Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- AI has become the “first travel advisor” for travelers. From finding inspiration to choosing destinations, itineraries, hotels, and activities, often before they even open a booking platform.
- High satisfaction and reuse intent indicate growing trust in AI. Travelers are increasingly relying on AI as a decision-making partner for their journeys.
- Travel businesses must ensure readiness. Presence, integration, and transaction systems need to be prepared so AI-driven recommendations can truly convert into bookings and revenue.
The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has driven the tourism industry into a new phase of digital transformation. AI is no longer just a supporting tool, it is evolving into a decision engine that influences how travelers discover destinations, compare travel options, and make final decisions.
Algorithms are gradually replacing the role of traditional promotions and travel agents in helping travelers plan itineraries, select destinations, predict travel trends, and personalize recommendations. In Indonesia, this shift is becoming increasingly evident alongside rising digital literacy and consumers’ growing reliance on technology in their daily lives.
Traveler Trends: From Inspiration to Destination Decisions
According to a survey conducted by Kaspersky in collaboration with Toluna, involving 3,000 respondents across 15 countries (including Indonesia), AI adoption in travel planning is still in its early stages, but shows strong growth potential.
- 28% of respondents use AI to plan their trips, including searching for destinations, creating itineraries, and selecting activities.
Among these users:
- 96% are satisfied with AI-generated recommendations
- 84% plan to use AI again for their next trip
Interestingly, AI usage is currently strongest in the research and inspiration phase. Among AI users:
- 70% use AI to explore activities, popular routes, and souvenir ideas
- 66% use it to choose accommodations
- 60% use it to compile restaurant lists
- 58% use it to search for transportation tickets or attractions
This shows that AI has become a key tool in filtering information complexity and helping consumers shape their initial preferences before making final decisions.
In other words, while AI may not yet be used by the majority, it already plays a critical role in the early stage of the customer journey, the stage that most strongly influences decision outcomes.
AI has effectively become the “first gateway” travelers pass through—shaping what they see, what gets recommended, and which options make it into their consideration set.
Read More: Service Excellence: DOKU’s Secret Behind Navigating Travel Industry Challenges
Trust in AI Continues to Grow
This trend is further supported by data from Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook Report.
In Indonesia:
- 85% of respondents find AI-based travel recommendations helpful in choosing destinations, flights, and accommodations
Across Asia:
- 63% of travelers plan to use AI for their next trip
- 44% already somewhat or fully trust AI-generated information
- 46% remain neutral, indicating relatively low resistance
This growing interest is driven by the need for efficiency—travelers want AI to help them navigate overwhelming choices and present the most relevant options.
This is reflected in the top AI use cases expected by Asian travelers:
- 32% for recommending local attractions and activities
- 29% for creating personalized itineraries
- 28% for suggesting travel destinations
All of this confirms that travelers are no longer just curious about AI, they are beginning to rely on it as a decision-making assistant for faster, simpler, and more relevant travel planning.
What Does This Mean for Travel Businesses?
As AI increasingly shapes what travelers see, consider, and ultimately choose, its impact extends beyond consumers, it directly affects how businesses compete and win in the tourism industry.
So, what does this mean for travel businesses?
1. AI Becomes the Primary Entry Point for Consumers
In today’s travel ecosystem, the first interaction between consumers and destinations, hotels, or travel services is increasingly mediated by algorithms—through search engines, booking platforms, social media, and LLMs (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.).
This means that brands that are not present, not optimized, or not relevant within AI-driven ecosystems risk becoming “invisible” at the very start of the decision-making process, not because they are uncompetitive, but because they fail to appear where the journey begins.
2. Hybrid Models (AI + Human Touch) Are More Widely Accepted
While AI offers efficiency, speed, and personalization, consumers still value human elements such as empathy, intuition, and trust, especially for high-value or emotionally driven decisions.
A hybrid model that combines AI intelligence with human support (e.g., customer service, travel advisors, or local hosts) is more widely accepted, as it balances technological efficiency with interpersonal trust.
Read More: AI Tech That Matters Event: Insights and Fresh Perspectives for AI Innovators
3. The Rise of Agentic AI: The Need for Action-Ready Infrastructure
The next evolution is not just AI that recommends, but AI that can execute: filtering options, building plans, and facilitating transactions.
To enable this safely and reliably, businesses need a robust digital foundation that allows AI systems to integrate with services in a standardized, secure, and compliant manner, especially in sensitive areas such as payments, identity, and user data.
This is where integrated digital payment solutions become increasingly critical, not just as transaction tools, but as connectors between consumer intent and actual conversion.
When AI helps users make decisions, businesses must be ready to facilitate those decisions quickly, securely, and seamlessly.
With the right infrastructure, AI will no longer stop at recommendations, it becomes part of a fully integrated end-to-end customer journey, from inspiration to transaction.
