AI in Travel
Smartvel’s Journey from Startup to Industry Leader: Transforming Travel Tech with AI and Strategic Acquisitions
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Smartvel has gone from a startup in a garage to becoming Europe’s leading travel content and guide business. Overcoming significant challenges along the way, the company has become a key player in the TravelTech sector. With its AI-driven content solutions and strategic acquisitions, Smartvel is reshaping how travelers engage with destinations. In this article, we dive into Smartvel’s journey, from finding the product-market fit to adapting in the wake of COVID-19. We explore the company’s innovative solutions, how it’s adapting to diverse global markets, and its exciting plans for the future.
Finding Product-Market Fit: Smartvel’s Early Struggles
One of Smartvel’s earliest and most significant challenges was finding the right product-market fit (PMF). In the world of TravelTech, where B2B services are highly demanding, launching a minimum viable product (MVP) can be a lengthy and difficult process. For Smartvel, understanding exactly what the market needed and crafting a product that could address these challenges required a lot of trial and error. In the beginning, securing talent and funding were difficult, but overcoming these obstacles helped establish a strong foundation for growth. The company’s dedication to solving travel content needs and improving the travel experience paid off, setting it on the path to success.
The COVID-19 Turning Point: Pivoting to Global Relevance
COVID-19 marked a major turning point for Smartvel. At one point, the company was close to closing its doors due to the global travel downturn. However, Smartvel found an innovative way to pivot by creating a real-time solution that became a global reference for informing travelers about COVID-related requirements. This rapid response not only helped Smartvel survive financially during the pandemic but also opened doors to Tier 1 customers. The solution was integral in restoring traveler confidence and helping businesses adapt to new travel norms. As the pandemic subsided, Smartvel had to pivot once again and adapt to the changing landscape, ensuring its place as a key player in the travel tech market.
Expanding into New Markets: India, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.
Smartvel has expanded its reach into multiple global markets, including India, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Adapting its destination content solutions for diverse cultural and market needs is essential for Smartvel’s growth. While the core content remains largely the same in terms of quality and delivery, Smartvel’s AI-driven platform allows for local customizations based on regional preferences. By listening to local customers and making data-driven adjustments, Smartvel ensures its solutions resonate across different geographical regions. The company’s ability to scale its services and cater to diverse markets is a significant factor in its success as a global provider of travel content solutions.
Strategic Acquisitions: ArrivalGuides and Avuxi
Smartvel’s strategic acquisitions have played a pivotal role in its growth. By acquiring ArrivalGuides and Avuxi, Smartvel has expanded its content offerings and enhanced its capabilities. ArrivalGuides brought a wealth of curated content and a strong presence in the U.S. and APAC regions, while Avuxi introduced a new category of georelevant maps tailored for OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and hotel chains. These acquisitions allowed Smartvel to broaden its portfolio, providing its clients with a more comprehensive range of solutions. By creating synergies between the acquired companies, Smartvel is enhancing the value it provides to customers, helping them better plan and promote travel experiences.
AI and Machine Learning: Revolutionizing Travel Content
At the heart of Smartvel’s success is its AI and machine learning-driven technology that processes vast amounts of data to ensure real-time accuracy in destination content. By using a complex system of “workers” to analyze unstructured data from the internet, Smartvel can offer precise and high-quality content for travelers. These workers filter out duplicate information, validate content quality, and consolidate it into one simple, reliable dataset. With more than 10 years of development and thousands of lines of code, Smartvel has built a solution that delivers accurate, dynamic, and up-to-date content, even for fast-changing events like festivals, sports, and concerts. This level of automation and quality control ensures that travelers always receive the best possible information for their journeys.
Recognition in the Industry: Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 Award
Smartvel’s rapid growth and technological advancements have been recognized by the industry. The company was recently honored in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50, which ranks the fastest-growing tech companies in Europe. This recognition is a testament to Smartvel’s ability to address real pain points in the travel industry while continually innovating and evolving its product offerings. The award reflects the company’s strong sales growth, customer satisfaction, and leadership in AI-powered travel content solutions. For Smartvel, this recognition not only highlights past achievements but also solidifies its future in the competitive travel tech market.
Government Investment: Spain’s Digitalization Push in Tourism
Smartvel’s commitment to innovation has also been acknowledged by the Spanish government, which recently funded the company as part of its push for digitalization in the tourism sector. This funding will help Smartvel improve its Traveler Support products, particularly for people with disabilities, by offering more accessible travel documentation solutions. The project is a significant step for Smartvel, as it will help the company make travel easier for millions of people, ensuring that the experience is inclusive and accommodating for everyone. The investment also reflects Smartvel’s role in driving digital transformation in Spain’s tourism industry.
