The proportion of holidaymakers using artificial intelligence (AI) to plan their trips has doubled in the last year, according to new research by the UK travel industry association, ABTA. Out of 2,000 travellers surveyed, one in 12, or eight percent, now use AI for inspiration and advice, up from four percent in 2024.
Would-be holidaymakers aged between 25 and 34 are adopting AI more than any other age group, the figures show, with 18% of them researching trips via machine learning tools. Perhaps surprisingly, the youngest segment of the surveyed, aged 18 to 24 years old, is not using AI to plan their holidays quite as much, with only 13% turning to automated sources, while just three percent of 55-64-year-olds use AI research to plan their travel.
AI: risk or opportunity?
What’s more, 43% of travel consumers say they would be confident in planning a break to some extent with AI tools, and 38% said they would go as far as booking a trip via AI, a process being made easier by recent partnerships between OpenAI (ChatGPT) and platforms such as Booking.com and Expedia. The domination of large online platforms was identified as a significant future risk factor set by the European Travel Commission in a recent report dealing with threats and opportunities. So, what are stakeholders saying about the implications of this trend for travel agents and other players?
For the human travel agents represented by ABTA, the growth of AI means finding a balance between AI-power and the benefits of human interaction, according to the body’s chief executive, Mark Tanzer, who said: “The increasing use of AI as a source of holiday inspiration reflects how consumer behaviour is changing.” He added: “For our sector, the challenge is to harness the potential which AI has to support our businesses, while continuing to celebrate and champion the value of the personal touch and expertise which comes with booking with a travel agent or tour operator.”
The value of trust
Meanwhile, Steve Heapy, CEO of airline and tour operator Jet2, speaking at ABTA’s convention in Calvia, Spain, noted that firms are now in an existential competition with automated bots: “We’re all going to have to work harder to justify the margin that we want to earn by demonstrating superior knowledge of the product and providing that anticipation and excitement,” he said, according to PA.
For Tui’s UK managing director, Neil Swanson, trust is a key part of the added-value human agents bring to the equation. “They use the technology a lot of those customers, but they still want to go in and look someone in the eye when they’re booking something. They value that trust element,” he said.
