More and more UK holidaymakers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help plan their trips, with new research revealing that the number of people using AI for travel inspiration has doubled over the past year. According to a July 2025 survey commissioned by travel industry body Abta, 8% of respondents said they now use AI to spark ideas for their next holiday, up from just 4% the previous year. This surge is especially pronounced among younger travelers, with 18% of those aged 25-34 and 14% of those aged 35-44 embracing AI as a travel planning tool. In contrast, only 1% of people over 65 reported using AI for this purpose, highlighting a clear generational divide.
Abta described AI as a "creative co-pilot" that can help holidaymakers research, plan, and even book their getaways. The technology covers a range of services, from chatbots and translation tools to itinerary generators. Despite the growing popularity of AI, however, it still lags behind more traditional methods of travel planning. In the same survey, 48% of people said they used general internet searches to plan their trips, while 41% relied on recommendations from friends and family, and 36% consulted travel websites and guidebooks. The enduring appeal of personal advice was echoed in a separate study by Amadeus, which found that UK travelers continue to value recommendations from friends and family above all else—36% more travelers sought such advice compared to other sources.
The travel industry is taking notice of these shifting preferences. At Abta’s annual convention in Calvia, Spain, on October 7, 2025, Steve Heapy, CEO of airline and tour operator Jet2, told industry leaders that AI will "continue to become a bigger part of what customers do before they book." He stressed the need for travel businesses to "work harder to justify the margin that we want to earn by demonstrating superior knowledge of the product and providing that anticipation and excitement." Neil Swanson, UK managing director of tour operator Tui, predicted that AI will "completely transform" the travel industry. Still, he believes many customers will continue to seek out human travel agents for the trust and personal connection they provide. "That is not going away anytime soon, in my view, because of that group of customers who value that," Swanson said. "They use the technology a lot of those customers, but they still want to go in and look someone in the eye when they're booking something. They value that trust element."
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer underscored the challenge facing the industry: "The challenge is to harness the potential which AI has to support our businesses, while continuing to celebrate and champion the value of the personal touch and expertise which comes with booking with a travel agent or tour operator." The organization sees the rise of AI as "both a challenge and an opportunity." On one hand, AI offers new ways to inspire and assist travelers; on the other, it raises questions about the future role of traditional travel agents and the reliability of AI-generated recommendations.
Some industry insiders are already adapting to the new landscape. Holly Hyde, a London-based traveler who has visited 78 countries, shared her experience with the BBC: "I started using it in the last year or so, purely because I always liked using a travel agent. But my friends who used to work in [the industry], no longer do. Rather than developing a relationship with a new agent, I started using ChatGPT." Hyde finds AI an "easy start point" for planning, especially when helping others. For example, she recently used ChatGPT to suggest destinations for a relative seeking a warm January getaway. Still, she draws the line at using AI for more complex or unfamiliar trips: "If I was going to Costa Rica, or Central America, for security reasons—you need the destination knowledge from someone who knows somewhere inside out."
AI's rise in travel planning is not limited to the UK. The Amadeus report, published on October 7, 2025, highlights that countries like China, Singapore, Spain, India, and the United States are also seeing significant increases in the use of generative AI for trip planning. In the UK, 60% more travelers turned to Gen AI for travel inspiration compared to the previous year, and there was a 33% increase in those seeking advice from travel influencers. Social media’s role is also expanding, with a 27% uptick in travelers using platforms for holiday ideas.
But while AI can help travelers uncover new destinations and hidden gems—39% of Amadeus respondents appreciated AI for this—there are still notable limitations. A quarter of UK travelers reported receiving inaccurate information from AI, and a third felt the need to verify AI-generated content before making decisions. Some even found AI tools overwhelming, citing the sheer abundance of options and the technology’s struggle to fully grasp individual preferences. These concerns point to the ongoing need for reliable, personalized guidance in travel planning.
Confidence in AI’s abilities is growing, but not universally. Abta’s survey found that 43% of respondents would feel somewhat confident using AI to organize a holiday, but only 38% would trust the technology to actually make a booking. Less than a fifth of those surveyed said they would be happy to hand over the planning or booking of their holiday entirely to AI—a figure that Abta says may reflect both the relative infancy of the technology and lingering doubts about the quality and reliability of its recommendations.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has recently partnered with online platforms Booking.com and Expedia, allowing users to plan trips directly through the AI chatbot. These collaborations signal a future where AI could play an even more central role in travel planning and booking. However, as AI’s capabilities expand, so does speculation about the threat it poses to high street and online travel agents. For now, though, the personal touch remains a key differentiator.
The renewed appetite for travel is also notable. The latest Abta report found that 87% of people took a holiday in the past year, the highest total since the pandemic struck. Both UK and overseas trips saw increases, with Spain remaining the top foreign destination—chosen by just under a third of travelers—followed by France, Italy, the USA, and Greece. Despite ongoing global conflicts and concerns over wildfires in the Mediterranean, most travelers remain undeterred: more than nine out of ten said such events would not stop them traveling, and about two-thirds said wildfires would not make them reconsider Mediterranean holidays.
As the industry looks ahead, experts like Amadeus’ Decius Valmorbida and Francisco (Paco) Pérez-Lozao Rüter emphasize the importance of integrating new technologies with existing systems to improve personalization and reliability. The future of travel may well be shaped by a blend of cutting-edge AI and the enduring value of human expertise. For now, travelers are enjoying the best of both worlds—high-tech inspiration and trusted advice from those who know them best.
With technology advancing and travel demand bouncing back, the sector stands at a crossroads, balancing innovation with the timeless appeal of personal connection.
