Once upon a time, planning a vacation meant flipping through brochures or spending hours on travel blogs. Today, it means opening an AI app.
According to new qualitative research by the Analytics and Insights unit at South African Tourism, conducted in July 2025 across the United States, China, India, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a trusted travel companion — not just in the planning stage, but throughout the journey itself.
From mapping out itineraries to scanning restaurant menus or navigating local transport, travellers are increasingly turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and DeepSeek to simplify, personalize, and enhance their trips. The research shows that what was once a futuristic fantasy — the idea of a digital assistant that travels alongside you — is quickly becoming the norm.
“We are at the dawn of the Web 3.0 era,” the study notes. “Travellers now expect smarter, more personalized digital experiences.” For tourism boards and destinations, this evolution demands richer, more intuitive storytelling — and seamless, real-time access to information.
Algorithms as Travel Guides
In China, where digital ecosystems are already deeply integrated into daily life, algorithms — often referred to as machine learning — are seen as allies in personalization.
“Because I am interested in travel, I may occasionally search for the keyword ‘travel,’” said one 25–40-year-old man from China. “Then the system may know my search preferences and occasionally recommend related bloggers to me.”
Another respondent, aged 41–50, noted how platforms like RedNote (Xiaohongshu) “push relentlessly once you’ve searched,” adding that users no longer need to “deliberately follow” creators.
A 30-year-old mother shared that she relies on AI to craft travel plans: “Sometimes I’ll even ask AI tools to plan my itinerary — like ‘give me a 7-day trip in Italy with food and art’ — and it gives me ideas instantly. I also use it to translate certain things into English or Mandarin.”
In India, where trip planning is often meticulous and family-centered, AI is emerging as a quiet revolution.
“It’s made my research much easier,” said a 41-year-old mother. “This was the first time I used it to plan a holiday with my child. I used ChatGPT to give me a list of hotels with good kids’ activities — kids’ clubs, an aqua park — and it was so much easier than going through hotel websites or 10,000 photos.”
Across major cities, travellers are moving beyond traditional search engines and travel agents, finding AI faster, more intuitive, and surprisingly human in its ability to anticipate needs.
In the United Kingdom, a 25-year-old solo traveller described AI as an “invaluable budgeting tool.”
“You already use it to help plan some parts of your holiday — like where’s a good place to go or what’s best value for money. I get the most value for money with ChatGPT.”
The One-Stop Shop for Stress-Free Planning
In the United States, where convenience is king, AI is cutting planning time from days to hours.
“I’ve started using AI to plan trips, and it’s actually been really helpful,” said a 45-year-old woman from Los Angeles. “You can say, ‘I have this budget, I want to go here for these many days,’ and it gives you a whole outline. It’s a one-stop shop — and way less stressful than piecing it together manually.”
A 50-year-old traveller from New York echoed that sentiment: “My wife tends to use ChatGPT the most. She said, ‘We’re going to be in Sicily for this many days — please suggest an itinerary.’ It came back with a great outline. We didn’t follow it exactly, but it helped us think of things we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves.”
AI’s role doesn’t end with booking — it travels with you.
In India, younger professionals are using AI tools like ChatGPT in real-time while abroad. “When we are visiting any city and want to have quick answers, instead of using Google, we use ChatGPT,” said a 35-year-old man. “For other purposes, we use Google Maps — it shows buses, trains, and metros at what time.”
Some travellers even rely on AI for restaurant recommendations, especially when looking for dietary-specific meals such as vegetarian or halal options — a nod to how deeply personalization now defines travel decisions.
The Human Touch Still Matters
Despite AI’s expanding influence, travellers aren’t ready to hand over all decisions to machines. Many still rely on human feedback and emotional reassurance — the small but vital cues that algorithms can’t yet replicate.
“Instead of looking at the latest review, I start in reverse,” said a 31-year-old Indian father. “I look for the worst ones. What do the negative reviews say? And also check with my office colleagues.”
The study found that peer validation and emotional intelligence — the ability to read between the lines of human experience — remain key decision drivers.
AI has evolved from a search tool into something closer to a travel companion — one that learns from you, adapts to your mood, and helps you travel with less stress and more spontaneity.
For South African Tourism, the implications are profound. As travellers demand deeper, more meaningful experiences, destinations will need to think beyond static websites and focus on digital systems that can learn, adapt, and interact.
The agency plans to update its market booklets in the coming months with refreshed traveller profiles, reflecting the impact of AI-assisted decision-making on global travel patterns.
From family holidays to solo adventures, menus to maps, AI isn’t just helping people travel — it’s changing how they travel.
The question now is: When the algorithm knows your dream destination better than you do, who’s really in control of the journey?