More than half of Gen Z travellers trust AI to complete their bookings: WTM Global Travel Report

According to the newly released WTM Global Travel Report, over half of Gen Z travellers trust artificial intelligence to complete bookings on their behalf.

The study – unveiled during WTM London that’s underway this week — aggregates proprietary data from the report’s partner, Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company and findings from other respected research companies, with case studies and examples from travel organizations.

AI is clearly having a growing influence on the traveller decision-making process. Already, more than half of travellers across all age groups trust AI tools to search and compare prices (58%) or generate recommendations (53%).

Use of AI chatbots for international trip planning has more than doubled from 10% in 2024 to 24% in 2026, with younger travellers driving this change – the under-35s are almost five times as likely as those aged 55 or over to have used AI for inspiration or itinerary development.

A similar demographic difference emerges when looking at whether agentic AI – AI which can complete tasks autonomously on a traveller’s behalf – will become a booking channel as well as a search tool. The WTM Global Travel Report found that, overall, 36% of travellers trust agentic AI to complete a booking.

By age group, more than half (54%) of 18- 34-year-olds said they trusted AI to complete the bookings compared with only 18% of those aged 55 and over.

The report said that: “As awareness and usage increase, trust in using AI applications to complete bookings is likely to grow.”

It also suggested that the current influence of AI on bookings might be under-reported. Referring to Booking Holdings’ recent statement that referrals from AI platforms account for less than 1% of its room nights, the study said: “Travellers who research a trip with an AI assistant and then book directly or through a search engine are not counted as AI referrals, so much of AI’s role in shaping decisions goes unrecorded”.

As well, the report looked at how the industry perceives the current role of AI. Tourism Economics found that almost nine in ten (87%) tourism organizations were using AI in early 2026, with operational efficiency (47%) the most effective use.

Examples cited include Royal Caribbean Group, whose use of AI for revenue management, particularly on late bookings, has helped it lift net yields by 2%. The cruise line has also used predictive models to forecast food production in 15-minute windows, cutting food waste by close to half.

Elsewhere, Booking Holdings cut customer service costs per booking by around 10% in 2025 even as bookings grew by a similar rate, and reports that this decrease is continuing at double-digit pace in 2026. More than half of Expedia Group’s 250 million service interactions a year are self-service, with more than 30% powered by AI.

Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director, WTM London, said: “The WTM Global Travel Report provides a range of data-based reference points, all confirming that AI is not an emerging trend, it is an established part of travel and tourism industry.”

Said Carter-Chapman: “Its influence is only going to grow, not only in terms of how travellers search and book, but also in how the industry operates.”