Complex self-booking tools which can give traveller guidance on worldwide trips could be available in the next three year, Marcos Isaac, e-Travel's director corporate and distributor channels, said.
Mr Isaac said the “next challenge” facing the IT sector of the industry was to “go beyond” the present capacity of self-booking.
He said research was aiming to provide a low touch tool which could deal with problems or situations for the traveller on route.
These could be the first stage to providing self-booking tools could also be used for booking complex trips.
“Once you have reached the highest adoption level of the present tools, around 80%, where else can we add value?
“The answer is a self service tool which will provide guidance through workflow and situations which are complex and unique to the traveller.
“Imagine trying for an hour to book a worldwide trip. You don't realise the problem so you keep trying but it would now be more practical to contact your travel agent or e-mail a request for support.
“But we now need a more intelligent tool. We need to start thinking now about this next level for service for the next generation. This is where were would like to focus on the next three years.
“It could be that a traveller needed some low touch guidance. It might be the tool can recommend to him whether to take a train or a cab when he is in a city he does not know.
“It would be a more detailed and intelligent tool prompting ideas for the traveller.
“We are already talking to our largest customers about this because the largest corporates are already identifying their traveller needs for the future.
“We can analyse these and see whether we can build a viable tool,” Mr Isaac said.
He said he expected a surge in self booking in France and later in Spain when the major airlines in each country reduced commissions to zero. This is due to happen in France on April 1 and in 2006 in Spain.