A global study of over 6,000 people by Travelzoo reveals that two thirds of Australians are open to the idea of robots working in the travel industry, including roles as hotel receptionists, bartenders and guides. The Future of Travel project was conducted in December 2015 and included polls in Australia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia, to see whether customers are ready for artificial intelligence to have a place in travel and hospitality.
Reasarch revealed that nearly 80% of consumers expect robots to be part of their lives before 2020, while 3/4 believe they will improve their lives, and 2/3 accept that robots will be used in the travel industry.
However, Australia’s opinions varied, with 93% of respondents concerned robots may offer weak emotional and language skills as well as threaten jobs taken up by humans. Australians who supported the move towards robots said they preferred they look like machines but sound like humans. 76% of Chinese respondents by contrast, preferred robots to look human. Here’s one who would keep the majority happy:
Currently, robots are used in international hotel chains Marriot International, Holiday Inn and Hilton, as well as some cruise lines. Leading this still relatively niche market is Japan, South Korea and China. But it’s fast growing: the industry reports that total spendings on robots will exceed by USD40 billion by 2020.
Travelzoo Australia’s travel expert and general manager, Cemlyn Jones, concluded on the survey findings that, “while the advent of technology such as robot butlers and bartenders is hugely exciting, it’s also very clear from our research that consumers from all markets surveyed see the combination of robots and humans working in tandem in customer-facing roles in travel as the ideal solution.”
———-
