into their offering on the website.

The new solution connects both stakeholders as it integrates with Open AI’s Chat GPT to come up with suggestions of what to do in any resort, city or an itinerary and then directly connect with the agent.

Ian Champness, founder of Go There Travel Ltd, said: “The effect of Generative AI in the holiday search, planning and pre-booking process is unstoppable.

“We have developed an AI Travel Assistant search widget as a SaaS solution to complement the GoThere.travel tech platform and marketplace we are building and plan to launch later this year”

Alongside the announcement, Go There Travel is offering a free test to agents. 

“Our prototype is now developed. We are looking for agents to test it and give us feedback for our customised version. Any agent interested in taking our prototype should contact me by email at ian.champness|@gothere.travel.”

He said: “AI is already bringing benefits in Admin and operational functions for the big travel players, but some in the travel agent sector might see AI as a potential threat: using the Large Language Model behind Generative AI now enables anyone looking for a holiday to make far more detailed searches than just keywords.

He went on to add that “these new enquires will be better qualified”.

“Our search widget will pre-qualify enquiries, as to when they might travel, how many in party, their budget, because as one agent who has been testing our widget said – ‘I have time to work, but not time to waste’.

“Integrating our AI Travel Assistant will turn a potential threat into an opportunity. It will do what few websites do, allow the user to ask what they want for their next holiday – and enable agents to compete with the OTAs and even Google.

“We will collate and aggregate ChatGPT searches so visitors will also have the option to see other searches e.g. for this country, see recent searches you might find helpful. 

“This will create a growing library of consumer holiday searches – rather like Google search trends, but just for travel.”