Some 8% of adults surveyed said they use the technology to give them ideas for where to go on holiday, up from 4% a year earlier, a poll suggests
Double the number of people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for holiday planning inspiration compared to last year, fresh research reveals.
Travel industry body Abta, which commissioned the study, branded the technology a “creative co-pilot” that holidaymakers can utilise to research, plan and book their getaways. Around 8% of participants in a survey of 2,001 UK adults carried out in July admitted they use AI to spark ideas for their holiday destinations.
This marks a rise from 4% twelve months ago. Abta’s director of communications Graeme Buck suggested there is “a potential for this acceleration” to persist, stating: “I wouldn’t be surprised if that 8% becomes 16% next year.”
The most recent findings showed that those aged 25-34 are most inclined to harness the technology for holiday brainstorming, with 18% of participants in this age bracket confirming they do so.
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This was followed by 35 to 44 year olds (14%). Among those 65 and over, the proportion dropped to merely 1%.
AI travel applications encompass services including chatbots and resources for translation and itinerary creation.
More than two in five (43%) survey participants indicated they would feel somewhat confident using AI to organise a holiday, though this fell to 38% when it came to actually making reservations.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2, addressed travel industry leaders at Abta’s annual convention in Calvia, Spain, stating that technology like AI will “continue to become a bigger part of what customers do before they book”.
He added: “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.”
Neil Swanson, UK managing director of Tui, forecasted that AI will “completely transform” the travel industry, but many customers will still prefer to book their trips through human travel agents.
He said: “That is not going away anytime soon, in my view, because of that group of customers who value that. 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.”
Abta CEO Mark Tanzer said: “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.”