AI's Turning Point for Global Travel: From Planning to Pricing
At a glance
- 51% of consumers now use AI for trip planning, driven by mainstream adoption of tools like ChatGPT.
- Travel spending projected to grow USD 1.4 trillion over five years, largely powered by AI-unlocked potential.
- Major OTAs rolling out advanced AI search features enabling hyper-personalized recommendations and specific accommodation filters.
- Agentic AI chat features transform OTAs into total trip-planning platforms, creating organic upselling opportunities within journeys.
- Consumers seek meaningful destination engagement over constant connectivity; AI enables frictionless planning followed by authentic disconnection.
What the report covers
Euromonitor's analysis examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping the travel industry's planning, booking and pricing landscape. The report covers global consumer adoption patterns, OTA platform innovation, and operational implications based on observations from the November 2025 World Travel Market conference and Euromonitor's Voice of the Consumer survey. It addresses both near-term market shifts and longer-term strategic implications for travel businesses, destinations and consumers.
Key findings
According to Euromonitor's Voice of the Consumer survey conducted January to February 2025, 51% of consumers claimed to use AI for trip planning. This widespread adoption reflects the establishment of free, accessible AI tools like ChatGPT as everyday applications. Simultaneously, major global OTAs are rolling out new AI-powered features that will create a trickle-down effect across smaller tour operators and travel businesses, raising consumer expectations for AI functionality across the industry.
AI-empowered search features are democratising travel choice by surfacing better-fit options through personalised filtering rather than indiscriminate internet scraping. Consumers can now access highly specific recommendations—dog-friendly short-term rentals near parks, rooms away from elevators with mountain views—creating a safer, more secure and relevant booking ecosystem. This personalisation drives platform loyalty by helping travellers find experiences that genuinely match their preferences.
The shift towards agentic AI represents a more fundamental transformation. These AI-first chat features position OTAs as comprehensive trip-planning solutions rather than mere booking platforms. When improved choices lead to positive experiences, travellers repeat the process and build loyalty. Importantly, AI-informed recommendations for dining, local experiences and services presented at optimal moments generate organic, micro-level upselling opportunities that aggregate into increased spend per trip.
Travel spending is projected to grow by USD 1.4 trillion over the coming five years, with this growth driven largely by AI-unlocked potential. The report emphasises that technology enablement does not mean constant digital connectivity during travel itself; rather, smarter planning allows travellers to disconnect and engage destinations more meaningfully. OTAs function as 'pocket concierges'—available when needed but not central to the travel experience.
Beyond consumer-facing applications, AI is generating operational efficiencies and addressing industry challenges including overtourism and sustainability. The report positions AI adoption as a structural turning point for travel, comparable to the internet and mobile revolutions, indicating an irreversible industry shift with implications for direct bookings, brand-driven platforms and travel operator viability.
Key numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Consumer use of AI for trip planning | 51% |
| Projected travel spending growth | USD 1.4 trillion |
Figures as published in the source; forecasts and survey results are labelled as such in the note.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
AI-driven travel platforms are reshaping how destinations are discovered and chosen. DMOs must understand that hyper-personalised AI recommendations will surface specific destination attributes—local experiences, accessibility features, sustainability credentials. Destinations competing for visibility need to ensure their unique offerings, particularly authentic, meaningful engagement opportunities, are properly documented and discoverable through OTA AI systems to reach the 51% of consumers actively using AI for planning.
Hotels & hospitality
Hotels benefit from AI-powered OTA search features that highlight specific property attributes—pet-friendliness, room locations, amenities—increasing relevance and direct bookings from better-matched guests. However, agentic AI's upselling capabilities mean OTAs will increasingly sell ancillary services (dining, experiences, services) within their platforms. Hotels must integrate with OTA systems to capture these organic sales opportunities and understand that AI loyalty builds when guest experiences exceed personalised expectations, making service consistency critical.
Travel tech & distribution
The shift towards agentic AI transforms OTAs from transaction platforms into trip-planning ecosystems. Travel tech providers must develop AI capabilities that enable hyper-specific search, contextual recommendations and chat-based discovery. The USD 1.4 trillion five-year spending growth is tied directly to AI implementation. Companies that deliver seamless AI-driven personalisation while preserving data security and relevance will capture loyalty, repeat bookings and expanded wallet share through organic upselling moments across the customer journey.
Methodology and limits
The analysis draws on Euromonitor's Voice of the Consumer: Travel Survey, fielded January to February 2025, which captured consumer AI usage patterns. The report synthesises observations from the November 2025 World Travel Market conference in London, where major OTA executives presented new AI initiatives. The five-year USD 1.4 trillion spending forecast is presented as a projection attributed to AI-driven growth potential. The brief is based on the publicly available summary; the full report access details indicate free availability but the complete analysis may contain additional methodological detail not in the public excerpt.
Official source
The report is © Euromonitor. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
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