The introduction of the WhatsApp Business API, as well as the development of smart conversational marketing solutions, has introduced messaging to millions of businesses worldwide. Travel and hospitality are among the businesses expected to benefit the most from this trend. Travel and hospitality industry customers frequently ask many questions before, during, and after purchasing or booking. They rely on businesses to give an exceptional travel experience that will assist them in planning their dream vacation, organising a business trip, or booking a journey to see family. However, providing 24-hour agent support to answer these client questions can be expensive. This is where chatbots for travel and hospitality come in. With over 500 million WhatsApp users, India is the instant messaging service’s biggest market.

According to studies, a significant percentage of travellers, approximately 37%, prefer to compare travel options and make plans through a chatbot. It reflects today’s digital era, which values convenience and efficiency. However WhatsApp chatbots have enormous potential to improve hospitality and tourism by enabling unique use cases powered by artificial intelligence. So this article looks at the 15 most productive whatsApp API use cases for travel and tourism to enhance visitor experiences in these industries.

Benefits of Using WhatsApp Chatbots For the Travel Industry

So, why use WhatsApp? Why is WhatsApp gaining so much traction among all accessible messaging services, even in the travel industry? Well, WhatsApp has numerous advantages; here are a few of them.

• Encryption: WhatsApp communication uses end-to-end encryption, making it a secure platform for sharing flight and ticket information.
• Reach: WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, with 2 billion users. As a result, it’s a safe bet to be the channel that will assist you reach the most clients worldwide.
• Personalisation: Customers still seek personalisation, even when on the run, and must resolve issues as soon as possible. WhatsApp supports this type of personalisation, which improves user experience.
• Automation: The WhatsApp Business API supports chatbot automation, which means that even if you don’t have customer service people available, your clients can obtain 24/7 assistance no matter where they are in the world.

Suggested Reading: Master WhatsApp Business API in 2024

15 WhatsApp Chatbot Use Cases for Travel & Hospitality

Regarding travel, convenience means personalised services, prompt responses, up-to-date information, and a sense of control. All of this is presented through a channel that makes the consumer feel at home, no matter how unfamiliar their surroundings are. In other words, travel businesses that use WhatsApp (or any other comparable messaging service) can now provide a seamless client experience on a large scale in previously difficult-to-manage scenarios. Let’s look at the potential whatsApp chatbot use cases for travel and hospitality industries.

1. Offering General Information

WhatsApp chatbots for hospitality provide users with rapid access to accurate general health information. During interactive chats, users can ask about wellness recommendations, preventative measures, and travel education subjects. These chatbots offer real-time responses through the chat interface, encouraging informed decision-making. 

Users benefit from precise and personalised information provided by natural language processing, improving their overall understanding of health and well-being. Individuals seeking important information can benefit from this accessible platform, contributing to a more informed and proactive approach to their travel plans.

2. Sending Booking Confirmations and Reminders

To make sending booking confirmations and reminders easier, a premium hotel chain integrated a WhatsApp chatbot. Guests received fast confirmations of their reservations, including details on their stay and facilities. The whatsApp chatbot use cases for travel delivered automated reminders for check-in, special deals, and local event information before their arrival. 

This service improved passenger convenience while also decreasing no-shows and last-minute cancellations. The initiative increased customer satisfaction and operational efficiency since visitors valued the quick, personalised communication.

3. Cross- Sell

AI-enabled chatbots can understand user behaviour and produce cross-selling opportunities by offering flight + hotel bundles, vehicle rental alternatives, tour discounts, and similar services. They can also propose and provide coupons for restaurants and cafes with which the travel firm has agreements. This use case of  WhatsApp benefits not only businesses but also consumers. 

For example, not all travellers know the hidden jewels (and occasionally even important sights) in their destinations. Offering a tour of Stromboli to visitors to Sicily may ensure they can access a famous place of interest near the islands.

4. Content Channel – Travel Tips

You don’t have to be a large online travel firm with ties in every industry to provide additional value through messaging. Any firm can find a way to use WhatsApp to improve client engagement and experience. One such method is to provide valuable or inspiring content to your customers via WhatsApp rather than your website or social network profiles. 

You can use the channel to go further and answer questions before they are posed. Send users information on activities, food, and cultural rules to consider before and during their vacation. WhatsApp allows you to exchange photographs, gifs, locations, web links, and videos, providing complete creative freedom.

5. Documentation – Billing, Invoices and Other Documents

WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption makes sending and receiving sensitive papers and information such as invoices, payment details, passport copies, rental agreement copies, liability disclaimers, proof of age, and more possible.

Suggested reading: How to Build WhatsApp Bot with Verloop.io?

6. FAQs and Customer Support

Travellers desire effortless expertise, which includes obtaining answers and resolving issues quickly. Unlike undesirable automatic phone systems, WhatsApp connects you with human customer service representatives who understand your needs. They can answer your questions, resolve your concerns, and ensure a stress-free journey. 

Businesses can also design chatbots to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) and provide essential support. This can reduce the workload for customer service representatives while providing 24-hour assistance to tourists.

7. Travel Reminders and Alerts

A significant airline used a whatsApp chatbot use cases for travel to improve customer experience by sending travel reminders and notifications. The chatbot gave real-time flight status updates, check-in reminders, gate change notifications, and weather advisories. Travellers received booking confirmations and payment reminders promptly. 

Passengers felt less anxious and more satisfied due to this proactive communication. The project resulted in fewer customer support calls and a considerable increase in positive feedback, demonstrating the power of automated travel reminders and notifications to streamline the travel experience.

