Meet Emma: Germany’s new AI travel guide

Hi there,

From now until the FutureTravel Summit on November 28th, our newsletter is getting a little shorter. Why? We’re a small team and will now be fully focused on making this year's event the best it can be! So while we may be cutting down on length, we’re definitely not cutting down on quality. You’ll still get those news you shouldn’t miss, just in a more bite-sized format. 

Stick with us - I promise there’s plenty of exciting stuff ahead! :)

€3M for sustainable stays. French eco-friendly accommodation platform, GreenGo, has secured €3 million in a funding round. The startup plans to use the funds to enhance its technological and commercial development, with ambitions to expand across Europe by 2025. With a focus on low-carbon travel and sustainability, GreenGo aims to boost its brand visibility internationally. After surpassing 100,000 nights booked in 2023, the company is targeting 3 million active users by 2024.

Germany’s AI travel guide. Germany’s first AI-generated travel influencer, “Emma,” has been launched by the German National Tourist Board to inspire potential visitors. Emma, a 30-something Berliner, interacts with travelers through Instagram and the tourism board’s website, sharing travel tips and personalized itineraries. Designed to feel authentic and trustworthy, Emma is part of Germany’s digital strategy to offer real-time, personalized travel experiences. While “she” is still in early stages, Emma is expected to evolve into a key brand ambassador for German tourism - potentially partnering with hotels, airlines, and travel agencies.

Digital dream team? As we saw on WiT, Atlas, a low-cost flight startup led by Mary Li, is embracing AI to boost efficiency and productivity. Over the past 18 months, Atlas has developed five “digital employees,” including Florence, the newest addition to its AI-powered team. Florence, powered by Alibaba Cloud, handles customer care, while others streamline tasks like ticketing and finance. Li believes this tech-driven approach allows Atlas’ small team to scale and compete in a volatile market. By the waaay, do you have a digital coworker? We’d love to hear about your experience!

Will Uber take Expedia for a ride? As soon as I sent the FutureTravel newsletter last week, this was suddenly everywhere - the rumour of Uber buying Expedia. This means current Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, is considering buying the company he led for 12 years. Lots of thoughts published, lots of opinions. One week later, here are 3 links I recommend on the topic:

Uber-Expedia Super Deal? Our Answers to 10 Big Questions (Skift)
How an Uber-Expedia merger could redefine the travel experience (Phocuswire)
All-In Podcast (starting at 27:36)

See you next week,
Ana

Thank you for reading until the end.

The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, an innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.

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