[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Around the 2000s, the trend shifted from package tours to individual travel, and now personalized travel is emerging. This is an evolved form of the existing Online Travel Agencies (OTA), enhancing the convenience of various procedures required for travel preparation and providing a travel experience optimized for individuals. Recently, several startups have been launching related services one after another.
Indent Corporation, a startup operating the AI-based video review service ‘VReview,’ helps users purchase desired travel items with just a ‘hand search’ instead of physically visiting stores. Since VReview allows users to check products from multiple angles in a three-dimensional way, it offers a more vivid purchasing experience than photos. By providing only highly reliable video reviews from actual buyers, it enables a fail-proof shopping experience, setting the first step for travel preparation.
Recently, video reviews of various travel goods and outdoor camping equipment have been uploaded, drawing attention. Camping items such as tents and folding chairs are often set up and used on-site, so checking these through video reviews beforehand helps increase product understanding.
Additionally, video reviews of lanterns, lights, and other items that enhance the camping atmosphere allow users to vividly experience the lively and unique camping vibe in advance. Now, video reviews go beyond simply providing product information and play a significant role as content, sharing and expanding the purchasing experience.
The travel-specialized startup ‘Tripbitoz’ offers a service where users share their travel videos on the platform, and other users watching these videos can book hotels featured in the videos in real time. Rather than merely mediating accommodation services, it provides lively travel video content from general users, helping others indirectly experience various travel destinations and seamlessly proceed to booking accommodations in those areas.
When accessing the Tripbitoz application, travel videos from other users play on the main screen. Through a side reservation button, users can explore various accommodations in that area. Especially, categories are subdivided according to travel purposes such as business, family trips, and pets, allowing users to compare and book accommodations optimized for each individual.
Since countless restaurants, accommodations, and tourist facilities exist at travel destinations, many people often struggle when planning their itineraries. ‘Yeoda,’ a domestic travel itinerary service operated by StoryCity, offers a personalized travel experience optimized for individuals using AI technology. It asks customers eight categories including companion information, travel style, interests, and accommodation preferences, and once the customer completes the answers, it provides a customized travel itinerary free of charge within three minutes.
Yeoda’s recommendation algorithm, operating based on unique travel destination data, not only suggests the most suitable places for users but also optimizes the travel routes between recommended locations. Since launching the ‘Yeoda’ service in May last year, the number of itineraries created through it has exceeded 80,000.
Recently, Yeoda released a feature allowing users to freely edit the travel itineraries created, further enhancing customer convenience. It also launched ‘Weekly Yeoda,’ a curation service that recommends new travel spots and itineraries personalized weekly, drawing attention.
The global travel luggage service ‘Good Luck Company’ presents the vision of ‘perfect freedom from travel luggage,’ offering users a much lighter travel experience. It provides same-day luggage delivery services between hotels and airports in 11 Asian cities including Singapore, Osaka, and Bangkok, and has continued luggage storage services in 250 cities across Europe and the United States.
Additionally, it launched Korea’s first ‘Direct Luggage Delivery Service,’ enabling customers traveling to Jeju and Busan to have their luggage delivered directly between their homes and hotels. If luggage is entrusted the day before departure, it can be delivered to the hotel on the day of travel. Conversely, if luggage is left at checkout, it can be received at home the next day.
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