TORONTO — In today’s digital age, travel agents have more than their fair share of competition from online travel agencies. And now, Google has launched a brand new, travel planning experience that essentially turns every mobile user into their very own travel agent.
Google Canada recently held a media reception in Toronto to announce today’s official launch of Destinations on Google, a mobile-first travel app designed to provide an easy and fast way to research, search for and book tailor-made trips. It uses Route Engine, the technology that powers Google Flights and Search, and is accessible via the Google app and Google search on your mobile browser, meaning you won’t need to download yet another app or visit multiple sites. Simply type a region into Google and you’ll instantly receive a wealth of travel options based on popularity.
With these results, you can filter your destination search by date (flexible or exact), price, number of travellers and interests. Results can be tailored to specific hobbies like hiking, surfing or architecture. Each region has a specialized set of interests by which to filter searches, so scuba diving will pop up for Asia, for example, and not for Europe.
Other features include suggested dates to travel, sample itineraries, popular attractions in each destination, weather information and travel videos. There’s also a price graph that updates the estimated trip price in real time, as well as hotel options and popular flights (most North American airlines are represented, though Google Canada admits not every airline comes up in search results).
All this is designed to help Canadians through what Google refers to as the three main stages of the travel journey: Inspiration, Researching, and Booking. And considering the company’s recent findings that 47% of Canadians are using the web to book trips, the new app poses yet another challenge for travel agents.
According to Stefan Frank, Product Manager of Google Travel, Destinations on Google is only available for mobile use right now, however, there are plans to debut a desktop version down the road.
