First Traveller Prototype Set for Early February

Smart Planner team has marked a major step forward in its mission to transform how tourism is planned, experienced, and managed, with its core technology now live and the traveller mobile app entering its next phase of development.

Since the project kick-off in September 2025, the Smart Planner team has been building the foundation for a connected ecosystem designed to make travel more meaningful, more efficient, and more aligned with sustainability and community outcomes. Now, after weeks of rapid progress, the platform is moving closer to the hands of real users.

Smart Planner Engine Is Now Live

At the heart of the Smart Planner ecosystem is the Smart Planner Engine, the intelligent platform that powers the entire experience.

The team confirmed that the Engine is now live, with most of the features required to support the first release of the traveller mobile app already in place. This marks a major milestone in the project, enabling the team to shift focus toward building the user experience on top of a working, scalable foundation.

Mobile App Moves Into Prototype Phase

The Smart Planner mobile app has officially moved from the design phase into the prototype phase, and the development team is preparing to begin integration with the Smart Planner Engine.

The goal is to deliver the first working prototype by the beginning of February, initially released to a small group of early users for hands-on testing and feedback.

A wider public Beta release is planned for March, opening the platform to a broader community of travellers and supporters.

Two Feature Packages Planned for the First Releases

Smart Planner will roll out its first release in two feature packages, allowing the team to validate the user experience early, improve the workflow, and then introduce advanced AI-driven capabilities once the foundation is proven.

Package One: The First Traveller Experience

The first package focuses on delivering the essential Smart Planner experience: helping travellers learn, explore, plan, and organise trips in a simple and intuitive way.

1. Discover Destination

Travellers will be able to explore and learn about their destination before and during their trip, including:

• culture and customs

• traditions and local context

• key destination insights and information

This feature is designed to support deeper connection, not just tourism consumption, helping travellers arrive informed and engaged.

2. Search and Save

One of the most anticipated features in the first release is Search and Save, allowing users to explore and curate key trip elements such as:

• accommodation

• places to eat

• transport options

• activities and tours

But Smart Planner goes further.

Travellers will also be able to discover community initiatives and projects, including regenerative tourism and positive-impact opportunities such as:

• conservation projects

• reforestation initiatives

• community-led experiences and causes

Users will then be able to save selected items to their favourites list, building a personalised collection of experiences before turning them into a full itinerary.

3. Suggested Itineraries

To help travellers get started quickly, Smart Planner will include Suggested Itineraries, pre-defined travel plans built using AI and data to improve both:

• experience quality

• time and travel efficiency

These itineraries act as a ready-to-use option for travellers who want inspiration or structure without spending hours planning from scratch.

4. Manual Trip Planning

For travellers who want control and flexibility, Smart Planner will also launch with Manual Trip Planning, enabling users to:

• create a trip and organise it day-by-day

• add activities and experiences to specific days

• build itineraries using saved favourites

• start from scratch or modify a suggested itinerary

This first package will allow the Smart Planner team to validate what matters most early on: a smooth workflow, simplicity, and a high-quality user experience that feels natural to travellers.

Package Two: AI-Powered Travel, On Demand

Once the first package is in the hands of users and the core workflow has been tested and refined, Smart Planner will roll out the next layer of innovation: its first AI-driven capabilities.

1. AI Travel Assistant (Version 1)

The first version of the Smart Planner AI Assistant will be introduced to help travellers in real time with:

• questions about their trip and itinerary

• recommendations and ideas

• contextual support throughout their journey

This feature is designed to reduce friction, increase confidence, and help travellers make better decisions while on the move.

2. AI Trip Itinerary Planner (Version 1)

Smart Planner will also introduce the first version of its AI Trip Itinerary Planner, capable of generating premium itineraries on demand.

Instead of manual searching and endless tabs, travellers will be able to request an optimised itinerary based on:

• their preferences

• their travel style

• their interests and priorities

The result is a smarter, faster, and more personalised approach to trip building, powered by the Smart Planner Engine.

Piloting in Queenstown and Wanaka, New Zealand

Smart Planner will be launched as a mobile application in both Australia and New Zealand, allowing travellers in both countries to access the platform from day one. However, for the initial release, the destinations available within the app will be Queenstown and Wānaka.

These locations have been deliberately selected as pilot destinations because they represent some of the most advanced thinking in regenerative tourism, destination management, and sustainability-led growth.

Queenstown and Wānaka face many of the challenges shared by iconic tourism regions worldwide, including visitor pressure, environmental constraints, and community wellbeing, while also demonstrating a strong commitment to data-driven decision-making and carbon reduction.

Focusing the first release on these destinations allows the Smart Planner team to test, refine, and validate the platform’s features in a real-world environment aligned with its vision, before expanding to additional destinations across New Zealand and later into Australia.

A New Era of Travel Planning Is Taking Shape

Smart Planner’s progress signals more than a product update, it represents a growing shift in how travellers and destinations think about tourism.

Rather than focusing only on bookings and transactions, Smart Planner is building a platform that supports:

• deeper cultural engagement

• better trip planning experiences

• community participation

• and a more regenerative approach to travel

With the Engine live, the prototype approaching, and a Beta release set for March, Smart Planner is quickly moving from vision to reality.

The countdown to the first traveller experience has officially begun.