Register for free and continue reading

Join our growing army of changemakers and get unlimited access to our premium content

Login Register

Travel app books trips based on photos

A new travel app uses image recognition to book a holiday based on a photo.

At Springwise, we have covered a number of uses for image recognition. These have included apps that allows users of sign language to communicate with Alexa and a system that tags images in real estate listings. A new app, developed by budget airline easyJet, now lets users book flights using just a photo. Users are even able to do this if they don’t know the destination. The Look&Book app uses image recognition technology to identify locations in photos and Instagram feeds. The app matches the location to more than 1000 European destinations. It then automatically fills out an easyJet booking form with the flight details to that destination.

The app was developed in partnership with mobile tech company Travelport Digital and creative agency VCCP. It takes advantage of the growing popularity of visual search, a market worth up to 60 million USD a year. According to a study by AI search company ViSenze, more than 60 percent of Gen Z and millennial consumers are looking for greater visual search capability, meaning the use of image-based searches will continue to grow.

According to Cormac Reilly, Chief Customer Officer at Travelport Digital, “Visual search is what customers want, and the Look&Book feature offers yet another innovative way to easily research and book flights.” For now, the Look&Book app works best with Instagram photos. Users can search by hashtag or location, using photos to determine how ‘Instagrammable’ a place is before booking. This has become a popular way to choose holiday destinations by travellers aged 18-33. The app is currently available for download on iOS and Android.