New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Seventy-one per cent of travellers are comfortable letting AI generate initial ideas, but only half will let it make a flight or hotel booking on their behalf or handle a disruption during the trip.
A joint report titled "Winning Hearts in an Age of Infinite Travel Choices" by Skift Research and McKinsey & Company noted that while artificial intelligence sees widespread adoption during early journey stages, travellers draw a firm line at final financial commitments.
According to the report, 62 per cent of travellers say AI tools make trip planning easier, with 52 per cent anticipating higher usage over the next 12 months. AI sees heaviest deployment during research, where 34 per cent of respondents use it. While 67 per cent express comfort in allowing AI to narrow and compare travel options, delegation drops steeply as stakes rise.
Discomfort nearly doubles when AI transitions from advising to acting, with 74 per cent preferring to finalise bookings personally.
As per the report, 43 per cent booked directly through an airline or hotel website, 42 per cent used an online travel agency, and only 16 per cent used an AI tool to complete a booking.
The report noted that transaction mechanics no longer present friction, but emotional uncertainty persists. Fifty-two per cent of travellers experience anxiety regarding incorrect booking decisions. Trust remains the primary factor at checkout, with 49 per cent citing supplier trust as their main reason for booking directly.
Pat Nestor of Hyatt said, "I believe consumers will become more comfortable with agentic-led transactions over time. It's not all that different from the first time you could process your credit card online, and there was widespread apprehension, but now consumers wouldn't think twice about it."
Traveller reluctance remains conditional rather than absolute, as only 14 per cent state nothing will convince them to allow automated bookings. To build trust, 52 per cent seek the ability to review and modify details before confirmation, 30 per cent seek accurate recommendation records, and 20 per cent require human intervention if problems occur. Handling disruptions to AI scores lowest across use cases, at 51 per cent comfort.
"AI is only as personalised as the information you give it," said Evan Konwiser of Amex GBT, adding, "Most AI tools don't really know you yet. You might say you're a family of four, your kids like certain activities, you've been to cities you enjoy and it gets a little better. But that's pretty basic stuff a travel agent would have asked before."
"If everyone had a personal-assistant AI that really knew them--learning from past trips, preferences, what worked and what didn't--the utility would become enormous," Konwiser added. (ANI)
More than 70% of travellers rely on AI for planning but only half trust it for final booking: Report
