Don’t just scroll past those influencers soaking up all the sun at far-off destinations in your Instagram feed. Build an itinerary and book a trip in the same location.
That’s the premise from Seattle-based travel giant Expedia, which announced the beta release Friday of Expedia Trip Matching, a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to reel travelers in through Instagram Reels.
It works when would-be travelers share any publicly available travel-related Reel directly with the official @Expedia account on Instagram. When the video is sent, it initiates an AI-generated response from Expedia with personalized travel recommendations, itineraries and trip-planning resources based on the video.
Travelers can review and book directly from that customized itinerary, turning their social media travel daydreaming into real-world booking. Expedia says it’s the first online travel agency to integrate real-time, AI-powered travel planning directly into Instagram.
“It’s no secret people are getting their news, inspiration and travel ideas from influencers and content creators, with a recent study showing that 80% of millennials rely on social media for travel decisions,” said Jochen Koedijk, chief marketing officer at Expedia Group, in a statement. “We want to be where consumers get their inspiration, which is through social media.”
Trip Matching will be available to U.S. travelers in the upcoming weeks.
Expedia shares fell more than 8% after the online travel giant company reported earnings Thursday and said it saw lower-than-expected demand in the U.S. — including a substantial decrease in inbound bookings from Canada.
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