Summary of this article
97 per cent travellers want single all-in-one travel app.
AI tools personalise trips and predict best booking times.
Social media and reviews strongly influence travel choices.
Technology has swiftly found its way into the world of travel planning. According to the latest WTM Global Travel Report 2025, approximately 80 per cent of travellers now use digital platforms to research or make a booking for an international trip. This includes online travel agencies, review sites, social media, and AI-powered virtual assistants. Travellers are no longer using multiple sites or agents but are turning to just a few trusted digital tools that offer everything in one place.
The report points out that 97 per cent of travellers want a single, one-stop app to manage their entire journey from search and booking to tracking itineraries and customer support. The seamless experiences now increasingly being created for travel are fuelled by the rise in the use of AI.
Rise of AI Trip Planners
AI-powered assistants and chatbots are the new travel agents. AI-integrated apps provide personalised travel itineraries based on preference, budget, and location. According to the report, travellers from China and the US are among the biggest users of such AI agents.
For example, the AI system at Expedia, called Scout, interprets traveller behaviour and market trends to recommend hotels and destinations. The report states that the system increased the transactions of its partner hotels by 10 per cent. Similarly, Booking.com has introduced an AI-powered "Smart Filter" that lets travellers describe what they want in natural language, such as "a quiet beach hotel with local food", and get precise results instantly.
AI is also changing the way flights and hotels are booked. Apps like Hopper, Google Flights, and Skyscanner use machine learning to predict future price changes that help users decide on the best time to buy. These predictive tools analyse tons of data points to advise users when fares are likely to rise or fall to help save money.
The Age Of Super Apps
The report states that online travel agencies are now turning into "super apps", which combine a variety of travel services under one umbrella. These include booking flights and hotels, local experiences, car rentals, and even offering payments. Examples include Uber Safari, which lets users book wildlife experiences directly inside the Uber app in Africa, or Airbnb Experiences, which allows hosts to sell local tours with stays.
This integrated experience provides convenience and consistency for the traveller, but equally allows platforms to capture invaluable streams of user insights. The companies use the insights for personalisation of recommendations, dynamic pricing, and prediction of customer preferences.
Reviews as Deciding Factor
Online reviews remain a powerful influence in travel decisions. According to the report, 37 per cent of travellers browse review sites like TripAdvisor when planning trips, while over 60 per cent consult Google reviews before booking hotels or experiences. Review platforms have become essential for building trust, especially with Google's "zero-click" searches displaying reviews directly in search results.
Social media also plays a major role. About 31 per cent of travellers said they used social media when planning or booking a trip, and 90 per cent of them found it influential in choosing destinations and activities. Short videos such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are driving interest in new locations. The report says video time on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram grew by over 20 per cent in the US in 2025.
AI is even shaping what users see on social media. For example, Meta's Advantage+ tools automatically target ads for travel to users most likely to be interested in such offers, helping tourism companies find the right audience.
The Future of AI in Travel
WTM expects AI's role in global tourism to be valued at more than $13 billion by 2030, growing at nearly 30 per cent every year. This growth shows that AI is not just a convenience feature; it's really beginning to become the backbone of how travel businesses work.
