A to Z of 2024: Virtual tools make travel experiences more personal and efficient

SINGAPORE – Virtual tools reshaped the travel landscape in 2024, driving innovation and transforming experiences for travellers worldwide.

While artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have been in use for over a decade, their rapid evolution is unlocking new possibilities for the mass travel and tourism industry. 

Beyond assisting with customer service, AI-powered tools on booking platforms offer personalised trip suggestions tailored to individual preferences.

These recommendations often include direct links to activities, accommodation and flight options, making trip planning and booking a seamless process.

According to Booking.com’s Travel Predictions 2025 research conducted from July to August, 41 per cent of over 27,000 global respondents were interested in using a curated itinerary created by AI. 

Free tools like Booking.com’s AI Trip Planner and Expedia’s Project Explorer can create such trip itineraries based on budget and individual interests within seconds. 

Meanwhile, Skyscanner’s AI trip planner chatbot Layla goes a step further by mimicking the role of a personal travel agent. Initially free to use, users can opt for a subscription starting at €30 (S$42) a month for extended features. 

Layla is part of a growing trend of AI tools with human-like characteristics, offering travellers an engaging, interactive planning experience. 

And virtual travel influencers, with their own unique monikers, personalities and humanoid features, are making waves in travel marketing.  

In October, the German National Tourist Board

introduced Emma, an AI-generated avatar and brand ambassador. 

According to Emma’s Instagram account, she enjoys posting travel stories and tips online, and hopes to inspire her followers to explore Germany.

Emma (@emmalovesgermany) joins the ranks of other virtual personalities on Instagram, like Miquela (@lilmiquela), a fictional singer with 2.5 million followers, and Indonesia’s travel influencer Thalasya Pov (@thalasya_), who boasts 455,000 followers.

Many AI-generated travel influencers are created to captivate audiences by sharing inspiring content about destinations, blending creativity with digital storytelling to spark wanderlust.

Machine learning is often understood to be a subset or an application of the AI field. It uses algorithms to analyse large data sets, which allows it to uncover insights that help it optimise processes or predict trends. 

Travel-related businesses, including airlines and online travel agencies, use it to forecast travel patterns, flight prices, and customer preferences. 

This technology has empowered travellers to make more informed choices, such as selecting optimal travel dates or booking more affordable flights.

Beyond AI, advancements like the embedded SIM card, or eSIM, are revolutionising how travellers stay connected. 

Unlike physical SIM cards, which are easily lost and difficult to swop, eSIMs are embedded in devices, allowing users to switch between data plans digitally. 

Depending on the destination and provider, eSIMs can be cheap – they cost as little as 75 cents a day for data coverage in Malaysia. 

Globally, the number of travel eSIM users is projected to increase by 440 per cent between 2024 and 2028, according to a study by Britain-based research company Juniper Research released in April. 

From AI-curated itineraries to eSIM-enabled connectivity, virtual tools are transforming travel into a more personalised and seamless experience. 

These technologies have already begun to redefine travel, and will continue to shape travellers’ demands as the industry evolves to become more systematic and efficient than ever.