No reservations about the final destination - how AI is transforming the global travel sector

AI is the enemy of travel! An eye-catching thesis proposed as the core of a panel debate at last week’s World Travel Market (WTM) event in London where two teams of three travel sector representatives argued the case for and against the proposition. I won’t go into the pros and cons that were aired in the ensuing chat, but suffice to say the motion was defeated with an audience show of hands coming down overwhelmingly in favor of AI’s potential.

That pretty much reflects the conclusions of WTM’s 2025 Global Travel Report, a study conducted by quantitative analysis firm Tourism Economics, whose findings from this year’s poll found that AI tools are expected to become more and more important in providing trusted information to travellers and supporting personalised experiences. We’ve seen this sort of thing in action already, of course, with Heathrow Airport’s ...