{"id":1518,"date":"2025-09-25T23:08:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T23:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelai.com\/insights\/?p=1518"},"modified":"2026-01-10T19:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T19:36:10","slug":"travelai-acquires-smartours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelai.com\/insights\/travelai-acquires-smartours\/","title":{"rendered":"TravelAI Acquires Smartours.com, Launches Push into AI-Powered Packaged Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VANCOUVER, BC \u2013 September 25, 2025<\/strong> \u2013 TravelAI, a global leader in applied artificial intelligence for travel, announced today the launch of Smartours.com<\/a>, and the acquisition of the IP and US trademarks from the bankruptcy trustee for smarTours LLC. The acquisition and launch commences TravelAI\u2019s entry into the packaged travel market, a market that is projected to reach $1.2 trillion globally by 2033. The move represents both a revival of a respected legacy brand and a bold rethinking of how tours and vacation packages will be discovered, curated, and booked in the age of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith Smartours, we see an opportunity to reinvent packaged travel from the ground up,\u201d <\/em>said John Lyotier, CEO and Co-founder of TravelAI. \u201c<\/em><\/strong>Traditional packages are often rigid and one-size-fits-all. Our vision is to use AI to build dynamically personalized itineraries\u2014Smarter Tours, if you will\u2014where every trip is designed for the individual traveler in real time. Personalization is at the heart of AI, and the more you can interpret a traveler\u2019s hopes, dreams, and desires, the better experience you can offer them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Smartours<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Honoring the Legacy of Smartours<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded decades ago, Smartours introduced hundreds of thousands of travelers to guided experiences worldwide. While the company ultimately fell into bankruptcy, its name remains synonymous with trusted group travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TravelAI expressed sadness at the loss of a once-proud operator who had a strong presence across North America, while also recognizing the opportunity to carry its spirit forward with new technology and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy securing the Smartours trademarks and intellectual property as well as the <\/em>Smartours.com<\/em><\/a> domain name via a separate transaction, we\u2019re not simply launching a new site, we\u2019re giving a respected brand a second life,\u201d <\/em>Lyotier added. \u201cTravelers who once trusted Smartours can now look forward to a rebirth of that legacy, reimagined for the AI era.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Story of Resilience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TravelAI\u2019s own history mirrors the Smartours journey. The company itself emerged from bankruptcy from the predecessor Left Travel brand in 2021, rebuilt with resilience over the past 4 years, and has since grown into a portfolio of more than 440 consumer-facing travel brands powered by AI, yet doing so profitably from the very start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know firsthand what it means to go through bankruptcy and come back stronger,\u201d<\/em> said Lyotier. \u201cThat experience makes us especially proud to steward the Smartours brand into its next chapter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building the Future While Driving Demand Today<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The company stressed that what is live on Smartours.com today is only the beginning. By launching now and building in public, TravelAI is already feeding demand and awareness into its platform \u2014 a critical step, since AI models must be \u201ctrained\u201d with real traveler interactions to optimize recommendations and scale over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we acquired <\/em>Casai.com<\/em><\/a> last year, we proved that pairing a powerful brand with intelligent infrastructure leads to remarkable growth,\u201d<\/em> said Lyotier, referring to TravelAI\u2019s earlier revival of the luxury, private vacation rental site, which has since generated over $23 million in bookings and $600,000 in net profits. \u201cSmartours is our next frontier, and while today\u2019s experience is just the first chapter, it\u2019s critical we start building momentum now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reinventing Packaged Travel for the AI Era<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unlike static, pre-set tours of the past, Smartours will evolve into an AI-orchestrated platform capable of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n