Like most sectors, the travel industry has been going through the motions of digital transformation. Travelers are increasingly browsing for destinations on their smartphones and accessing trips via WhatsApp.
Booking.com found that 80% of customers prefer to browse on their own when planning their trips.
While this wealth of information helps, Mckinsey confirms that digital travelers feel overwhelmed by the number of choices. For example, travellers log 140 visits to travel sites in the span of seven weeks to make a travel booking.
Travel companies can help travelers make sense of the choices before them. Instant messaging plays a key role in travel's digital transformation. WhatsApp dominates, and the channel already has almost 3 billion users across 180 countries.
Research shows that travelers are particularly interested in using AI-powered virtual assistants to choose accommodations and receive suggestions on available experiences at destinations, such as events, things to do, and shopping.
Travel companies leverage WhatsApp Business API to share time-sensitive notifications like flight cancellations, delays, and rescheduling. It's an easy way to communicate with your customers at scale.
Want to know more?
This guide will walk you through several use cases of WhatsApp for travel and explain how to set it up for your online travel company.
WhatsApp for Travel: The Problem
"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
These words accurately portray travel as more than just a break from routine but something more impactful–even life-changing.
There has been significant social change leading to unprecedented travel demand. Whether it's seeking a better work/life balance, more time with friends and family, or learning something new, priorities have been reset. According to Tripadvisor:
- 67% place more value on experiences over things than in the past.
- 73% said travel is always and often a priority.
- 54% of discretionary income is spent on experiences vs. 46% on things.
As a result of this, the travel industry is facing immense pressure to fulfill the desires of travelers.
According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the number of international tourists in 2024 is estimated at 1.4 billion, which represents an 11% increase compared to 2023. This signifies a near-complete recovery to pre-pandemic levels of travel, with further growth of 3-5% expected in 2025 compared to 2024.
Despite the resurgence in demand for traveling, customer satisfaction has not only failed but has deteriorated further.
The major reason for this was staff shortage.
A study by Oxford Economics estimates a global loss of approximately 2.3 million jobs in aviation during the pandemic. The delays in rehiring staff due to extensive training, clearance for new hires, and not enough qualified candidates have made it challenging for airlines to keep their customers happy.
This gets further exasperated with common issues like:
- Delayed responses
- Lack of personalized options
- Inefficient communication channels
- Limited 24/7 Conversational support
- Difficulty managing multiple inquiries simultaneously
A staff shortage directly impacts the productivity of the travel industry. In a world where 70% of customers want to be attended to immediately, keeping them on hold isn't an option anymore.
WhatsApp for Travel: The Solution
In 2024, travelers will seek out consistent and seamless experiences that are personalized to their needs, from booking trips to on-property experiences.
Eighty percent of global travelers consider the ability to book their entire trip online essential, with Millennials (86%) and Gen Zers (83%) driving this trend. Additionally, 76% of travelers value travel apps that minimize friction and stress during their journeys.
The combination of instant messaging and chatbots has opened up a wide range of opportunities for the travel industry to improve passengers' travel experiences and provide efficient customer service. Five out of ten travelers would use an AI virtual assistant to plan their trips, and 13% of Millennials and Gen Z have already used an AI-based chatbot (such as ChatGPT) at least once to get ideas or plan their trips.
Customers expect travel companies to get creative in 2025 with new itineraries and recommendations designed to capture the imaginations of travelers who missed out on trips during the pandemic. In fact, 70% of travelers expect travel companies to support their future travel plans via promotions.
Importance of WhatsApp for the travel industry
WhatsApp has dramatically evolved from a mere mobile application to one of the most popular marketing platforms. It has almost 3 billion users across 180 countries, and its user base is only growing.
One of the top reasons users prefer WhatsApp is that they love messaging apps as a way to socialize. On WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger alone, one billion people contact a business every month.
Research shows that 55% of travel agencies use WhatsApp to confirm bookings, provide customer service, and perform other purposes.
Travel companies use WhatsApp to communicate the most important information:
- Flight status notifications: Airports can send automated notifications for gate changes, flight delays, and other relevant information directly to travelers.
- Check-in and boarding passes: Airports can streamline the check-in process by using messenger services to send digital boarding passes directly to travelers' smartphones.
