When travelers want digital vs. human interaction

Travelers are not ready to give up the human touch when traveling, especially when it comes to customer service according to Phocuswright’s latest travel research report Travelers and Tech 2024: Attitudes and Usage.

While digital interactions are preferred by more for directions, checking in, and making changes to bookings/reservations, travelers prefer their fellow humans for tours, customer support and ordering in restaurants. Travelers under 55 and early adopters are more likely to lean towards digital interfaces. They’re split on baggage and local transportation. Travel companies should note the strong continued interest in human customer service, despite the rise in use of artificial intelligence chatbots.

When it comes to digital check-ins, mobile apps surpass websites. Self-service kiosks and facial recognition have a long way to go before they can compete with more traditional ways of checking in.

High-speed internet is the only technology most travelers deem essential. Other conveniences are viewed as nice-to-have, but when it comes to customer service, options like virtual concierges are not desired.

Expectations from technology are only going to grow. Discover more from Phocuswright's Travelers and Tech 2024: Attitudes and Usage:

• What is the state of travelers’ awareness and attitudes towards and motivations for using or avoiding certain technologies?
• What roles do mobile apps play in the traveler journey, in comparison and contrast to websites?
• What are consumers’ main pain points and key challenges with increasingly popular technologies?
• Which technologies are competitive differentiators?
• How do consumers feel about sharing personal data with travel suppliers, and are some types of data sharing more acceptable than others?

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