Genial Raises $1.9 Million to Develop AI Agents for Tourism Industry
France-based Genial raised 1.8 million euros (about $1.9 million) in its first funding round to develop artificial intelligence agents for tourism and leisure businesses.
The funding round was led by Huttopia and Crédit Agricole, via Crédit Agricole Aquitaine Expansion and Crédit Agricole La Réunion – Mayotte, according to an EU-Startups report reposted on LinkedIn Friday (Feb. 21) by Genial.
Genial helps businesses implement AI solutions by training them about AI, helping them discover the technology’s uses and develop their own projects, customizing its own existing AI solutions to meet the needs of the business, and managing the business’ AI agents through its agents-as-a-service platform, according to Genial’s website, as translated by Google.
The company offers AI agents that are designed for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and mid-sized companies and that are tailored for sales, marketing, customer relations and other business functions, according to the EU-Startups report.
About half of Genial’s clients are in the tourism sector, the report said.
With its new funding, the company plans to develop more AI agents and AI-powered search engines, accelerate its commercial expansion, establish a global presence and double its workforce, which includes 20 employees, per the report.
Generative AI is making its mark in the travel and hospitality sectors, with airlines and hospitality businesses exploring the potential of the technology, especially in customer-facing roles, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report “At Your Service: Generative AI Arrives in Travel and Hospitality.”
The report found that 52% of hospitality businesses said they expect AI to play a role in customer interactions and 44% said they think the technology will enhance guest engagement.
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel said Thursday (Feb. 20) that generative AI will be a game-changer in the travel industry, driving not just personalized travel planning but also seamless and frictionless journeys and connected experiences for travelers.
“It’s redefining how people will experience the world,” Fogel said during the company’s quarterly earnings call. “GenAI is pushing the pace of technological innovation.”
In July, hospitality/travel industry commercial platform Lighthouse debuted an AI-powered solution called Channel Manager that automates market demand analysis, competitor pricing, on-the-books reservations and optimal channel distribution.
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