Jugo, the global experiential platform leader, today announced that Internova Travel Group, one of the world’s largest travel companies, is adopting the Jugo platform to launch a new service that enables travelers to meet virtually and get advice from travel agents anywhere in the world. Internova will also use Jugo for all its internal and partner communications.
“Jugo has been an amazing partner,” said Gabe Rizzi, president of Internova Travel Group. “They’ve helped us create strategies that open new markets and opportunities by engaging our virtual participants in a new and exciting way. With Jugo, we’re able to execute on our vision of providing world-class travel booking experiences to agents and end customers.”
Internova’s customer experience transformations couldn’t be better timed, with more of the world’s population engaging in summer travel than in 2020, 2021 or 2022. Following the pandemic’s lockdowns and social distancing, travelers long for human interaction while planning trips because it’s more efficient than wrestling with preprogrammed chatbots or interactive voice response systems.
"Collaborating with an industry trailblazer like Internova has been hugely exciting for us. With the synergistic combination of Jugo and Internova, we're enabling real-time immersive experiences that pioneer next-generation digital adventures for customers,” said Joseph Toma, CEO at Jugo. "Internova is redefining limits, leveraging our platform to innovate. A blend of mixed reality AI, the state-of-the-art Unreal Gaming Engine, and a rich history of travel expertise culminate to deliver a unique, immersive travel solution that's truly unrivaled in the market."
Before engaging Jugo, Internova yearned to differentiate itself by providing better, more immersive customer experiences than its competitors. However, the technology the company had in place did not provide the level of immediacy, immersion and personalization consumers crave. Now with Jugo, travelers can talk to a live travel agent, with a single click of a button.
“The travel industry is ripe for disruption,” said Rizzi. “As the world became more digital, consumers became less tolerant about the time it takes to complete a transaction, such as booking a flight or multi-city itinerary. By combining the latest technology to empower our highly skilled advisors, we’re able to provide the kinds of customer experiences today’s consumers really want.”
Jugo revolutionizes digital interaction by humanizing communication between travel agents and travelers. Powered by advanced Unreal Engine technology – recognized for its outstanding use in leading gaming and animation titles – Jugo seamlessly places real people in a visually stunning shared virtual world without virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headsets.
According to Grand View Research, the global virtual events market reached $114 billion in 2022. By 2030, the market size is expected to nearly quintuple to $658 billion. Jugo is poised to capture significant market share by providing different types of virtual experiences including virtual events, meetings and shopping experiences. Businesses from various industries actively use Jugo to reimagine how people connect with purpose in the digital world.
About Internova Travel Group
Internova Travel Group is one of the largest travel services companies in the world with a collection of leading brands delivering high-touch, personal travel expertise to leisure and corporate clients. Internova manages leisure, business and franchise firms through a portfolio of distinctive divisions. Internova represents more than 100,000 travel advisors in over 6,000 company-owned and affiliated locations predominantly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a presence in more than 80 countries.
About Jugo
Jugo is an innovative experiential platform reimagining how people connect in the digital world. Harnessing the power of the Unreal Engine and the latest in mixed reality technologies to create stunning immersive spaces, Jugo brings accessibility to virtual experiences, making them more impactful and meaningful, all without the need for any VR headsets. Jugo's pioneering mixed reality technology places real people in virtual environments, creating a new standard for human connection in the digital world, and unleashing the power of real human interaction to immerse, engage, and inspire. Established in 2022, Jugo is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, with offices in North America and Europe.