Travel Agencies Face the Challenge of Improving Efficiency While Maintaining Trust
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a workplace tool for travel agencies, supporting tasks such as product planning, customer service, marketing, and data analysis. However, rather than focusing on a single survey figure suggesting that most travel agency employees use AI, it is important to recognize that adoption rates vary significantly depending on company size and job function.
According to an AI policy report on the tourism industry published by the OECD in 2024, 11% of companies in the travel agency and tour operator sector were using at least one AI technology as of 2023. While this shows that AI adoption is underway, it is still too early to conclude that the technology has become widespread across the industry.
Key Areas Where Travel Agencies Use AI
Customer Service and Itinerary Recommendations
Travel agencies can use AI to draft responses to customer inquiries and organize information on destinations, accommodations, and transportation based on travelers’ goals and budgets. Automating repetitive information requests allows employees to spend more time handling complex consultations and making final decisions.
Product Planning and Marketing
AI can analyze a range of data, including search volumes, booking data, and customer responses, to identify travel products likely to be in high demand and understand different customer segments. The OECD says that in tourism, marketing and sales are among the first functions to adopt AI, with its use later expanding into management, research, and innovation.
Content Creation and Translation
Generative AI can be used to draft travel product descriptions, advertising copy, newsletters, and translations into multiple languages. However, information such as flight schedules, cancellation and refund policies, and visa and entry requirements must be checked by staff, as errors can cause real harm to customers.
Benefits and Limitations of Adopting AI
AI’s biggest advantages are its ability to organize large amounts of information quickly and reduce repetitive work. By analyzing tourists’ preferences and behavior, travel agencies can offer more personalized products and speed up the booking and customer service processes.
At the same time, information generated by AI is not always accurate. The OECD has identified the reliability and accuracy of AI-generated content, data privacy, and consumer protection as key policy challenges in the tourism industry. Because itineraries and prices can change in real time, AI-generated responses should never be passed directly to customers without verification.
Employment patterns are also expected to change. Tasks such as booking and providing basic information may be affected by automation, but understanding customers’ complex needs and handling exceptional situations will continue to require human judgment and communication skills. AI should therefore be viewed less as a tool for replacing employees than as an aid that changes how they work.
Examples of AI Use in South Korea’s Tourism Sector
The OECD’s 2026 tourism policy report highlighted the Korea Tourism Organization’s AI Kokkok travel recommendation service and examples of AI use by domestic travel information platforms. These services support the summarization of travel content, destination and itinerary recommendations, and the refinement of recommendations using data on users’ activities.
These examples show that AI can be used not only in services for travelers but also to support travel agencies’ product development and customer consultations. However, ensuring high-quality data and transparent algorithms is essential to reduce bias in recommendations and provide users with reliable information.
Policy and Practical Challenges for Travel Agencies Using AI
To expand AI adoption, travel agencies should first establish guidelines for how the technology will be used in each area of work rather than simply purchasing new services. Organizations need to set clear rules on what personal and contract information may be entered, who is responsible for reviewing generated results, and what information can be provided to customers.
Training and support for small and midsize travel agencies are also important. The OECD has noted that smaller businesses may lag behind large companies and digitally focused firms in adopting AI in the tourism sector. Practical training, support for data management, and secure AI environments for workplace use are needed to narrow the industry’s digital divide.
Going forward, a travel agency’s competitiveness is likely to depend not on how extensively it uses AI, but on how effectively it combines AI-generated information with employees’ expertise to deliver accurate and fast service.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What tasks can AI handle at a travel agency?
AI can be used to draft responses to customer inquiries, recommend itineraries, write product descriptions, translate content, analyze marketing data, and organize booking data.
Can travel agency employees pass AI-generated answers directly on to customers?
This is not recommended. Staff should verify the latest information whenever details may change, including airfares, flight schedules, cancellation and refund policies, and entry requirements.
Will AI replace travel agency employees?
Repetitive booking and information-provision tasks may be automated, but human judgment and communication will continue to be necessary for complex consultations, customer relationship management, and handling situations on the ground.
What should a small or midsize travel agency prepare first when adopting AI?
The first priorities are to define the purpose of adoption and the tasks AI will support, then establish standards for protecting personal information and procedures for reviewing AI-generated results. After that, expanding the scope of use through employee training and a small-scale pilot program can be an effective approach.