- FAQ chatbot: WhatsApp chatbot can respond to frequently asked questions, provide details about airport facilities, and offer immediate assistance in case of issues.
- Baggage tracking: By integrating messenger apps, airports can offer travelers real-time updates on their baggage location.
- Offers and discounts: Airports can share special offers, in-store discounts, and promotions to enhance travelers' shopping experience.
For instance, Zurich Airport has been relying on WhatsApp for communication since 2021. It uses WhatsApp's instant communication feature to provide updated information on departure time, estimated landing time, flight delays, time of approach, and landing time.
A peek into the automation capabilities of WhatsApp for travel
One in five travellers prefers a text message from a business to a phone call. In fact, the majority (75%) of travellers want travel companies to send offers and essential details on their preferred messaging apps rather than see advertisements on mobile apps or while they're browsing the internet.
That's where WhatsApp Business API comes in handy. Launched specifically for medium—to large companies, this powerful tool enables businesses to communicate with multiple customers at scale. With automated replies, interactive messages, and chatbots, the sales team can create a customized communication flow that caters to customers' needs.
The WhatsApp Business API improves your sales efforts because it allows you to:
- Automate WhatsApp messages at scale: Travel companies can send quick responses, booking confirmations, itinerary updates, flight change alerts, reminders about check-in dates, promotional deals on destinations, personalized recommendations, customer support inquiries, and feedback requests.
- Create a targeted customer experience: WhatsApp Business API allows the segmentation of travellers into travel interests, demographics, and booking stages, then delivers personalized messages with relevant information, local recommendations, and timely updates through a mix of text, images, and interactive features like location sharing and booking links - all while ensuring a seamless and responsive communication channel throughout their travel journey.
- Upgrade post-purchase customer experience: For many users, post-purchase is the hallmark of customer satisfaction. WhatsApp API lets you coordinate and regularize travel updates, booking reminders, and notifications by seamlessly sending them directly to the customer's chatbot.
Understanding the distinction between the basic WhatsApp Business option and the more robust WhatsApp Business API is essential.
And you don't need to spend weeks getting this rolling. We will walk you through setting up your WhatsApp Business API trial account using Gallabox in five easy steps.
- Enter your details to sign up for the free trial on gallabox.com.
- Invite your team and adapt to the roles and access levels to ensure everyone can collaborate effectively.
- Importing data is easier with Gallabox, which lets you import contacts individually or in bulk from tools such as Google Sheets, CRMs, or other third-party software.
- Now that your team and contacts are set, you can create WhatsApp Chatbots, Drip Marketing campaigns, or even WhatsApp Flows.
- Gallabox integrates seamlessly with your tech stack—whether it's your CRM, e-commerce platform, payment processor, or marketing tools—bringing everything under one roof.
Now that you've quickly set up the WhatsApp Business API with Gallabox let's see how you can best use it for your travel company.
Benefits of WhatsApp for the travel industry
Traveling can be a stressful experience.
"Did we reserve our hotels for the trips? Did we print our boarding pass? Or should I check if the flight is delayed!"
There are so many things to consider that traveling can quickly become overwhelming. Good communication from your travel agency or accommodation can either make or break the entire experience.
And, with almost 3 billion active users, the channel that is taking over communication in the travel industry is WhatsApp. Well, WhatsApp brings a lot of benefits to the table:
Deliver real-time updates on your customer's phone
After your customers have booked their trips (flights and hotels), they will expect important information to show up in their inbox. Think of payment requests, order confirmations, and boarding passes. This also includes reminders to bring your passport, real-time updates on flight onboarding, and any other crucial information that might be useful.
For instance, MakeMyTrip is an early adopter of sending travel updates via WhatsApp business. They use the messaging app to send status updates, boarding updates, gate assignments, and more. That's a unique opportunity for creating personalized customer experiences.
Faster bookings
Potential customers usually check out a travel company's social media profile or website before booking a trip, a hotel, a table, or whatever service you offer. That's usually when questions arise like, "What travel destinations can you cover during this trip?" "Do I need to book day trips before I get to the hotel?" or "Is the use of the gym included in the room price?"
