# Chat as the New Influencer

**Publisher:** Sabre  
**Published:** 2025-10-16  
**Category:** Travel tech  
**Type:** White paper  
**Access:** Free  
**Official source:** https://www.sabre.com/resources/research/chat-as-the-new-influencer/  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/chat-as-the-new-influencer

## At a glance
- Over half of travellers using agentic AI discover options unavailable through conventional search, indicating true market expansion rather than demand redistribution.
- Social commerce conversion rate in travel estimated under 10%, despite roughly 60% of travellers reporting comfort booking via social channels.
- Three-quarters of travellers say GenAI improves trip planning; one in four would permit AI to complete bookings independently, per Phocuswright.
- AI-assisted trip planning increased 50% from summer 2024 to summer 2025, according to Deloitte's 2025 Summer Travel Survey.
- 33% of US travel executives report AI improves customer personalisation; 36% cite higher-quality outputs, per Skift/McKinsey joint study.

## What the report covers
Sabre's October 2025 whitepaper examines how agentic AI and conversational commerce are reshaping travel discovery, personalisation, and booking. It contrasts social commerce's limitations in travel with conversational AI's ability to convert high-value, complex transactions. The report synthesises third-party research from Phocuswright, Deloitte, Skift, and McKinsey conducted in 2024–2025, and outlines strategic imperatives for DMOs, hoteliers, and travel-tech operators.

## Key findings
Social commerce thrived in fashion and beauty through visual, impulse purchases but underperforms in travel. Despite roughly 60% of travellers reporting comfort booking via social channels, Sabre estimates conversion at under 10%. The report attributes this to travel's complexity—coordinating multi-person trips, high-value bookings across time zones—and social platforms' lack of transactional infrastructure. Social media excels at destination inspiration but lacks trust mechanisms for converting intent into bookings.

Agentic AI collapses friction between traveller intent and booking. Phocuswright reports three-quarters of travellers say GenAI improves trip planning, and one in four would allow AI to complete bookings independently. Deloitte's 2025 Summer Travel Survey found 50% year-on-year growth in AI-assisted trip planning. Natural-language queries—'Plan a Lisbon weekend with boutique hotels'—yield curated, bookable results instantly, triggering faster purchases than traditional multi-tab searches. Neuroscience shows anticipation of reward drives engagement, and conversational commerce accelerates that feedback loop.

Agentic AI expands total travel demand rather than redistributing it. A Skift/McKinsey report shows agentic AI enables discovery of options unavailable via conventional search, signalling genuine demand creation. Among US travel executives surveyed, 33% report AI improves customer personalisation and 36% cite higher-quality outputs. The report characterises this as democratisation: agentic AI surfaces hidden gems, simplifies complex planning, and lowers barriers for small suppliers, potentially growing the overall market.

Conversational commerce requires fundamental operational and trust shifts. The report identifies four imperatives: rapid adoption, omnichannel storefront redesign across messaging and voice platforms, positioning travellers as co-creators, and embedding transparency and data governance. McKinsey research cited notes siloed, incompatible data sources hinder agentic AI adoption. The report emphasises trust—grounded in transparent AI, governance, and data integrity—will separate winners from laggards as conversational commerce becomes structural, not cyclical.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Travellers discovering options via agentic AI they would not have found otherwise | over 50% | Observed; Skift/McKinsey joint report; indicates true demand creation, not share shift |
| Social commerce conversion rate in travel | under 10% | Sabre estimate; compared to roughly 60% traveller comfort with booking via social |
| Travellers comfortable letting AI complete bookings independently | one in four | Observed; Phocuswright 2025 |
| Year-on-year increase in AI-assisted trip planning | 50% | Observed; summer 2025 vs summer 2024; Deloitte 2025 Summer Travel Survey |
| GenAI improves trip planning compared to traditional search | three-quarters of travellers | Observed; Phocuswright 2025 |
| US travel executives reporting AI improves customer personalisation | 33% | Observed; Skift/McKinsey 2025 |
| US travel executives reporting AI enables higher-quality outputs | 36% | Observed; Skift/McKinsey 2025 |
| Travel executives viewing AI adoption as top-tier strategic priority, next three years | majority | Observed; Skift research; specific percentage not disclosed |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — Agentic AI surfaces niche destinations alongside mainstream ones, expanding reach beyond traditional marketing. DMOs must prioritise data transparency and integrate with conversational platforms to remain discoverable. The shift from influencer-driven inspiration to AI-powered discovery creates new demand pathways, but only for destinations with compatible digital infrastructure and accessible supply-chain data.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Conversational commerce enables direct guest engagement and personalised offers without intermediation, potentially improving margins and loyalty. Hotels must maintain searchable, accurate data compatible with agentic AI platforms. The report emphasises small suppliers benefit from AI's democratising effect only if embracing conversational interfaces and transparent data practices. Legacy property management systems risk obsolescence.

**Travel tech & distribution** — Conversational commerce represents structural shift, not trend: platforms embedding natural-language interfaces, multi-source data orchestration, and transparent AI governance will capture disproportionate market share. Siloed data emerges as critical adoption barrier. Tech providers must prioritise API interoperability, trustworthy AI outputs, and seamless cross-platform deployment. Early movers establishing conversational capabilities gain competitive advantage.

## Methodology and limits
The whitepaper synthesises findings from four third-party research sources published 2024–2025: Phocuswright (traveller and supplier surveys on GenAI adoption), Deloitte Summer Travel Survey (AI-assisted trip planning trends), Skift/McKinsey joint report (agentic AI market expansion and executive sentiment), and B2B Institute research on user preferences. Sabre contributes one internal estimate—social commerce conversion rate under 10%. No sample sizes, confidence intervals, or methodological limitations disclosed for third-party figures. This brief is based on publicly available content only.

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© Sabre for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://www.sabre.com/resources/research/chat-as-the-new-influencer/