- Travelers lead destinations by two years on AI.
- AI influenced 40 percent of discoveries.
- Most DMO leaders cite AI relevance risk.
TRAVELERS ARE ADOPTING artificial intelligence for travel faster than destination organizations, according to a study. Travelers are nearly two years ahead of destinations in AI adoption across discovery, planning and booking.
The AI Readiness Report by Mindtrip, Sabre, Sojern and MMGY Travel Intelligence found that 54 percent of travelers have used AI to plan travel, while 75 percent plan to use it for future trips. Only 22 percent of destination marketing organizations offer AI trip-planning tools on their websites and 26 percent have a documented AI strategy.
"Travelers aren't waiting for the industry to catch up," said Michelle Denogean, Mindtrip chief marketing officer. "AI is already reshaping how people discover destinations, build itineraries, and make travel decisions. The organizations that move now have an opportunity to become more useful, more visible, and more valuable to travelers."
The gap is affecting destination discovery and travel decisions, the report said. Around 40 percent of travelers discovered a destination through AI, while 29 percent have changed their plans based on an AI recommendation. Among Millennials and Gen Z, 69 percent and 63 percent, respectively, use AI assistants as often as social media for trip planning.
The study, conducted by MMGY Intelligence and commissioned by Mindtrip, Sabre and Sojern, surveyed 1,006 U.S. adults and 103 DMO leaders and practitioners in April 2026.
AI beyond inspiration
Approximately 42 percent use it to research itineraries, 32 percent to compare flights, hotels and tours and 32 percent to find destination ideas, the study found. Around 62 percent uses AI to research attractions, restaurants and transportation, 56 percent to compare prices and 43 percent to build itineraries and organize trip details.
Travelers also expect destinations to offer AI tools, the report said. Around 62 percent would use an AI trip planner on a destination website, while 25 percent are less likely to use a site without AI features. Yet only 20 percent of DMO leaders rank itinerary building as a high-value capability, despite its use as a common AI function among travelers.
The study found that more than one-third of travelers are comfortable with AI participating in booking. Comfort is highest among Millennials and Gen Z and increases when human support is available. The report identifies agentic booking as part of the industry’s readiness gap.
Sylvia Weiler, Sojern Destinations president and GM, said the industry is seeing its biggest shift in travel planning since online booking.
"Travelers now expect AI to guide them from inspiration through booking, and those who act now will be better positioned to influence travelers at every stage of their journey. The opportunity for DMOs is to become the trusted source powering AI-driven travel decisions by investing in authoritative content, seamless experiences and partnerships that connect and measure discovery to transaction."
DMOs face adoption risk
Around 72 percent of destination marketing organization leaders say organizations that fail to adopt AI within the next two years risk becoming irrelevant in destination discovery. The report said the readiness gap spans discovery, planning and booking.
"Travelers are already using AI to discover destinations, compare options, and make travel decisions,” said Brad Johnson, Sabre vice president of product management. “We're continuing to bring more agentic travel experiences to life that can help travelers move seamlessly from planning to booking. For destination organizations, this creates an opportunity to extend their role beyond inspiration and become a more connected part of the traveler journey, helping visitors discover, plan, and ultimately act on their travel decisions while driving greater value for local tourism partners and economies."
A recent report by Amadeus found that 74 percent of U.S. travelers use artificial intelligence to plan trips. AI use is expanding across travel, but trust declines when it moves from making suggestions to taking action.
