AI will transform the travel industry over the next decade, but not in the simplistic way many people predict. Humans will still want to buy holidays from humans, especially when spending thousands of pounds on important family experiences. The reassurance, empathy and trust provided by experienced travel agents, homeworkers and high street shops will still matter. However, there will almost certainly be fewer of them because AI copilots will remove a huge amount of administrative, quotation-building, itinerary-management, and booking work. The best salespeople will become dramatically more productive and capable of handling far more customers than today.

At the same time, AI will democratise travel selling. New distribution channels, such as TikTok GO and AI-powered creator commerce, will emerge, allowing almost anyone with an audience to become a travel agent. The complicated system knowledge and booking processes that once required years of training will increasingly be handled by AI assistants behind the scenes.

The biggest disruption, however, may hit online OTAs. Consumers are rapidly moving away from traditional website form-filling towards conversational AI search. Instead of typing dates and destinations into booking engines, customers will simply ask AI assistants for “the best luxury family holiday in Spain under £5,000 leaving in August”. AI search engines will then use machine-to-machine conversations via MCP connectors to query suppliers directly and return the ten best personalised recommendations instantly, so less will become more, with recommendations reflecting what users want rather than thousands of hotels to choose from.