The easiest way to find answers to these questions is to offer an effortless option to contact you. That's where Whatsaap comes in! Let people know you can contact them through WhatsApp for instant messaging. Guide users from your website or Facebook page through a click-to-chat ad to your WhatsApp chat or a "let's chat on WhatsApp" widget to your website.
Help customers create personalized itineraries
Your customer's journey starts once they start looking for a destination. Over the past few years, tailor-made experiences for travelers have become crucial.
According to WeTravel, 94% of Travel Advisors offer the option to enrich a tour via add-ons. 67% of travel professionals state that they have seen increased demand for these additional trip components
compared to 2019.
The most popular add-ons for Travel Advisors' clients are special activities and excursions, meal plans, and transfers.
While most people won't mind doing their research and making decisions by themselves on their website, many customers would love for their travel company to create a personalized itinerary for them. Travel companies can simply automate this experience by enabling their WhatsApp chatbot, which uses artificial intelligence to provide customers with one-to-one advice.
Be available at all time
The thing is, 66% of customers expect a response within a minute. In this fast-paced world, only a few people would wait around to receive a response–especially when your competitors are just a click or call away.
These days, you don't need a full-time employee monitoring your phones or website's chat feature day and night because you can outsource this through WhatsApp. The platform provides 60+ preset templates that allow you to send a preset response to messages when you can't respond immediately.
If you use WhatsApp API, you can provide round-the-clock customer support with an AI bot without any human interference. The bot can resolve queries, particularly common and repetitive questions, booking information, flight delays, and basic troubleshooting.
Easy communication with all age groups
WhatsApp appeal isn't limited to specific demographics; it hits across all age groups. Focusing on generational usage, millennials lead the pack, making up 54% of WhatsApp users, as reported by FinancesOnline. They're followed by Gen Z at 51%, Gen X at 48%, and Baby Boomers, who represent 36% of the user base.
Reports from Mailchimp show that businesses are now switching to WhatsApp as their primary source of communication since it has an open rate of just 21.33%, which is a whopping 98% in WhatsApp. That means every message sent on WhatsApp is read. This makes it easier for travel companies to reach patients quickly and deliver appointment information like flight booking, payment reminders, and regular customer communication.
Use Cases of WhatsApp Chatbot in the Travel Industry
Booking multiple elements of travel–like flights, food and beverage, and room blocks–has been a pain point for travelers for years. In other words, travelers want a frictionless travel experience with personalized services, immediate answers, and up-to-date information–all at one point.
Travel companies using WhatsApp make the process of traveling fun, no matter how unfamiliar the surroundings are.
Want to know how? These are some of the top use cases of WhatsApp chatbots in the travel industry, which help travel companies provide excellent customer service at scale.
Personalised itineraries
The personalized travel market is bound to reach $447.3 billion by 2030. Personalization in travel means generating personalized content, including recommendations, marketing messages, and itineraries, based on an individual basis. It's the opposite of the "one size fits all" approach; instead, it takes into account specific travelers' preferences to deliver personalized offers.
In fact, 90% of travelers choose travel brands that personalize their recommendations over counterparts that do not.
Your WhatsApp bot or agent can make personalize travelers experience in the following ways:
- Pre-travel personalization: After the bookings have been made, WhatsApp chatbots help travelers with itinerary creation, activity planning, and transfers. This allows travelers to make all bookings before they even reach the destination.
- In-destination personalization: WhatsApp chatbots can offer every traveler a custom-tailored stay experience. This can include personalized room upgrades, additional amenities, tailored itineraries, and specific activities at the destination.
- Post-travel personalization: WhatsApp maintains relationships with clients, keeps them in the loop with offers that are relevant to them, and establishes a relationship based on trust and care.
Personalization in travel helps travelers better plan their trips. WhatsApp chatbots make sense of input texts, collect travelers' information, and cross-reference it with their database to provide entirely custom travel packages to travelers.
Customer service and support
Nowadays, the speed at which companies respond can make or break their relationship with customers. In an era where customers want instant gratification, a delayed response can lead them to lose interest or, worse, turn to a competitor.
In fact, 82% of them expect a response within 10 minutes.
That's where WhatsApp chatbot excels. You can use your WhatsApp chatbot to design a simple FAQ bot that answers the most common questions. But you don't have to stop there.