8. Updates and Notifications

WhatsApp chatbots in travel provide real-time updates, offering critical information such as airline delays, gate changes, and schedule modifications right within the chat. Travellers can stay updated on developments by receiving automated notifications, resulting in a smoother journey. 

This proactive method improves communication by delivering timely information and reducing disruptions. Travel services optimise user engagement by seamlessly integrating with WhatsApp, providing a simple and responsive channel for travellers to receive and keep updated about essential developments during their journeys.

9. Sharing Boarding Passes and E- Tickets

WhatsApp allows travel companies to deliver boarding cards and e-tickets straight to passengers. This will make check-in more accessible and less stressful before the flight. Travellers can check their boarding cards and e-tickets from any location if they have internet access. This removes the continual worry about misplacing your boarding pass or leaving your tickets at home.

10. Community Channel For Frequent Travellers

The travel agency created a WhatsApp community channel for frequent travellers that provides exclusive bargains, travel tips, and location recommendations. This website facilitated discussions by allowing travellers to share their experiences and suggestions. 

Members received updates on loyalty points and awards, which helped to develop a sense of community and involvement. The campaign enhanced customer retention and loyalty because frequent travellers valued personalised attention and the ability to engage with others who shared their interests.

Also read about: The Guide to Implementing WhatsApp Chatbots for eCommerce

11. Personal Space For Travel Updates For Friends and Family

The WhatsApp Business API not only allows you to create group chats to connect strangers. It also allows you to set up private WhatsApp groups for your consumers. KLM once again provides a successful example. When a traveller purchases flight tickets, KLM establishes a particular group. 

When the traveller clicks the invitation link, they become the group’s administrator and can invite relatives and friends to get flight updates. However, this principle is helpful in a variety of situations. Consider joining comparable groups for cruises, agency-arranged road vacations, or hiking excursions. Or any planned vacation that lasts longer and sees more locations.

12. Concierge Services

An excellent hotel stay frequently includes exceptional concierge services. WhatsApp chatbots elevate the experience by serving as virtual concierges, offering guests personalised recommendations, reservations, and helpful information. Guests can now receive concierge services from their smartphones via WhatsApp chatbots. 

From restaurant ideas to local activities, the chatbot makes personalised recommendations for reservations and gives critical information to ensure tourists have a wonderful stay. Leading hotels worldwide have embraced WhatsApp chatbots as virtual concierges to improve the guest experience. Chatbots have become essential in providing exceptional hospitality and generating memorable experiences, assisting with anything from room service orders to transportation arrangements.

13. Complaints and Refund Handling

WhatsApp gives your clients a convenient and quick option to contact you if something goes wrong, such as misplaced luggage or something crucial being forgotten in their hotel room. You can use a chatbot to classify the type of issue and use that information to connect the consumer with the appropriate department or agent immediately. 

For example, Red Bus, one of India’s largest bus transportation businesses, uses WhatsApp to address one of its customers’ key concerns. As a result, in addition to messages on real-time bus schedules, they also provide information about refund requests. This solution is used to notify clients at all stages of the process. As a result, they reduced irritation while increasing trust in the organisation.

14. Feedback collection

Before making a selection, digital travellers conduct extensive research. Peer reviews account for a significant portion of these decisions. However, receiving feedback takes time, particularly favourable input. Travel companies that use the WhatsApp API can considerably benefit from customising their WhatsApp service to collect comments after the fact. 

Consider that instead of clicking a button within an email, waiting for a page to load, and filling out a lengthy online form, all you need to do to submit a review is respond to a text message. Furthermore, the WhatsApp UI makes adding photographs to accompany that review exceedingly simple, allowing you to collect user-generated content automatically.

15. Loyalty Program For Customer Retention

Last, you can use a travel WhatsApp channel to promote your loyalty programme. According to Capgemini’s survey, 54% of loyalty programmes are inactive. Furthermore, nearly one-third of members leave loyalty programmes without ever redeeming any of the points or benefits they earned since they have yet to learn how many they earned. 

WhatsApp integration can help transform the travel industry’s customer experience by keeping returning customers current. Smartly timed letters summarising gained privileges or discounts will remind your clients of the benefits of sticking with your brand.

What’s Next in Travel Chatbots?

Here’s a preview of what the future of travel could look like with more technological advancements:

AI-powered Travel Assistants: Chatbots might go one step further and offer specific routes depending on weather forecasts and updated real-time information.

Multilingual Assistance and Translation: Advanced AI translation could improve interaction between tourists and local businesses. WhatsApp will translate discussions in real-time, allowing you to become immersed in the culture of your interactions.

Interactive Content with Augmented Reality: Expect immersive experiences such as taking a 360-degree tour of your hotel room or digitally exploring a new city via augmented reality, all via WhatsApp. Travellers can visually “step into” various destinations before booking.

Compared to past communication methods, WhatsApp is less expensive and easier to scale. This makes it an appealing option for travel businesses of all sizes.

Conclusion

WhatsApp’s influence on travel and hospitality is absolutely nothing short of transformative. It lets businesses connect with customers on a familiar platform, change the trip path, and ultimately deliver exceptional experiences. This enables you to develop a loyal customer base more inclined to recommend your services. 

We can assist you in strengthening corporate communication. It boasts an easy-to-use interface and intriguing features that will assist you in managing your travel business processes and increasing client connections. Schedule your demo and discover all the features that can help your business.