THERE is “not a chance” that AI will fully replace your travel agent as “the human touch becomes premium”, travel and AI experts have said.
Amazon and Google are spending billions in new AI investment and ChatGPT now answers 2.5 billion questions a day.
One in four UK businesses uses AI, double the figure from just two years ago. From Netflix recommendations to NHS diagnostics, artificial intelligence is everywhere.
AI use in the UK has doubled in two years. Among young people aged 15 to 24, one in four already uses it daily.
But the latest research from ABTA shows 34% of the UK population continue to book their holiday through a travel consultant rather than online.
Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel, said there is “not a chance” that AI will fully replace travel agents.
He added: “AI is the filling in the sandwich, but travel consultants are the bread that holds it together.
“We’re using AI to sharpen efficiency, not replace empathy or emotional intelligence.”
Witt continued: “The next five years will reward the firms who combine data with understanding consumers – not the ones chasing headlines about robots.
“The real disruption will hit price comparison websites and online booking platforms, businesses built entirely on self-service. When AI can comparison-shop faster than any website, that model comes under pressure. The human model, built on trust and expertise, becomes more valuable, not less.”
AI is the filling in the sandwich
Kate Allen, Owner at Kingsbridge-based Finest Stays, agreed that we need more genuine human connection in travel.
She said: “As a holiday lettings agency, we constantly have it rammed down our throats that we should be using AI for efficiency. My motto has always been that technology should let us be more human, not less, and that’s exactly what we’ll stick to. Tools like ChatGPT are a complete no brainer for parts of our business, but hospitality still relies heavily on emotional intelligence.
“Reading between the lines of a worried guest email, sensing when an owner needs reassurance, or simply picking up the phone instead of firing off another automated reply, that has to stay in human hands. Where AI will play a bigger role for us is in streamlining the basics such as pricing and availability data, parking details, house capacity, and standard information requests.
“That kind of adoption is crucial for growth and efficiency. But we have to remember we’re in hospitality. People buy people. If technology ever gets in the way of genuine human connection, then we’ve missed the point entirely.”
Technology should let us be more human
Colette Mason, Author & AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, said AI still needs humans overseeing it.
She added: “The ‘AI versus humans’ framing here is already wrong. The real question is: who carries the risk when something goes wrong? An algorithm doesn’t own the fallout when your holiday collapses mid-trip. A good consultant with ABTA cover does, and that accountability and peace of mind is worth paying for.
“Significant problems on holiday can cost thousands to resolve. Most businesses celebrating AI adoption haven’t asked the harder question: what decisions are too important for a system that can’t be held responsible? Travel, legal advice, finance and health questions aren’t pure efficiency problems. They’re trust problems too. AI makes research faster. It doesn’t make judgements safer.
“The sectors about to get hurt aren’t the ones ignoring AI. They’re the ones automating everything except the bit that earns the premium: human oversight, professional liability, and the confidence to say ‘don’t book that one.’ If you can’t price that, a bot will replace you. If you can, nothing will.”
The human touch becomes premium
Mitali Deypurkaystha, AI Strategist at Newcastle upon Tyne-based Impact Icon AI, said travel agents bring “real human warmth”.
She continued: “While AI answers 2.5 billion questions a day, 25% of Britons say they feel lonely. That’s a bleak barometer of a digital and social media age that promised connection but delivered distance. It’s no surprise that 34% of UK travellers still choose a human consultant, because when everything feels automated, the human touch becomes premium.
“I recently booked a trip to Singapore with an agent who told me she got engaged there. She even booked me into the same hotel she stayed at, as it was ‘spectacular.’
“In that moment, I knew she’d treat my trip like it mattered, not like data. AI can sort options, but it can’t share stories or spark trust. In a society craving connection, the businesses that blend smart tech with real human warmth won’t just survive. They’ll stand out.”
Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash.
