AI Adoption in Travel Sector Grows, but Value Remains Untapped
According to a new report, “Remapping Travel with Agentic AI,” by McKinsey & Company in collaboration with Skift, 55% of travelers are already using AI-powered tools like ChatGPT or applications based on artificial intelligence for trip planning. The study explores how agentic AI—capable of acting, reasoning, and executing tasks autonomously—can unlock the potential of this technology in the travel industry.
AI Usage Among Travelers
- 55% of travelers use ChatGPT or AI-based apps for trip planning.
- 30% of consumers use it very frequently, while 25% occasionally.
AI Adoption in the Travel Sector
The travel sector is rapidly adopting AI, though it’s still far from capturing its full value. In the travel domain, AI adoption has seen significant growth, rising from 4% of Skift Travel 200 companies mentioning AI in their annual reports in 2022 to 35% the previous year. Furthermore, AI-focused travel startups have experienced substantial growth, receiving 10% of venture capital funding in 2023 to 45% in the first half of 2025.
Benefits of AI Usage
According to the survey of 86 travel industry executives, AI usage has led to:
- Reduced operational costs
- Faster decision-making
- Improved personalization
- Higher-quality products
- Significant productivity gains internally
Traveler Confidence in AI-Generated Information
Over 90% of travelers express some level of confidence in the accuracy of tourism information received through AI tools. Moreover, 60% would prefer a company that integrates AI-based travel assistants over one that doesn’t, as these agents can handle complex tasks like booking and managing entire trips.
Limited Autonomy Among Travelers
Despite growing enthusiasm, travelers remain hesitant to grant AI tools extensive autonomy. Only 2% would allow an AI to take complete control for making or modifying reservations without human oversight. Confidence levels also vary by task type, with users more comfortable using AI for inspiration and searches (72% find it very useful) than critical issues like visa requirements (58%) or incident resolution (53%).
Obstacles to AI Adoption in Travel
The travel sector faces various challenges, including higher levels of technological fragmentation and reliance on legacy systems compared to other industries. Some parts of the industry still prioritize human service elements over technological innovation, slowing digital maturity.
Javier Caballero’s Perspective
Javier Caballero, a McKinsey & Company partner, stated that while AI adoption is increasing significantly, the travel sector still grapples with structural challenges preventing it from realizing its true value. Fragmented data, manual processes, and limited technological approaches hinder transformation. Agentic AI presents a qualitative shift to overcome these barriers and progress toward more integrated and efficient operational models.
Agentic AI: A Game-Changer for Travel Experiences
Unlike generative AI that responds to queries and offers suggestions on request, agentic AI takes a more proactive approach. It can monitor situations, determine when to intervene, design plans, and execute them with minimal human intervention. Its disruptive potential in travel lies in its ability to operate interfaces like a real user, combine structured and unstructured data, reason through multi-step tasks, and manage large volumes of highly customizable, repetitive activities like complex itineraries or last-minute logistical adjustments.
Caballero’s View on AI Potential
Caballero emphasized that agentic AI’s true potential lies not only in automating tasks but also in transforming problem-solving approaches within the sector. By enabling quicker, more accurate, and personalized interventions, this technology paves the way for smoother travel experiences and more efficient operations—something consumers now expect, which companies must address to remain competitive.
Executive Plans for AI Agentic Use
According to the report, travel executives plan to deploy agentic AI use cases at varying paces over the next five years. Forty percent aim to implement it in customer experience and service delivery, 37% in sales, and 34% intend to adopt it in marketing.
Towards a Smarter Travel Industry Back-Office
McKinsey & Company asserts that agentic AI can reshape essential internal processes in hotels, airlines, and tour operators. The daily volume of quick decisions—from room allocation to maintenance—makes the sector ideal for these technologies.
- Automate room allocation by incorporating preferences, history, and loyalty levels
- Anticipate maintenance needs using sensor data, records, and customer feedback, potentially increasing downtime reductions from 10-15% to 20-30%
- Optimize housekeeping through dynamic assignments based on real occupancy
- Autonomously adjust restaurant offers and pricing based on demand and profitability
Challenges to AI Adoption
Despite the potential, companies have identified two main limitations: a shortage of technical profiles and a lack of clear transformation roadmaps. The report recommends establishing a shared strategic vision between business and technology, prioritizing high-impact use cases, and ensuring early projects deliver visible benefits to drive adoption.
The Transformative Power of Agentic AI
Travel companies integrating agentic AI must consider its effects across the entire value chain, as it’s not just a new tool but a deep transformation enabler. It allows for process redesign, reduced travel friction, scalable personalization, and freeing professionals to focus on higher-value tasks. In essence, agentic AI redefines how travel is done rather than why it’s undertaken.
