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More than 50% of travelers use artificial intelligence to organize their trips.
Artificial intelligence has become a common resource for travel arrangements. According to the "Remapping travel with Agentic AI" report, produced by McKinsey & Company in collaboration with Skift, 55% of travelers already turn to ChatGPT or other AI-based applications to assist in their travel planning. This does not imply that more than half of them use this technology for all aspects of their trip. Among those that do, 30% use it intensively, while 25% use it occasionally.
It is important to note that these are results from a survey of U.S. travelers (Skift US Travel Tracker Survey, June 2025), so they should be interpreted as a trend signal rather than data applicable to all markets.
The research, which was conducted through a survey in June and whose report was published in September, examines how it influences so-called agentic AI. This is an advanced form of artificial intelligence that can think, make decisions and perform tasks quite autonomously. It is believed that this technology will play a key role in transforming the traveler experience and the operating models of companies in the travel industry.
The implementation of artificial intelligence in the tourism sector is increasing, but its true potential remains untapped. The adoption of AI in this industry is advancing rapidly, yet its full potential has yet to be exploited. In 2022, only 4% of companies in the Skift Travel 200 index were referencing AI in their annual reports, in contrast to the 35% seen last year. At the same time, AI-focused travel startups have seen remarkable growth in their share of venture capital funding, rising from 10% in 2023 to 45% in the first half of 2025.
This increase is supported by concrete evidence. According to a survey of 86 industry leaders, the implementation of AI is helping to lower operating costs, streamline the decision-making process, improve personalization and increase internal productivity.
From a consumer standpoint, more than 90% of travelers trust that travel information provided by AI tools is accurate. Also, more than 60% prefer to choose companies that incorporate AI-powered travel assistants over those that do not.
Increased confidence, albeit with certain restrictions
Despite the optimism, the idea of granting full autonomy still raises questions. Currently, only 2% of travelers would feel comfortable trusting an AI to handle or alter bookings without human intervention. The perception of trust depends on the nature of the task: users prefer to rely on AI for inspiration and research (72%) rather than for more sensitive matters, such as visa requirements (58%) or troubleshooting (53%).
The report also points to structural obstacles that impede the full integration of these technologies. Technological dissatisfaction, reliance on legacy systems and a strong bias toward human service continue to hinder the industry's digital advancement.
According to Javier Caballero, partner at McKinsey & Company, "the use of artificial intelligence is growing significantly, however, the travel industry continues to face structural problems that hinder the realization of its true potential. Lack of data integration, manual procedures and a still insufficient technological approach hinder the transformation process."
Agentic AI and back-office: the next operational breakthrough
Unlike generative AI, agentic AI has the ability to observe situations, determine the right time to intervene and autonomously carry out actions. In the tourism sector, this enables the implementation of more sophisticated use cases, such as complete itinerary management, real-time logistics adaptation and automation of complex internal processes.
According to the report, over the next five years, 40% of industry executives anticipate implementing agentic artificial intelligence applications in customer experience and service delivery; 37% in sales; and 34% in marketing. In addition, their use in the back-office could improve processes such as room allocation, housekeeping planning, preventive maintenance and dynamic price variation in restaurants.
However, companies identify two major challenges: the lack of skilled technical professionals and the absence of a clear plan. For this reason, McKinsey suggests establishing a joint strategic vision that integrates both business and technology objectives, focusing on the use cases that will have the greatest impact and ensuring that initial projects produce tangible results.
In summary, the report argues that agentic artificial intelligence does not change the reason people travel, but rather the way in which travel takes place. This is achieved by facilitating simpler processes, delivering experiences that are more tailored to individual needs, and improving efficiency across the travel industry value chain.
Images provided by: Freepik
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