Holidaymakers are racing ahead of the travel industry on AI, with most now using the technology while only 22 per cent of destination organisations offer their own trip-planning tools

More than half of U.S travellers now use artificial intelligence to plan holidays, with four-in-10 discovering new destinations through the technology and almost three-in-10 changing their plans on its recommendation.

The study found 54 per cent had already used AI for travel planning and 75 per cent expected to do so on future trips.

Use was highest among younger holidaymakers, with 69 per cent of Millennials and 63 per cent of Gen Z travellers saying they use AI assistants as often as social media when planning trips.

Travellers are turning to the technology for everything from choosing where to go to finding attractions, comparing prices and putting together itineraries.

Six-in-10 use AI to research attractions, restaurants and transport, 56 per cent to compare prices and 43 per cent to organise their trip.

But tourism organisations appear to be lagging behind their customers. Only 22 per cent of destination marketing organisations offer AI trip-planning tools on their websites and just 26 per cent have a documented AI strategy.

That compares with 63 per cent of travellers who said they would use an AI planner provided directly by a destination website, while one-in-four said they were less likely to use a site without AI features.

Michelle Denogean, of Mindtrip, which carried out the research in partnership with Sabre, Sojern and MMGY Travel Intelligence, said: “Travellers aren’t waiting for the industry to catch up. AI is already reshaping how people discover destinations, build itineraries, and make travel decisions.

“The organisations that move now have an opportunity to become more useful, more visible, and more valuable to travellers.”

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