Travellers ‘lack trust’ in AI tools for booking trips

The majority of travellers avoid entrusting AI tools to make bookings on their behalf, preferring to deal directly with “trusted travel brands”, according to research by Expedia Group.

A survey of more than 5,700 adults across the US, UK and India found that many travellers are open to using AI to help plan a trip, but only 8% feel comfortable booking through an AI platform.

A total of 68% said they prefer to book with a trusted travel brand even when AI booking is available, while 66% said they would not trust an AI assistant to buy or book anything on their behalf.

Xavi Amatriain, chief AI and data officer at Expedia Group, said: “AI is already transforming how people plan, discover and experience travel. But travellers aren’t interested in booking a trip through an AI chatbot, and what’s holding them back isn’t model quality or features. It’s trust.”

The research, conducted by YouGov between March 10-25, found 53% of participants were comfortable letting AI suggest travel options, 42% use or would use AI to monitor prices, 40% use AI to help build itineraries and 48% say AI saves them time and helps them discover places they would not have found otherwise.

However, reluctance about relying on AI tools for booking trips stems from concerns about loss of control (57%), data/payment detail privacy (57%) and misuse of personal data (56%).

More than a third (40%) of travellers said they would be concerned about poor customer service if something went wrong after an AI-led purchase.

Amatriain said: “Trust in travel isn’t built through technology alone. It’s built through real-world relationships and assets, strong customer support and decades of deep industry knowledge. That kind of foundation takes time to build.”