The Future of Smartvel: Embracing the GEO World
Looking ahead, Smartvel is positioning itself to lead the travel tech market with its focus on the “GEO world,” which is poised to play a major role in the future of travel. Brands are increasingly concerned about losing visibility to agents, and Smartvel is focusing on helping them maintain their presence and relevance in this changing landscape. The company plans to leverage its expertise in georelevant content to help brands stay competitive. Additionally, Smartvel is prioritizing the development of new marketing solutions and expanding its product portfolio to help clients navigate the evolving travel tech ecosystem. The future looks promising, with Smartvel poised to lead innovation in travel content solutions.
Conclusion: Smartvel’s Journey and Industry Impact
Smartvel’s journey from a small startup in 2018 to becoming Europe’s leading travel content provider has been marked by challenges, strategic pivots, and remarkable growth. By embracing AI and machine learning, acquiring key companies like ArrivalGuides and Avuxi, and expanding into new global markets, Smartvel is shaping the future of travel tech. Its focus on solving real traveler pain points, expanding its product offerings, and remaining adaptable in the face of changing travel trends ensures that it will continue to be a dominant force in the industry. As travel becomes increasingly experience-driven, Smartvel’s solutions will help travelers discover, plan, and enjoy their journeys with greater ease and confidence.
AI in Travel
Tourism Malaysia And HONOR Malaysia Collaborate To Promote Visit Malaysia 2026 Through AI Technology
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tourism Malaysia has teamed up with HONOR Technology (Malaysia) to change how the country promotes tourism. Through a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC), both organizations will use new technology, specifically AI-driven digital storytelling, to improve Malaysia’s visibility in global tourism. This partnership aims to increase Malaysia’s presence in the international tourism market, especially ahead of the upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
A Game-Changing Collaboration
The partnership between Tourism Malaysia and HONOR Malaysia marks a significant shift in the tourism industry’s approach to promotional strategies. As the tourism sector increasingly embraces technological advancements, this collaboration is a prime example of how innovation can be leveraged to meet modern demands. Both organizations are committed to utilizing AI-powered technology to create engaging, interactive, and visually stunning content that will appeal to a broad audience, particularly the younger, digitally savvy generation.
Through the use of HONOR’s advanced AI-powered mobile technology, the partnership will deliver a series of creative initiatives designed to engage local and international audiences. The aim is to connect with travelers in a more dynamic, personal way, leveraging AI to produce content that is not only visually striking but also reflective of the diverse cultural and scenic beauty of Malaysia.
Key Initiatives Under the Partnership
The collaboration will kick off with a series of interactive campaigns designed to bring Malaysia’s most iconic tourist attractions to the forefront. One of the standout features of the partnership is a nationwide photography competition that will invite both local and international participants to capture Malaysia’s stunning landscapes and cultural landmarks. HONOR’s AI-enhanced smartphones will be the primary tool for participants, enabling them to capture high-quality images that showcase the country’s rich diversity.
In addition to the photography competition, the initiative will include guided photo tours at major tourist spots across Malaysia, giving travelers the opportunity to explore the country’s beauty through the lens of a professional photographer. These tours will provide participants with valuable insights into the history, culture, and natural wonders of Malaysia, helping to foster a deeper connection to the country.
Another highlight of the collaboration will be creative workshops, where industry experts will guide participants through the process of creating compelling travel content. These workshops will provide attendees with the skills they need to produce high-quality digital content, from photography to video production, all while highlighting Malaysia’s attractions. The workshops will also serve as a platform for cultural exchange, allowing local and international participants to share their experiences and ideas.
Furthermore, the collaboration will feature art exhibitions showcasing AI-enhanced visuals captured using HONOR smartphones. These exhibitions will offer a new perspective on Malaysia’s tourism offerings, blending technology with art to create visually captivating displays. The exhibitions will serve as both a celebration of Malaysia’s cultural heritage and a forward-thinking approach to tourism marketing.
The Role of AI and Mobile Technology
HONOR Malaysia’s role in this collaboration is crucial, as the company’s mobile technology and AI capabilities will be integral to curating visually compelling content. By utilizing AI-powered features such as scene recognition and photo enhancement, the smartphones will enable users to create professional-quality images with ease. This approach not only highlights the beauty of Malaysia but also encourages travelers to explore the country’s destinations in a more immersive way.
Tourism Malaysia’s involvement in the partnership focuses on facilitating access to the country’s top tourist attractions, providing logistical support, and amplifying the campaign’s reach through its extensive global tourism network. The government agency has long been at the forefront of efforts to promote Malaysia as a top tourist destination, and this collaboration with HONOR represents a new chapter in the country’s tourism marketing strategy.