- Automate initial responses: You can set up automated responses that acknowledge receipt of an inquiry. This immediate acknowledgment reassures the customers their inquiry is processed, and they will soon get in touch with a personalized response.
- Prioritize leads: Your WhatsApp bots jump into action the second a lead comes in. These digital dynamos can ask qualifying questions like "What's your budget?" or "Are you interested in our product?" By the end of the call, the AI agent will score the lead, so you know whether you have gotten a hot lead ready to convert or someone who's just browsing.
- Nurture leads: The more you know about a potential customer's preference, the better you can cater to their needs. As soon as a user sends a message on WhatsApp, the chatbots ask for more detailed information about their dream destination or the type of vacation they're looking for to create the perfect itinerary.
Gallabox facilitates meaningful customer interactions with WhatsApp Flows. You can weave these handy WhatsApp Forms into your chatbots, bulk broadcasts, drip marketing sequences, and even with API integrations. Further, use this information to segment the audience and initiate personalised conversations.
For instance, the Indigo chatbot can easily carry out conversations and provide users with the information they're looking for.
Sending Booking Confirmations and Reminders
When it comes to checking text notifications, consumers are lighting fast at their responses. Over 30% of users check their notifications within 60 seconds of receiving the text, and 80.5% of users check their text notifications within 5 minutes of hearing their phone buzz.
So, sending reminders to travelers through WhatsApp is an excellent choice. Since there's always a probability that a traveler might have forgotten about a booking they made or simply didn't cancel the reservations, sending booking reminders ensures they have all the information they need and reduces no-shows.
You can set up WhatsApp automation like:
- Greeting message that reinforces you're taking appointment bookings on WhatsApp.
- Creating an automated follow-up flow using interactive messages like reply buttons and list messages that allow prospects to choose a day and time of their preference.
- Appointment booking confirmation.
- Appointment schedule reminders.
- Post-appointment follow-ups for feedback.
- Cancellation and rescheduling appointments.
You can also seamlessly pay your travel bills right from your Whatsapp account. Whatsapp Pay helps you connect your Whatsapp account with your UPI account. This way, you can keep track of all the payments made to the travel company without having to search through your payment history.
Complaints and refund handling
The struggle of the airline industry to meet traveller's expectations is not a new phenomenon. A survey by PwC titled "Future of Customer Experience" revealed a staggering negative 33% gap between customer expectations and actual experiences in the airline industry.
The leading causes of customer dissatisfaction among travelers are:
- Delayed or canceled flights that leave passengers stranded.
- Lost or damaged luggage also ranks high, causing inconvenience and stress.
- Accommodation issues, such as overbooking or poor service.
- Delayed refunds can further exacerbate traveler dissatisfaction.
Relying on emails or customer support for complaint handling leaves customers dissatisfied due to long waiting times. WhatsApp provides your customers with a comfortable and fast way to connect with you in case something goes wrong.
Here are a few reasons why customers prefer WhatsApp over other channels:
For example, RedBus, India's major bus transport company, uses WhatsApp for complaints and refund handling. They notify customers at every step of the way, which helps them reduce frustration and increase trust in the company.
Boarding Passes & e-Tickets
When you send a digital boarding pass to a traveler via WhatsApp, they won't need to sign into their account on a web browser, open your app, or head to a kiosk. All they have to do is open your message and head to the security line.
Digital boarding passes offer convenience and service and decrease travelers' stress, contributing to experiences that build loyalty.
You can simply send boarding passes and e-tickets as PDF attachments directly to your WhatsApp chat with your customer. Larger businesses can leverage the WhatsApp Business API to automate tasks like sending boarding passes and e-tickets upon events such as online check-in, streamlining operations, and saving time.
Increase travel bookings
Click-to-WhatsApp ads allow users to initiate a conversation with your business directly from platforms like Facebook or Instagram. These ads are useful to encourage prospective customers to message you regarding your offer right after they have been exposed to them.
The process for Click to WhatsApp ads is simple –
- The prospect sees the Click to WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram.
- They click or tap on the ad to learn more about the product or service.
- This action initiates a conversation between the prospect and the WhatsApp Business account linked to the ad's phone number.
