As Black Tomato turns 20, the company has created an AI-powered 'feelings engine' for booking travel based on your desired emotional state.

Black Tomato is kicking off its 20th anniversary by launching the first platform that empowers travellers to plan and book where to travel based on their desired emotion.

The Pursuit of Feeling lets travellers plan their next trip based on how they want to feel, rather than where they want to go. It highlights five core emotional pillars—Revitalised, Freedom, Distraction, Challenged, and Contentment— as a range of emotions that reflect the diversity of human experience during travel.

The platform will include The Feelings Engine, an industry-first,AI-powered innovation that lets travellers express how they want to feel on their trip. It means travellers can tell Black Tomato in their own words what kind of emotional experience they’re seeking from their next trip, for example, by typing: “I want to feel untethered”, or “I want to feel wonder like I’ve never felt before.”

The Feelings Engine then delivers bespoke trip recommendations using data from Black Tomato, to intuitively offer travellers travel emotionally aligned adventures, from a pool of 100 curated travel experiences.

Along with the debut of The Pursuit of Feeling, Black Tomato is launching a podcast of the same name. It will feature leading names from art, fashion, food, psychology and more, sharing how travel and emotion intertwine in their lives.

In addition, Black Tomato is also launching five new immersive emotion-driven journey - each one aligned to one of the pillars of The Pursuit of Feeling platform. For example, the six-day adventure in Chile is geared towards travellers wanting to feel freedom. It involves exploring vast landscapes, infinite skies and the Atacama Desert, as well as soaking in volcanic hot springs and admiring rose-hued sunsets in the Valle de la Luna, before being guided home by stars with astrological experts.

For those wanting to feel revitalised, the new nine-day itinerary in India offers a salve to the stresses of modern life. It incorporates Ayurveda, meditating on sacred river banks and chanting in the garden of Buddha, as well as hiking to ancient temples and exploring the foothills of the Himalayas.

Black Tomato's new Mongolia journey is designed for those who want to experience distraction. The 12-night adventure through Western Mongolia will take travellers across ancient steppes and mystical summits to places rarely visited by tourists.

It offers the chance to connect with local hosts, participate in traditional festivals, follow annual migration routes, raft in ancient gorges, and horseback ride to sacred temples.

For those wanting to feel challenged, Black Tomato's new Greenland itinerary is about pushing your limits in Greenland’s wilderness. Travellers will navigate monumental icebergs and fjords to experience a remote existence in two boutique luxury camps. They will engage in challenging hikes, rappels, and kayak or SUP in the open ocean, exploring untouched landscapes.

Finally, the new Greece itinerary is geared towards travellers wanting to feel contentment on their next trip. They will embark on a serene 14-day odyssey through Greek Islands, discovering  ancient architecture, tasting delicious food, island-hopping, exploring rugged landscapes and unwinding on Greece's idyllic beaches.

by Rose Dykins | GLOBETRENDER