Decades ago, travel agents held the key to the world, travelling and coordinating trips for everyday travelers. Expedia, Google and other online booking giants then moved directly to consumers, forcing agents to adapt.
Now another confusion has arrived: artificial intelligence. And while some agents may be scared once again about their ability to plan their trip, a new wave of travel advisors sees AI as a tool rather than a threat. And they are leaning.
Book your trip with AI
Athena Livadas owns Páme Travel and specializes in booking 5-star luxury travel. She uses AI every day to come up with high-level ideas about routes and destinations, write emails faster, and drive business.
“Most travel advisors don't see or even get offended when AI is raised in the context of travel planning. But I didn't agree any more,” she told Business Insider. “It's not going to replace us. It's a tool that provides superpower to bring even more value to our advisors.”
And according to her metrics, it's working.
“After I started using AI, looking at the six-month period, my business has increased by about 40%,” she said. “Of course, other factors are involved, but the time when AI saved me was definitely the reason why I contributed. I was able to take on more clients and focus on marketing and outreach efforts that actually drive business outcomes.”
There is no data yet on the industry-wide adoption of AI tools, but it is clear that Livadas is not the only one who is gaining support from technology. A digital travel agency with hundreds of advisors around the world, Fora internally integrates AI into its own platform that most advisors use regularly.
“Fora began rolling out the tools that powered AI in the fall of 2023,” said Jake Peters, the company's co-founder and chief product and technology officer. “These tools are integrated directly into the advisor workflow, including drafting proposals, building itinerary, and creating marketing content.”
For example, one tool can help make text formatting easier to read and client-friendly. “This feature uses 70% when it shows rates on the booking platform,” Peters said.
The other is a chatbot called Sidekick. It trains everything you need to know about your own information, including training, help center articles, hotel and destination information. “It's used by 25% of advisors each month and 35% of advisors who aren't used to FORA,” Peters added.
FORA adviser Rita Carton estimates that AI (including the strategic use of FORA's internal tools and ChatGPT for research) reduced the average travel planning time by 50%, reduced client response time by half, and increased bookings three times compared to last year. “A year ago, I was only able to manage two or three trips at a time. “In the first quarter of this year, I successfully handled nine simultaneous trips and tripled my capabilities without compromising the quality of service.”
ai may be useful, but it can't all
Whether other agents agree with the need to embrace AI, it definitely has an impact on how consumers plan their trips. A Deloitte survey conducted between October 2023 and October 2024 found that the proportion of respondents who used generative AI in their travel plans doubled from 8% to 16%.
“When the internet starts to boom, it feels like we're at the same age as AI,” Rivadas said. “Adapt and learn how to use it to improve the output of the client or it will remain.”
That said, Livadas doesn't think AI will soon replace travel agents. She warned that travelers should expect to get general general travel advice from AI, rather than the hidden gems that travel agents can reveal.
“If you're planning a trip to Japan, for example, you'll probably spit out the usual Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka route at a large chain brand hotel,” she said. “But if I'm building a itinerary and knowing that my clients love surfing, I'll include Hancheon, a small fishing village with the perfect mellow longboard waves for the summer.”
These examples are truly a tailored touch, she said, just like Travel Advisors routinely overlooks the daily weaving of itinerary.
This disconnect is directly consistent with one major thing that AI cannot replicate. “Travel agents are all about relationships,” Carton said. “We book to get a manager and then go straight to the hotel. As a result, we can't tell you how many clients we have upgraded to our rooms or said they were surprised. We can't do that ourselves.”
Certainly, personalized indoor perks, free upgrades, and moments that mean joy are hallmarks of the travel agency's touch.
“Many of the value we bring is relationship-driven and it never goes away,” Rivadas said. “I personally know the general managers of five-star luxury properties around the world who welcome guests on arrival with a personalized gift from me. How can bots do that?”