With Gallabox, you can run Click-to-WhatsApp ads on the platform they’re most active on. You can Set up a simple WhatsApp Chatbot using Gallabox No-code WhatsApp bot and handle multiple lead conversations without leak.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads are cost-effective compared to traditional landing pages or forms. They focus on starting conversations that convert into bookings, leading to higher ROI and reduced cost per lead.
How to set up WhatsApp for travel?
Gallabox is a top WhatsApp Business Service Provider (BSP) that enables businesses to send unlimited bulk WhatsApp messages to contacts instantly.
By leveraging Gallabox's advanced features, you can create customized broadcast lists, segment customers, and even send personalized messages.
Using the WhatsApp Business API, businesses can automate broadcasts, track delivery statuses, and manage all communications seamlessly in one place.
Step 1: To begin, head over to "Broadcast" on the left navigation. If you manage multiple channels, no worries. Just pick the one you want to use for this broadcast.
Step 2: Click the "New Broadcast" button at the top right corner to start creating your bulk campaign. You can either choose an approved WhatsApp Template that you have previously created or craft a brand new template by clicking "New Template" at the top right corner.
Step 3: To get the best results, you can also segment your contacts based on their interests or purchase history. Once a segment is created with certain criteria, any new contacts that match these criteria will automatically be added to the segment.
To create a segment, click the new segment button in the top right corner. A popup will appear, and you can add various filters to create your segment for better understanding.
Step 4: Now, we will create a segment by filtering contacts mapped to a specific contact owner. Once you see your filtered list, give your segment a clear and descriptive name for easy reference. Later, click the “Create Group” button to finalize your segment.
Step 5: Click view count next to any segment to see how many contacts belong to that group and are ready to send a broadcast. Simply check the box next to the segments you want to target, and you can choose one or multiple segments for a truly personalized campaign.
Step 6: After selecting your audience and clicking continue, you'll see a popup.
If you've used any variables to personalize your message, this step involves mapping variables in your WhatsApp template and adding media like images or videos.
Step 7: Similar to the variable data, you can also upload or map media files and add a payload to the template.
If required, click on learn more to understand the payload better. Click confirm. Once you've added the variables, you can rename your broadcast, but by default, we fill it with the current date and time. Choose when to send your message immediately or schedule it for a later time to optimize engagement.
Step 8: Under target audience, you'll see the total number of contacts you're broadcasting to. If you're sending a marketing template message, make sure to toggle on sending the message to contacts who opted in for marketing.
This honours your customer's consent, helps avoid getting blocked, and maintains your account's quality rating.
On the right side, you'll see a preview of how your message will look for the first 20 recipients who want to manage replies differently or automate them, use the broadcast reply settings to assign incoming messages with respect to this broadcast to a team, a specific user or a bot for efficient handling.
Step 9: Once you're happy with everything, click the big send broadcast button to deliver those messages to your broadcast.
What’s Next?
WhatsApp's influence on travel and tourism is not transformative. The platform helps travel companies connect with customers on a familiar platform, personalize the travel journey, and ultimately provide exceptional customer service.
Managing such diverse use cases alone might feel tiring and troublesome; that's where Gallabox steps in.
Gallabox allows you to integrate WhatsApp API with your favourite tools, manage traveller’s contacts, and streamline bulk messaging, allowing travel companies to focus on their prime objective—passenger care.
In addition to WhatsApp messaging, Gallabox also provides excellent WhatsApp workspace and no-code chatbot solutions. So don't wait; sign up now to get a free trial.
FAQs
How can I use WhatsApp for booking travel services?
Many travel agencies, airlines, and hotels provide a WhatsApp number where you can:
- Inquire about destinations, availability, and pricing.
- Book flights, hotels, or tour packages.
- Receive booking confirmations and e-tickets.
Can I receive travel updates and notifications on WhatsApp?
Yes! Many airlines and travel services send real-time updates via WhatsApp, including:
- Flight status and gate changes.
- Hotel check-in details.
- Tour reminders and itinerary updates.
How do I contact customer support via WhatsApp while traveling?
If a travel company supports WhatsApp customer service, you can:
- Send them a message to resolve issues such as flight delays, cancellations, or lost baggage.
- Get quick responses compared to email or phone support.
Is it safe to share my personal and payment details on WhatsApp?
While WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, avoid sharing sensitive details like credit card information directly in chat. Instead, request a secure payment link from verified business accounts.
