Senior Manager

GetYourGuideJohannes Reck co-founded GetYourGuide with three classmates in 2009 after he faced a lost travel day in Beijing. When his classmate and later co-founder Tao Tao arrived, he acted as a local tour guide, allowing Reck to better experience the city. It was then that the idea for GetYourGuide was born. GetYourGuide offers tours, activities, attractions, shows, events and more across the globe as part of its online marketplace. Johannes Reck, CEO of GetYourGuide, has been on a decade-and-a-half journey with the experiences-focused company he co-founded.Last week, the company launched a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for operators and also announced its shows and events offering. With tours and activities remaining a growth area within the travel industry, Reck opened up about GetYourGuide's role, the sector’s future and more in an interview with PhocusWire.* This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

GetYourGuide is launching a suite of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools and other capabilities for operators and will also soon offer shows and events.The tours and activities online booking platform said the product release kicks off its expansion to live events. As part of the move, customers will be able to use the seat selection tool directly in GetYourGuide’s mobile application for certain venues. Tao Tao, chief operating officer and co-founder for GetYourGuide, said the new features are about giving operators the right tools to shine.“With technology on their side, they get more control and insights, helping them create unique, high-quality offerings that stand out in a competitive market," Tao said. “On top of that, in today's digital world, shared live experiences are more valuable than ever. With Shows Events, we’re excited to build a more cross-category experience marketplace that provides a top-tier booking flow and opens new doors for customers and partners alike.”“AI Content Insights” is a new AI-powered tool that automatically identifies listing inconsistencies such as missing inclusions and conflicting meeting points. The tool then provides recommendations to assist operators as they seek to provide accurate content.“Review Management Provider Rating” will use AI-generated summaries to scan reviews, highlighting patterns that could otherwise require lengthy analysis

Picture this: You’re in Paris, Prague or Budapest for the first time. Years ago, you might have booked a walking tour with a local guide, but today your autonomous agent is guiding you around the city. Through your phone, the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant has become familiar with your likes, wants and needs and has the capability to share contextual information from historical facts to details on architecture.Like the rest of the travel industry, the future of the tours and activities sector will be altered by some form of AI, though exactly how remains to be seen. The evolution of the in-destination experience aided by AI was discussed during part two of Phocuswright’s The New Age(nts) Trend Series, an online event led by Mike Coletta, senior manager of research and innovation at Phocuswright. Panelists Alex Bainbridge, CEO of Autoura, co-founder and CEO of TripSchool Mitch Bach and Janette Roush, senior vice president of innovation and chief AI officer at Brand USA, joined Coletta for a wide-ranging, in-depth and informative conversation. “We feel strongly that some of the recent capabilities of generative AI models have significant implications for the in-destination experience. Specifically, advanced computer vision capabilities allow them to understand surroundings and context really well, and advanced real-time voice capabilities enable very natural conversations,” Coletta said