One third of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) are investing in personalisation this year. It’s the way forward for customer service. However, modern travel businesses face the challenge of leveraging the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) while offering the personalised service central to the luxury experience.
As Gen Z becomes a dominant consumer base in the Middle East, their tech-savviness and demand for unique experiences call for a balanced approach where AI enhances rather than diminishes the personal touch.
By integrating AI-powered platforms, companies can automate processes like booking, customer inquiries, and even travel planning. This allows businesses to operate more efficiently while freeing resources for more personalised interactions. But this can also come at a cost. The hands-off approach can feel distant, and not embody the customer service experience that is expected of a luxury experience or trip.
Instead, AI adoption should support personalised customer service by:
Make AI the experience
Qatar Airways’ AI-powered virtual assistant Sama 2.0, for example, is a conversational AI holographic that has garnered plenty of attention as an innovative experience, rather than a traditional chatbot.
Marketed as a virtual cabin crew, Sama answers questions in real time, handles bookings, and helps manage other routine tasks. It’s set to incorporate the personalised and functional service interactions expected in luxury air travel to bridge the gap between technology and human connection.
With luxury experiences in aviation, enhanced check-in experiences are usually sold at a premium with airlines offering priority boarding and speedy check-in. Emirates is using AI to bring this element of luxury to travellers with the world’s first portable check-in assistant, Sara. Improving customer service and reducing wait times at check-in, Sara uses facial recognition to match travellers to their passports, assist with ticket purchasing, manage upgrades, and seat preferences, and arrange additional extras like baggage or shopping.
Unifying data to support truly curated experiences
Behind the scenes, AI-driven predictive analytics can enhance personalisation by anticipating customer preferences based on past behaviours and data. For example, an AI system might track a traveller’s previous trips and preferences for destinations, activities, and accommodation, giving luxury travel agents the ability to make even more tailored recommendations.
Additionally, AI-powered technology can unify information across online and offline sources and bring data together that travel agents might not have had visibility over. This also allows travel companies to provide consistent information on personalised experiences, regardless of the number of agents handling one booking.
Gamifying the booking process
Travel companies can also appeal to Gen Z’s love for technology by incorporating immersive AI tools like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies enable customers to preview destinations or hotel rooms before booking.
Companies such as Emirates have used VR to offer 3D tours of their cabins, helping travellers make more informed decisions while adding an element of fun and engagement to the booking process.
Ultimately, the Middle Eastern travel industry will continue to adopt AI into its operations, customer service, marketing, and experiences. It’s important to maintain the personalised travel experience the next generation of travellers is expecting and avoid sacrificing customer service for technological efficiency. Time will tell how easy this will be.
