Artificial intelligence is reshaping how people discover, book, and experience travel faster than many businesses can keep pace. On World Tourism Day, September 27, travel technology leaders gathered to discuss how AI is transforming the industry while warning that responsible implementation and human oversight must accompany rapid adoption.
The shift is fundamentally altering the travel value chain. Historically, only professional travel agents could book hotels and experiences for clients. Now individual travelers access information and make reservations directly, upending how companies compete and reach customers. For tours and activities, the change runs even deeper: AI will transform booking systems, discovery platforms, and business profitability across the sector.
“Travel discovery and travel booking have already changed and is happening faster than we can digest,” said Daniel Pino, Co-Founder and CEO of Aloja, a dynamic pricing platform for tours and activities. “If you’re seeing a decline in bookings or revenue while travel demand continues to grow, it might be time to look internally and ask yourself what you are missing and to evaluate your customer acquisition strategies.”
The Scale Of AI’s Reach In Travel
AI is accelerating changes that have unfolded over years by processing vast amounts of information across the travel sector. The technology enables faster accessibility and personalization of customer experiences based on data that was previously underutilized. Travel companies now compete on their ability to harness AI for marketing, distribution, and customer acquisition strategies.
Yet the technology’s reach extends beyond the commercial side. According to travel industry leaders, AI will transform almost everything around travel except the actual experience itself. The human encounter, staying in a hotel, taking a tour, visiting a destination, remains central. Technology should enhance those moments, not replace them.
Catt McLeod, Vice President of Elegant Hotels of the World, emphasized the importance of ensuring digital transformation reaches all regions and communities. “We need to ensure that we are bringing everybody with us and not leaving behind the less developed regions,” McLeod explained. “We need to invest in digital skills, widen access to technology and guarantee that innovation benefits the people and the places that make tourism possible.”
Governance And Human Oversight
Travel leaders stressed that AI’s potential cannot be separated from the need for responsible implementation. Governance frameworks, data privacy protections, employee training, and digital skills emerged as critical priorities as companies integrate AI into operations.
The concern is straightforward: AI has advanced much more than regulations, creating a gap between what technology can do and what safeguards exist to govern its use. Ivonne Arriola, Managing Director of Connect by PriceTravel Holding, called for slowing development to allow regulation to catch up while keeping humans in the loop to oversee progress.
The panel also connected responsible technology adoption to wider tourism goals: sustainability, accessibility, and inclusive economic growth. Technology decisions made today will shape whether AI benefits travel workers, small businesses, and communities or concentrates power and opportunity among large corporations with the resources to adopt it first.
What Travel Businesses Must Do
Companies that see declining bookings despite sustained travel demand should reassess their customer acquisition strategies and commercial positioning. Those relying on outdated distribution models or marketing approaches risk falling behind competitors who integrate AI effectively.
The challenge extends beyond technology adoption itself. Businesses must ensure employees have the digital skills and training needed to work alongside AI systems. They must also build governance structures that align AI use with company values and industry standards that are still being defined.
For travel organizations, World Tourism Day 2026 reflects a turning point. The industry now understands both the potential and the responsibility: AI can improve operations and customer experience, but only if adoption includes oversight, investment in workforce development, and commitment to equitable access. The next phase of travel technology depends on how quickly businesses can move from recognizing AI’s power to implementing it with purpose.
