Grab Study Reveals High Utilization Of Technology During Travel, AR Adoption Higher Than AI

JAKARTA Grab Indonesia shared a recent SEA Travel Insight 2024 report. In the report, it was noted that the adoption of travel technology continues to increase in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia.

Roy Nugroho, Director of Grab for Business Grab Indonesia, said that Indonesia is the country with the highest level of adoption of travel technology in Southeast Asia. About 93 percent of tourists use digital solutions on their journey.

According to Roy, the trend of technology adoption has increased in the country because the population of the younger generation is literate about technology. One proof of the high use of technology in travel is the use of Grab which grew by 55 percent.

This shows that mobile devices, especially transportation and culinary service provider applications, are more reliable as long as people travel. The reason is, technology like this is more real-time reliable.

"The data shows that every 1 in 2 tourists use the Grab application while traveling in Southeast Asia, even in Indonesia," Roy told VOI. "This trend affirms Indonesia's consumer preferences towards mobile devices on the way."

In addition to real-time application support, Grab studies also show that tourists in Southeast Asia tend to rely on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) on their vacation trips.

However, AR is the most frequently used technology. AR is used by 73 percent of tourists in Southeast Asia to help visualize their travel destinations. That way, they can get a clearer picture of the location to go to.

The use of AI and VR is also claimed to be no less popular. According to Roy's explanation, AI occupies second place with use of 65 percent. Usually, this technology is needed to recommend more personal travel.

This is interesting data because AI is more often talked about than AR, but Grab data shows the opposite. Meanwhile, VR adoption during the trip occupied the final position with an adoption rate of 64 percent.

"These various adoption rates show opportunities for the travel and hospitality industry to continue to develop their technology, especially in Indonesia, so that it remains relevant to the preference of tourists who continue to grow in this area," Roy explained.

Roy believes that this high level of adoption of travel technology can open up business opportunities in the travel and hospitality sectors. That way, brands need to offer more innovative, secure, and personal solutions to reach digital-savvy tourists.

In line with increasing the use of its technology on its way, Grab launched a Security and Safety Center for Tourists. At the aid center, users will get important information such as emergency contacts, police station addresses and embassies, hospital lists, and special telephone calls to report sexual crimes.

All of these services can be accessed directly in the Grab application and are available in several languages, namely Indonesian, English, Mandarin, and Korean. For now, the page can be accessed in Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Labuan Bajo, Medan, Batam, Surabaya, Bandung, Lombok, and Manado.

"Security, safety, comfort of Passengers and Driver Partners are Grab's top priority. To continue to improve a sense of security, Grab continues to update and develop more than 20 security features, including AudioProtect and Trip Monitoring," said Roy.