2024-10-17 19:03:03 :
Skyscanner CEO John Mangelaars said policy decisions around the world, not just technology, will drive change in the industry. during an interviewMint During his visit to India this week, Manglars advised against over-reliance on artificial intelligence.
He said the travel experience for travelers is still poor because things like flight and car bookings are mostly done on different platforms, which is not a problem that artificial intelligence can solve.
“I think what’s really being disrupted is not the way we book, it’s the way we experience it. When you look at the number of people using AI today to like explore, plan and get ideas for their travels, that’s AI Very powerful places and can really help with things like customized information, but AI can’t help with things like degrees of separation and ease of travel that needs to come from policy,” Manglars said.
India is the focus of this evolution, he said, as the country’s population, represented by millennials, increasingly chooses to fly rather than train and is eager to explore foreign destinations.
“What we’ve learned from this pandemic is that people want to travel more, as we’ve seen in India, especially millennials. Just like they switched from trains to planes, they also want to travel more Although they are willing to spend more money when traveling abroad to multiple places, they also want discounts and quality experiences, and they don’t want to choose the cheapest way to travel,” he said.
Skyscanner was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2003 as a flight comparison website. It is now a travel search engine that allows users to search and book flights, hotels, and car rentals. In 2016, the company was acquired by China’s Ctrip and subsequently renamed Ctrip Group. The company makes money by redirecting bookings to travel providers through its platform.
india potential
Skyscanner does not maintain its own inventory and in India, Skyscanner partners with Air India and Indigo as well as online travel agencies such as MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip.
“What I like about India is that IndiGo is buying 500 aircraft, Air India is rejuvenating itself with new aircraft and is developing 50 new airports. Hotels are also being built – everything is already taking shape,” Manglars said explain.
India has 100 million passport holders and outbound travel has just begun, which is a positive development
However, he said that while these developments bring opportunities, India will benefit from a unified vision for its travel and tourism industry.
“You need to do it with (easy) visas, good hotels and flights and an end-to-end vision. That’s India’s advantage because the infrastructure is being built even as we speak. If you miss it now If it gets damaged, it will be difficult to repair,” he said.
Skyscanner’s “Go Everywhere” feature, which shows the cheapest travel options to a destination at any given time, has become one of its most popular services.
“This is one of our most used services in India as people now want travel ideas and inspiration. So we have invested heavily in improving it. For this feature to work well, we need to operate at scale, using Technologies like machine learning or artificial intelligence. We also need proprietary or unique data, so we invest in global expansion, such as expanding our offices in India, which allows us to build local partnerships and better understand travelers. ”
…people want to travel more, as we see in India, especially millennials
However, Manglas said the aviation market faces some challenges due to higher ticket prices around the world. He said airlines charging extra fees on certain routes could lose customers in the long term.
“While airlines are recovering from COVID-19 and rebuilding their finances, if they push prices too high, passengers may switch to other airlines, sign up for loyalty programs there, and may not return. They may even consider mid-flight A layover is acceptable, especially if it saves them up to 50% compared to a direct flight,” he said.
Expand your choices
The platform’s monitoring system shows that prices on routes between Malaysia and India have been reduced by 15% this year and there are more flight options.
“As new aircraft inventories and new airports increase globally, more deals emerge, creating more capacity. While some routes may still be expensive, there will be more choice in these locations,” he said .
Regarding global tourism trends, he said that except for the Asia-Pacific region, most regions have returned to pre-epidemic levels.
“The positive thing about Asia Pacific is that people are very loyal to the region and choose to travel in the region. Interestingly, India is different. The country still has relatively few outbound tourists compared to domestic ones, at about 30 million There are 100 million passport holders in India and 79 million people travel domestically, and outbound travel is just beginning, which is a positive development.”
Skyscanner’s revenue is up 30-40% from pre-COVID levels, driven by investments in market recovery, offers and travel inspiration features. Unable to travel, the company laid off about 20% of its employees during the epidemic.
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