Technology experts have encouraged travel firms to embrace rapidly-evolving artificial intelligence technology – and are confident the rise of services such as ChatGPT does not signal the end of the traditional agent. ChatGPT, an "AI-powered chatbot" capable of giving complex human-like answers to questions asked in "native language", has seen a meteoric rise in users prompted by Microsoft integrating it into its Bing search engine. Some analysts believe the tool, along with rivals like Bard which was unveiled by Google last week, could cause major disruption to sectors including service industries such as travel. However, travel technology specialists likened the concerns to those voiced in the early days of the internet, when it was claimed the emergent technology would negate the need for human interaction. Jon Pickles, chief revenue officer of Inspiretec, said: "ChatGPT only knows what it knows. Its ability to learn fast and assimilate vast quantities of information is something not to be afraid of. "We should perhaps even consider it an opportunity.

The travel market is currently undergoing a radical transformation. We've seen the growth of online travel agents whetting the appetite for bespoke holidays, with more options than you could ever explore. On the accommodation front, we can choose to stay in a hotel, a hostel, or experience life in someone's else's shoes via apps like Airbnb or CouchSurfing. Each booking implies an element of personalisation, and the explosion of'mix-and-match' services has only amplified the importance of catering for holidaymakers on a one-to-one level. A personalised, considered and tactical strategy for converting each purchase would be the natural reaction to what we're seeing, if only the market could deliver it.