The AI sure hits its stride: 5 takeaways for travel leaders

AI has moved from novelty to habit for most U.S. travelers, reshaping how trips get researched, planned and booked.

According to Phocuswright’s research report The AI Surge: Travel's Fastest Behavioral Shift in a Decade, generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT surged to 33% usage for trip research, quintupling since 2024, and adoption is no longer limited to early adopters. Millennials lead the way, with 74% using AI for at least one trip in the past year, followed by 72% of Gen Z. But usage climbed sharply across every generation, including a notable jump among boomers, in just the past six months.

Expectations are rising just as fast. 44% of travelers would book directly inside an AI platform and 40% would let an AI assistant handle flight and hotel bookings on their behalf, both up year over year. Price comparisons drive the most action on AI recommendations at 44%, followed by summarized reviews at 33% and recognized brands at 32%.

The video below breaks down five insights from the report that matter most to travel executives: how adoption is accelerating across every generation, why AI is closing in on traditional search even as search holds its ground, and where AI's value is migrating next in the trip funnel.

Traveler behavior is shifting faster than most planning cycles can keep up with, and gut instinct isn't a strategy. Rigorous, ongoing research into how travelers actually search, decide and spend gives travel executives the intelligence needed to act ahead of the curve instead of reacting to it. Phocuswright's full report, The AI Surge: Travel's Fastest Behavioral Shift in a Decade, breaks down the data behind this shift in far more depth.

Open Access is your insights advantage

Phocuswright Open Access gives companies company-wide access to Phocuswright's full library of research reports and interactive data, with no seat limits and no per-report paywalls. Subscribers can validate new opportunities, support decisions internally and move faster with confidence, backed by consumer trends, market sizing across more than 35 regions and downloadable datasets with historical and projected data. The subscription also includes "Ask an Analyst" for tailored answers and a dedicated concierge, giving teams direct access to Phocuswright's research staff rather than just the reports themselves. For executives evaluating technology investment, marketing strategy or where to compete next, Open Access turns Phocuswright's research into a working tool rather than a one-time download.

A new AI research assistant

Open Access subscribers now have access to an AI research assistant built exclusively for the Phocuswright library. Trained on the full catalog of reports, it delivers instant, cited answers pulled directly from Phocuswright's research, cutting down the time teams spend searching and leaving more time for deciding.

Unlike a standard search bar, the assistant understands context: follow-up questions, scope changes and requests for more specificity all keep the conversation moving without starting over. Subscribers can find it through the chat function on the bottom right of any page when logged in to phocuswright.com.