Let me start by clarifying what travel agents are: they are professional travel advisors, and not booking agents who simply make bookings on behalf of clients. A true travel advisor (or travel agent) provides expert advice and professional guidance at all stages of travel, from pre-travel research to booking to providing assistance (if needed) during the client's travels. It's an important distinction to make because when considering whether AI is capable of replacing a professional travel agent. With that in mind, let's look at how AI fares in comparison to human travel agents...
AI: AI algorithms analyse vast datasets to deliver personalised suggestions, taking into account a travellers’ search-based preferences, past behaviours and real-time trends. Bear in mind, though, that the level of personalisation is dependent on the prompts put in by the user, and that the information produced can often be outdated as the AI is simply churning out answers based on specific prompts.
Travel Agents: Unlike AI, which relies on algorithms and data patterns, travel agents listen to your preferences, understand your desires, and even read between the lines to suggest options you hadn't even considered. In other words, a travel agent actually knows you in real life; what you like/dislike, what your personal circumstances are, whether you have kids, special needs, what your dietary preferences are, and more.
Think of it this way: based on your searches and/or prompts an AI may know that you’re interested in a Mediterranean cruise, but it won’t know that you have two young kids in tow so the cruise needs to be child friendly and have babysitting services. It also won’t know your partner is vegetarian and that speciality dining bookings need to specify this. It also won’t know that you cruised the Western Mediterranean two years ago and you now want to explore the Eastern Mediterranean. A trusted travel agent will know all this, and much more, and be able to provide personalised recommendations and tailor-made itineraries based on your individual preferences and budgets.
Moreover, the expertise of travel agents extends beyond mere booking capabilities. They possess insider knowledge about destinations, the best times to visit, hidden gems and tips that can't be found on a generic online search (remember that AI is gleaned from publicly available information, i.e. the same answers to the same questions that have been asked again and again by millions of people worldwide).
In short: a good travel agents’ advice is grounded in personal experience or the shared experiences of colleagues and clients, providing a richness to their recommendations that AI simply cannot replicate.
AI: AI-powered platforms provide 24/7 accessibility and instant assistance, allowing travellers to research, plan and book their trips at their convenience, without the need for human interaction.
Travel Agents: Planning a trip, especially to unfamiliar destinations, can be overwhelming and time-consuming no matter how good the AI travel tool is. Travel agents take the burden off your shoulders, handling every aspect of your trip, from flights and hotels to tours and transfers. This convenience allows you to focus on the excitement of your upcoming trip rather than getting bogged down in the minutiae of planning.
And, while AI tools can offer suggestions, they lack the ability to manage and coordinate all elements of travel planning with the same ease and efficiency.
Importantly, a reputable travel agent will also provide clients with 24/7 online tools to access itineraries, change bookings or seek online help direct from travel suppliers. But above all, a travel agent is a real person you can call if/when that online chat bot is unable to assist, especially in emergency situations.
AI: AI-driven tools analyse pricing trends and offer real-time discounts and deals, helping travellers secure cost-effective options for flights, accommodation, car rental, tours and activities.
Travel Agents: Travel agents also have access to AI tools that analyse pricing trends and offer real-time discounts and deals. Plus travel agents have direct relationships with travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, car rental, tour operators, etc.), giving them access to exclusive deals, upgrades and amenities not available to the general public, thereby ensuring you get more bang for your buck.
While travel agents do charge a nominal service fee, this fee is negligible in terms of the what you will typically save when booking via a travel agent (see The Hidden Costs of Booking Your Own Travel vs. Package Holidays for more on how DIY travel bookings usually end up being far more expensive).
Remember that travel Advisors can provide the best of both worlds: access to the traditional benefits as well as the developing AI tools. The freedom of being able to do something yourself online is quickly lost when something goes wrong.
AI: AI-powered platforms use predictive analytics and automation to streamline the booking process, providing instant recommendations and optimising travel itineraries for efficiency.
Travel Agents: An expert travel agent – particularly members of large, travel agency groups like Sure Travel– have equal access to the same level of automation at the same speeds and efficiency.
In fact, due to their direct relationships with travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, tour operators, etc.), travel agencies typically have better automated bookings platforms with more reliable and accurate real-time info. This is because the info is straight from the travel supplier, whereas an AI gleans info via multiple third party websites, leaving plenty of room for contradictions, confusion and/or errors. So it's important not to confuse quick access to information via AI with accurate and/or up to date information direct from travel suppliers.
AI: AI-equipped virtual assistants offer real-time support and instant responses, enabling travellers to make changes to their bookings and receive assistance around the clock, without human intervention.
Travel Agents: Travel is unpredictable. Flights get cancelled, hotels overbook, and personal emergencies arise. In such scenarios, a travel agent becomes your advocate, working tirelessly on your behalf to resolve issues. They have the contacts, knowledge and negotiation skills to reroute flights, secure last-minute accommodations and ensure your travel plans remain as seamless as possible. An AI, no matter how sophisticated, cannot negotiate or empathise with your stress and frustration during these moments.
Or, as any seasoned traveller will tell you, “without human intervention” is not actually a selling point because you’re not going to have much luck “speaking” to an AI chatbot when you’re stranded in Burkina Faso at 2am after your connecting flight was cancelled!
AI: AI technologies continuously learn and improve from user interactions and feedback, enhancing reliability and trustworthiness over time.
Travel Agents: Travel agents are also learning creatures and, unlike AI, they build in-person relationships with their clients and offer expertise and guidance based on first-hand knowledge and experience.
In addition, travel agents have direct relationships with global travel suppliers such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies and tour operators. This means travel agents are getting travel booking information for their own real-time, online systems direct, and not from data sets, so the likelihood of the information being incorrect is slim to none.
Plus, if things do go wrong, travel agents have the connections, expertise and problem-solving skills to assist, whereas an AI will probably just spit out inane suggestions seemingly designed to anger and frustrate the stranded traveller.
The somewhat unsatisfactory answer for anyone wanting a clear-cut winner is: neither, and both! Let us explain…
AI without the guidance of human travel agents with considerable experience, knowledge and expertise is, for now, nothing more than a cutting-edge online booking engine. While more advanced, faster and personalised than any previous online booking engines, AI travel assistants still have the same intrinsic flaws that have long-plagued online booking engines: inaccurate/irrelevant search results; no direct relationship to travel suppliers and the preferred rates these partnerships offer; less accountability/no direct point of contact when things go wrong; less personal knowledge, expertise, problem-solving skills and on-the-ground connections.
On the other hand, travel agents have access to direct travel supplier deals, and they offer unique human attributes such as personal touch, expert knowledge and problem-solving skills, which cannot be replicated by AI.
The bottom line is that, just like online bookings failed to replace the human expertise of travel agents; AI is unlikely to replace travel agents now or in the near future.
What is changing, however, is that savvy travel agents are using advancements in AI to up their game and become more valuable and relevant to today’s traveller. Because if you take the benefits of AI and pair those with the unique human attributes of an experienced travel agent, you have a winning team on your side.