Travel technology innovator Amadeus is to make a minority investment in Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) startup Acai Travel through its strategic funding programme, Amadeus Ventures.
The move highlights the company’s growing belief across the travel ecosystem that Generative AI has the potential to transform every journey.
Further, it is a top priority for the coming year for 46% of the travel industry leaders interviewed in a study commissioned by Amadeus.
A New York-based technology provider, Acai Travel is transforming operations for online travel agencies (OTAs), travel management companies (TMCs), airlines, and hotels with a dynamic suite of Generative AI-driven applications.
As part of its commitment to innovation and making the experience of travel better, Amadeus has been investing in harnessing the power of Generative AI in its own solutions, with teams across the business working to exploit its capabilities.
Acai Travels adds to these capabilities, supporting OTAs and TMCs to reduce handling times, empower a young non-GDS-trained workforce, and cut costs with end-to-end automation across systems.
Riccardo Vittoria, Co-founder and CEO of Acai Travel, said: “Amadeus’ investment in Acai Travel will accelerate our mission to reduce operational costs and enhance the traveller experience across the travel ecosystem.
“We are already cutting average handling time (AHT) by 50% for our TMC and OTA clients, and we will begin working with airlines soon.”
He said the company vision was two-fold. On one hand, it was creating an AI-first infrastructure for the travel industry that interacts naturally, through smart and flexible conversational interfaces.
“This allows travel players to unite and instantly integrate with each other, delivering the seamless experiences travelers have long expected,” he added.
“On the other hand, we are empowering a new generation of ‘full-stack human agents’—professionals who can seamlessly manage everything from back-office operations to concierge-level service, with AI agents as collaborative partners. Amadeus has been a fantastic partner in bringing this vision to life.”
Suzanna Chiu, Head of Amadeus Ventures, added: “At Amadeus we are proud to support the industry and invest in early-stage startups, ensuring we remain at the cutting-edge of our industry.”
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