Embracing Innovation to Appeal to Global Audiences
As Malaysia prepares for the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, the collaboration between Tourism Malaysia and HONOR Malaysia is a timely step towards modernizing the country’s approach to tourism promotion. By embracing AI and mobile creativity, the initiative aims to engage younger, tech-savvy travelers who are increasingly seeking interactive and personalized travel experiences. The partnership also aligns with global marketing trends, as more and more brands leverage digital platforms and emerging technologies to connect with consumers.
This collaboration is a significant move in ensuring that Malaysia’s tourism industry remains competitive in the global market. By focusing on user-generated content and encouraging creativity, the campaign aims to not only promote Malaysia’s scenic beauty and cultural richness but also foster emotional and visual connections with travelers worldwide. The campaign’s use of AI and technology ensures that Malaysia’s tourism offerings are showcased in a modern, dynamic light, capturing the attention of audiences across the globe.
Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships for Tourism Growth
The collaboration between Tourism Malaysia and HONOR Malaysia exemplifies the power of public-private partnerships in driving tourism growth. By combining the expertise and resources of both organizations, the partnership is poised to make a significant impact on Malaysia’s tourism sector. This MoC is also a testament to the growing recognition of the importance of innovation and technology in shaping the future of travel marketing.
As the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign approaches, the collaboration is set to serve as a benchmark for how technology can be integrated into tourism promotion. The initiative will not only help boost Malaysia’s visibility in the global tourism market but also inspire other nations to embrace technology as a means of enhancing their tourism offerings. By blending tradition with innovation, Tourism Malaysia and HONOR Malaysia are setting a new standard for the future of travel marketing.
A Groundbreaking Step
In conclusion, the partnership between Tourism Malaysia and HONOR Malaysia is a significant move toward changing how tourism is promoted in the digital age. By using AI-driven digital storytelling and mobile technology, the collaboration seeks to improve Malaysia’s presence in global tourism and involve both local and international audiences in engaging and creative ways. As the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign approaches, this partnership represents the changing connection between technology and tourism, paving the way for a more immersive and interactive travel experience for everyone.
Saturday, August 2, 2025
The Revival of Ansett Australia has taken a surprising turn, formerly one of the leading airlines in Australia has made an incredible comeback – albeit not as a full-service airline. The reintroduction of the airline was conceived by Melbourne entrepreneur, Constantine Frantzekos who saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the Ansett name and offer a more tailored and cost-effective means of flying, Through the platform, known as Ansett. Travel, powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence, Frantzekos aims to transform how Australians plan and experience travel, bringing back the legacy of Ansett in a modern, digital form.
From Airline to AI Travel Platform
Launched many decades ago Ansett quickly became a household name and was most noted for its innovative flight experience coupled with world-leading customer service. But after it folded in 2001, the brand appeared to never fly again. But Frantzekos spied an opportunity in the moldering trademark, which had expired. Rather than siphoning the defunct airline’s DNA, he rebuilt the brand as an ultra-modern travel tech platform that prides itself on deep personalization and machine learning to serve 21st-century travelers’ changing needs.
AI-Driven Personalization for Modern Travelers
Ansett. Travel, Australia’s first travel agency wholly powered by A.I. The platform seeks to provide a more intelligent and personalized experience by mining users’ preferences using algorithms and machine learning. The AI makes personalized travel recommendations for trips, activities and experiences over time — it’s like your own personal travel concierge in the cloud. Users enter information about their travel experience — like the location, dates and interests at play—and an AI powered program conjures up bespoke itineraries, activities and amenities for them.
For instance, a user could plan for having their mate from Melbourne visit them to watch a major sports event such as the Ashes. The AI would then suggest things to do in the area and local accommodations/restaurants that suit their tastes. Private Charter Members also get the benefit of buying these services at very close to wholesale on Ansett VIP.
An Affordable Business Model Focused on Savings
The business model behind Ansett. Travel is based on two pillars, deep personalization and affordability. Users can enroll in a VIP membership for $99 per year, which entails discounts on flights, hotels and cultural experiences. The platform is planned to provide dramatic savings when compared against old fashioned travel agencies that are expensive in terms of overheads and staff. Instead, Ansett leverages technology to automate all of its operations and invests capital into building a platform while keeping a tiny support team.
Ansett is not a traditional travel agency, which can take the bulk of a dollar when it sells and then enjoys large profit margins. The website intentionally makes their pricing more competitive for travelers and leaves the difference in savings right up on company’s frontpage.
Combining AI with Human Support
Frantzekos draws parallels between Ansett. Travel and companies like Uber, which have bet on personalized service without traditional overhead. The service features a Chrome and Firefox extension (with Safari support coming) that lets consumers compare real-time prices on travel products while visiting other sites.
