Travel Decision-Making in the Age of AI – Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract:

Travel planning has undergone significant transformations over the past decades due to the advancement of information technologies. Traditional, in-person travel agency services have gradually been replaced by online platforms, enabling users to independently compare offers and organize their trips. In recent years, however, a new paradigm shift has emerged: the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the preparation and optimization of the travel experience. In the research, four freely accessible artificial intelligence programs and a focus group of four members were asked the same questions. Based on the results, it can be stated that although all respondents answered the questions correctly, the focus of decisions made by humans and artificial intelligence programs diverged significantly. While AI programs approached each question as a “blank slate,” humans often possessed secondary, decision-influencing information about many cities and tourist destinations, acquired mainly from acquaintances’ stories, movies, or social media.