In today’s hyper-connected world, planning a trip has become oddly fragmented. What should begin with excitement often turns into a maze of apps, tabs, reviews, reels, recommendations, and never-ending group chats. Somewhere between comparison portals and conflicting opinions, the joy of travel planning begins to fade.
It was this modern travel reality that set the tone for a refreshing and thoughtful media interaction hosted by Alike, bringing together travel journalists for an open-table, open-mind, and unhurried high tea conversation with Ashish Sidhra, Co-founder of Alike.
More than a formal interaction, the evening felt like an honest exchange of ideas—one that invited reflection on what travel feels like today, what travellers are truly looking for, and what the industry needs to do to make journeys more meaningful, intuitive, and personal.
When Travel Becomes Too Complicated
At the heart of the discussion was a simple but important truth: travel today is more complex than it needs to be. While access to information has increased, clarity has not. Travellers are overwhelmed by too many choices, too many platforms, and too little trust.
This is especially relevant in an age where travellers are no longer satisfied with one-size-fits-all itineraries. The focus has shifted from generic holidays to experiential travel—journeys that are immersive, personalised, and aligned with individual interests.
Every Traveller Wants Something Different
One of the strongest takeaways from the interaction was the recognition that every individual’s expectations and demands are varied. Some travellers seek adventure, others seek culture. Some want luxury and ease, while others look for authenticity and local immersion. For some, travel is about ticking destinations off a list; for others, it is about stories, emotions, and connection.
This growing diversity in travel behaviour is reshaping the tourism landscape, and brands that want to stay relevant must respond with agility and insight. According to Ashish Sidhra, this is precisely the space where Alike is stepping in—with a model that combines technology, intelligence, and community-driven authenticity.
Where AI Meets Human Travel Wisdom
Alike has entered the tourism industry with a distinct and future-facing approach. It is positioned as an AI-powered social travel marketplace that unifies every stage of the travel journey—from *inspiration and planning to booking, in-trip support, and post-trip sharing*—into one seamless platform.
Originally founded in Dubai in 2016 as Kitmytrip, the company evolved into Alike in May 2022 in collaboration with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Since then, it has continued to build a platform rooted in a powerful and relatable belief: people travel like the people they like.
What makes Alike stand out is its attempt to bring together the precision of machine intelligence and the warmth of human guidance. Instead of relying solely on disconnected algorithms, the platform seeks to make travel discovery and decision-making more social, contextual, and trustworthy.
Travellers on Alike can post their travel stories, share detailed experiences, upload content, and connect with like-minded fellow travellers. This creates a dynamic ecosystem of real recommendations, nuanced insights, and lived experiences—something increasingly valuable in a digital landscape crowded with generic content.
Trust, Details, and Real-Time Relevance
Another key aspect highlighted during the discussion was the importance of real-time updates, small details, and trustworthy data. These are often the deciding factors in travel planning, yet they are also the elements most likely to be scattered across different sources.
Whether it’s hyper-local tips, personalised recommendations, evolving destination information, or practical on-ground guidance, modern travellers want information that feels both reliable and relevant. Alike’s model appears to recognise that travel decisions are shaped not just by destination images, but by relatable stories and trustworthy context.
By creating a space where technology is informed by real people and real experiences, the platform is working to reduce fragmentation and restore confidence to the planning process.
A New Voice in the Tourism Fraternity
Throughout the interaction, Ashish Sidhra came across as both optimistic and focused—clear in his vision and realistic about the changing expectations of today’s traveller. His perspective reflected an understanding that innovation in travel is not just about convenience, but about preserving the emotional core of the journey.
Alike, in that sense, is not merely offering another booking or discovery tool. It is proposing a more integrated and human way to travel—one where inspiration, information, planning, and storytelling coexist naturally.
The evening itself mirrored that spirit beautifully: relaxed, reflective, and rich in exchange. It was a space for thought-sharing, brainstorming, and meaningful dialogue, while also welcoming a promising new entrant into the tourism fraternity.
In a sector that is rapidly evolving, Alike arrives with both a twist and a vision—futuristic in its use of AI, yet deeply grounded in the human connections that make travel memorable in the first place.
