Abta, a travel trade group that commissioned the poll, described the technology as a “creative co-pilot” that can be used for travel, planning and booking.
Approximately 8% of respondents to the 2,001 UK adults survey conducted in July said they inspire AI to determine where to take vacations.
That's up from 4% the previous year.
“There's a possibility of this acceleration,” said the director of ABTA Communications Graeme Buck, adding that “we wouldn't be surprised if it hits 16% next year.”
The latest version of the poll shows that people ages 25-34 are most likely to use technology to stimulate holiday ideas, with 18% of respondents in that category saying they do.
The group was 35-44 years old (14%).
For people over 65, the figure was only 1%.
AI for Travel covers services such as chatbots and itinerary creation tools.
Over two (43%) of the five in the survey said that if they are confident they will use AI to plan their holidays, they will go a step further and drop to 38% to book.
Steve Heapy, CEO of airline and tour operator JET2, told an audience of travel industry leaders at ABTA's annual conference in Calvia, Spain that technology such as AI “continue to be a big part of what customers do before booking.”
He continued: “We will all have to work hard to justify the margins we want to gain by showing great knowledge of our products and providing that expectation and excitement.”
Neil Swanson, managing director of UK tour operator TUI, predicts that AI will “completely transform” the travel industry, but many customers still want to talk to human travel agents and book their trips.
He said:
“They use a lot of those customers with technology, but they still want to see someone when they book something.
“They value that trust element.”
“We are pleased to announce that ABTA's CEO Mark Tanzer: “The challenge is to take advantage of the possibilities that AI has to support our business, while continuing to congratulate and defend the value of the personal touch and expertise that comes with bookings with travel agents and tour operators.”
