The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association has teamed up with the Paris-based startup company Hopstay
to develop an LGBTQ travel chatbot to assist travelers in planning
their trips. The chatbot, which resides within Facebook Messenger, is
available on desktop, tablet and mobile and shares
LGBTQ-welcoming travel opportunities, including recommendations for
destinations, travel agents, hotels, transport, tours, events and
special offers in more than 80 countries.
IGLTA members also will benefit from this additional mobile channel that
will drive on-the-go LGBTQ travelers to their offerings, products and
services, which are all housed on the IGLTA website. The chatbot is
just one step in a major effort IGLTA is making to assist travelers in
finding LGBTQ-welcoming opportunities through new online resources and
enhanced content.
“We realize that travelers are tech savvy and rely more and more on
social media and mobile devices when planning and looking for
inspiration for their next trip,” said John Tanzella, IGLTA
President/CEO. “Our LGBTQ travel chatbot not only provides insight for
travelers who know where they want to go, but also provides inspiration and recommendations for those who aren’t quite sure where to go next. The Inspire Me feature
can even suggest LGBTQ-welcoming tours, events and special offers
around the world that a traveler may not have previously found in their
research.”
“As supporters of the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ-welcoming travel, we are
proud to work with IGLTA on their travel chatbot,” said Lucas Lovell,
Managing Director of Hopstay. “As consumer trends change,
it’s important for travel organizations to evolve and ensure their
content is distributed in a way that meets user expectations. The IGLTA
chatbot serves the traveler in a multitude of ways, from finding out
more about LGBTQ-welcoming destinations to all the latest events on the
LGBTQ calendar, directly from their mobile device on a platform they’re
using every day.”