AI Goes Mainstream in Travel Planning, New Report Finds

Consumer confidence surrounding the use of AI in the travel planning and booking process has reached new levels and by some accounts is going fully mainstream.

A new report from Phocuswright shows that one-third of U.S. travelers now use AI tools to either plan or experience trips – a development the report’s authors call a “seismic shift in traveler behavior.”  

“What began as experimentation with ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google Gemini is now a core component of trip planning for millions,” says the report.

But even more eye-opening, up to 37 percent of travelers say they now “trust GenAi’s recommendations enough to act on them.”

Additionally, just over 50 percent of U.S. travelers have at least tried GenAI or are actively using it (for any topic, not just travel).

The new statistics are based on traveler surveys conducted across the United States, UK, France and Germany between March 31 and April 25, 2025.

Usage by country 

GenAI usage in Europe lags that of the U.S., partly due to regulations in the EU. The U.S. leads the pack by far of all countries studied, with 33 percent of travelers using Generative AI in the travel process, compared to 22 percent in the UK, 19 precent in France and 15 percent in Germany.

The study found at least a 3- to 4- point increase in usage of GenAI for trip planning between 2024 to 2025 in travelers from all three countries.

Booking travel

The new data also covers how travelers are using AI with regard to the travel process. Between one-quarter and one-third of travelers across countries are already interested in booking travel within a GenAI platform or are letting an AI assistant book for them.

This development will be further facilitated “by the integration of shopping and payment within GenAI environments,” the report explains. Moreover, widespread adoption of digital forms of ID is expected to also smooth the transition to increased reliance on AI for booking.

Planning travel

When it comes to using AI to completely plan a trip, usage by country is a mixed bag, with the U.S. no longer in the lead.

For instance, 19 percent of U.S. travelers have used GenAI to plan at least one trip, compared to 30 percent of travelers in France. The UK is tied with the U.S. in this category at 19 percent as well, while in Germany the figure is 16 percent of travelers having used AI to plan at least one trip.

As for continued use of AI in trip planning, 19 percent of U.S. travelers say they have used AI to plan at least two trips, while 14 percent of UK travelers said the same thing, followed by 13 percent in Germany and 11 percent in France.

Looking toward the future

The Phocuswright report predicts that in the coming months and years the travel industry should expect to see “many more developments that will change traveler behavior.”

“ChatGPT will gain popularity, travel company offerings will mature, and Google will roll0out Ai-powered commerce integrated into the search environment and in products commonly used in-destination such as Google Maps,” says the report. “With these advances, travelers will happily follow.”

This article about how AI goes mainstream in travel planning originally appeared in TravelPulse.

At My Journey Begins Travel, we utilize advanced tools but are old school when it comes to the human element.