Travelers Adopt Emerging Tech as Businesses Turn to AI

64% of travelers have used emerging technology during a travel experience, and 61% are open to generative AI.

By Career Ahead AI · Global — AI-assisted, fact-verified against cited sources. Readers should verify key facts.

Travel technology can save time during booking

Booking is a clear place for travel businesses to apply emerging technology: 62% of travelers believe it can help them save time and effort with travel booking. That preference points to a practical test for digital tools. They need to make it easier for people to find and arrange travel, rather than add steps. Businesses can use the booking process to show whether technology solves a task for customers, instead of treating adoption as an end in itself.^¹

Travelers also report using connected devices and virtual assistants during trips. 41% have used 5G and the internet of things while traveling, and 34% have used virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri. For travel businesses, these figures put technology inside the trip as well as at the booking stage. Useful digital services can support travelers while they are away, but businesses need to make their role clear and connect them to an actual travel need.^¹²

Useful digital services can support travelers while they are away, but businesses need to make their role clear and connect them to an actual travel need.¹²

Interest in trip-planning tools comes with a privacy concern

Some travelers are open to using technology before they go. Among travelers familiar with virtual reality, 56% are open to using it to plan a future trip. That gives businesses a way to present a destination or travel option through an immersive planning tool. The interest is specific to people familiar with virtual reality; it does not establish that every traveler wants to plan that way. Businesses can treat it as an additional route to discovery rather than a replacement for other planning options.^¹²

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New technology also raises a trust problem: three out of four travelers are concerned about protecting personal data and privacy. 39% use ad blockers always or most of the time, and 71% of customers expressed annoyance towards business practices without detailed targeting. Those figures make privacy and relevance central to how businesses communicate. A tool that gathers information or serves promotions needs a clear purpose; broad, untargeted marketing risks irritating customers rather than making a travel service easier to find.^¹²

Destination leaders are testing generative AI for content

Among destination management organization leaders, 70% feel emerging technology has the most potential to improve the travel experience. Four in five expect generative AI to improve travel planning, and 56% of DMO leaders familiar with generative AI already use it for content management. The content use gives businesses a concrete starting point: use the technology to manage material that helps travelers plan. The figures describe leaders’ views and practices, not proof that every tool improves the experience.^¹

Adoption is uneven. 44% of DMO leaders are not currently using generative AI, and among leaders not using it, 63% cite a lack of experience and understanding as a top barrier. At the same time, 65% of DMO leaders expect to invest in generative AI in the next two years. For businesses considering the technology, the gap suggests that understanding how a tool works is part of implementation. Investment plans alone do not show whether a tool is suitable for a particular business task.^¹²

AI offers business gains, but tools need a defined job

Forbes states that 80% of businesses are using AI in different capacities. Statista forecasts 27.67% growth in the global AI market, which is expected to reach US$826.70 billion by 2030. Those broad business and market figures show how widely AI is being taken up, but they do not identify which travel applications work best. The more useful measure for an individual business is whether a specific tool helps with a defined task, such as content management or customer service.^¹²

The business case in the ledger includes potential sales gains and service-cost savings: businesses that incorporate AI technologies can increase sales by 20%, while companies incorporating chatbots into operations see 30% savings on customer service costs. The conversational artificial intelligence market is predicted to grow to USD 49.9 billion by 2030. These figures give businesses reasons to examine AI tools, but they are not guarantees for each company. A business still needs to assess whether a chatbot or other tool addresses a real customer-service need.^²

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Those broad business and market figures show how widely AI is being taken up, but they do not identify which travel applications work best.

AI roles need defined tasks, not hype

If you are weighing a role in travel tech, focus on jobs tied to a specific task. The data shows 62% of travelers want emerging tech to save time in booking, and 56% of DMO leaders familiar with generative AI already use it for content management. That means employers value people who can apply AI to a concrete function, like booking flow or content production, rather than general AI enthusiasm. Ask in interviews which task the tool is meant to solve.^¹

For pay and role decisions, the business case is real but conditional. Companies incorporating AI can increase sales by 20%, and chatbots bring 30% savings on customer service costs. However, 63% of DMO leaders not using generative AI cite lack of experience as a top barrier. So your skill in understanding how a tool works is a differentiator. Negotiate for roles where you own implementation, not just usage, and expect employers to pay for proven ability to close that understanding gap.^¹²