Despite being AI-driven, Ansett. Travel also reminds you how essential human contact is. With AI responsible for the majority of routine personalization duties, customer support agents can be on hand to help users when there are specific problems or they need assistance urgently. It is this melding of AI efficiency and human hospitality that makes for a smoother travel experience.
What Next, The Future of Ansett
While Ansett. Travel isn’t an airline, but Frantzekos says he wouldn’t rule out possibly branching the brand into air travel in some way down the line. For now he wants to give every Australian access to a next-level travel concierge that aspires on the nostalgia of Ansett with modern AI power. Ansett Australia is reborn in the Digital world, not flying but at the forefront of a new era, transforming travel using blockchain technology.
Steve Singh spent two decades building Concur into the dominant travel-and-expense management platform before selling it to SAP for $8.3 billion in 2014. A year ago he became CEO of Spotnana, a startup that aims to solve the industry’s lingering problems.
The travel technology sector has struggled for years with fragmented systems that force companies to cobble together bookings from multiple sources while maintaining adequate customer service.
These back-end issues have delayed the arrival of what Singh called “The Perfect Trip” in an interview with Skift in 2014.
Now Singh argues that today’s cloud-native computing and machine learning can solve problems that proved intractable when he first tackled them at Concur more than 40 years ago.
“I haven’t been this excited about how tech can improve the corporate travel experience since mobile phones became widespread,” Singh said in an interview at Global Business Travel Association conference in Denver last month.
Automating Services
Spotnana’s approach centers on automating routine travel services like rebookings and refunds.
For corporate customers buying the travel, Spotnana will offer business intelligence tools and analytical services to let executives more clearly understand what their employees are spending on travel.
“Instead of a 15% cut across the board, which is indiscriminate, what if an AI agent could say, ‘I’ll get you the 15% savings by reducing travel spend by 40% for people that are not revenue producing while not reducing it at all for others, thanks to the intel I know on the clients they’re visiting and the productivity of those employees on the road,’” Singh said.
Singh claimed Spotnana could reduce travel management companies’ operational costs by roughly half. The tech vendor said it doesn’t accept global distribution system incentives and doesn’t hide or bias content to reach supplier volume targets.
Singh said Spotnana expects to deploy its AI agent capabilities within the next two to three years.
He described plans for “an AI agent that was trained on, say, your top 10% of your corporate travel agents” that could provide consistent, scalable service while understanding individual traveler preferences and company policies.
“Imagine an AI agent that not only knows me and my corporate policies and my personal preferences, but then it can also be an expert in every city I want to go for work or for leisure,” Singh said. “That starts to deliver a client experience that is no different than the world’s best executive assistant.”
Singh said that AI may also help with either predicting and responding in the moments when trips are disrupted by cancellations.
Automated reactions are key, he said: “If my flight is delayed, I shouldn’t have to pick up my phone and call somebody to change flights. Why can’t there be a recommendation pushed right into my app, saying here are the three options within your company’s travel policy, here are the three options outside your policy. Which one would you like?”
Frenemies
Spotnana, which has disclosed raising over $100 million in funding, faces established competitors with services that overlap.
While Spotnana is not a travel management company, its technology and full-content approach are similar to travel management companies like Navan (which has raised over $1.2 billion in funding) and TravelPerk (over $700 million).
Yet some industry observers remain skeptical about whether new technology can overcome the travel sector’s entrenched interests and complex commercial relationships. The American Airlines’ ill-fated effort to change how corporations and travel management companies book business travel suggests the challenges facing any attempt to change distribution.
But Singh said cloud computing costs are “one-tenth” of what they were 15 to 20 years ago. Key corporate travel systems are now cloud-native and use modern APIs, or data exchange methods.
More importantly, suppliers, buyers, and travel management companies have greater incentives to change the status quo, he said.
Spotnana offers its tech to Direct Travel, a company Singh also backs, and other travel management companies, such as Solutions Travel. It works with corporate buyers via connections with their preferred travel management companies.
Yet Spotnana is also a tool for the suppliers themselves.
“We think there’s multiple tiers of opportunity with our supplier partners,” Singh said. “One is the content distribution to travel management companies. But the other is that most of our supplier partners also want us to build other services for them.”
Spotnana’s effort to be all things to all people could get dicey if travel management companies come to fear it as potentially siphoning off their business by competing on fees and services to woo buyers.
Singh said he sees Spotnana’s opportunity with suppliers as being in providing services that travel management companies typically don’t, such as by giving suppliers deeper insights into their customers.
A case in point: Spotnana has partnered with Marriott to power the hotel chain’s small business portal, Business Access, handling both content distribution and booking management.
“We’re taking advantage of the biggest transformation I’ve seen in travel since we moved from paper based tickets to digital,” Singh said.
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