Byway’s impact report also highlights progress in its mission to help curb overtourism. Its ambition to add seasonal timeframes for tourist hotspots in its technology is planned for the next year after previously prioritising efforts to scale its technology to handle more flight-free trips.
The operator has launched a “cheapest dates” initiative for each journey to show the low season dates for every destination it offers. It has also has developed trips to several regions deemed to be looking for tourism, including Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Finland.
Meanwhile, Byway’s JourneyAI technology means all holidays are dynamically packaged and tailored to suit the journey and experience a traveller wants. “Our technology is set up so we are looking at experiences for you, those that are going to be more delightful,” Jones says.
‘Journey-based’ holidays
For those concerned about rail infrastructure, the technology is built for resilience, she insists.
“Byway has a purpose for putting journey-based travel on the map and removing the hassle factor for that type of travel when pre-booking and while on the trip,”Jones explains.
“We’re bonded so we carry that risk [of disruption] and we react when we need to re-reroute. We don’t put you on a replacement bus service, it’s on a mode of travel that still gives you a wonderful holiday.”
Among the most popular trips with Byway customers who are also frequent flyers are journeys to the Scottish Highlands, northern Italy and Austria.
