According to qualitative research conducted by the Analytics and Insights unit within South African Tourism in July 2025 across the US, China, India, Kenya, and the UK, AI is rapidly becoming a trusted travel companion in key international markets.
From itinerary planning to checking restaurant menus on the go, consumers are embracing AI tools like ChatGPT, Co-Pilot, DeepSeek and others to simplify, personalise, and enhance their journeys. And the shift is happening not only in the planning phase, but also while on the ground, replacing stress with seamlessness.
We are at the dawn of the Web 3.0 era, a time when travellers expect smarter, more personalised digital experiences. For destinations and tourism products, this means developing richer, more detailed access to information and organising it into intuitive routes and journeys. AI is no longer the stuff of sci-fi, but a tool that sits in our pockets, guiding our decisions, and more recently, travelling along with us. So, are you ready to ride this wave?
Embracing the inspiration from algorithms
In China, algorithms, often referred to as machine learning, are viewed as powerful tools that enhance personalisation. Consumers are actively shaping their digital experiences by engaging in behaviours that teach their apps to surface content and products that match their individual preferences.
“Because I am interested in travel, I may occasionally search for the keyword “travel”. Then the system may know my search preferences and occasionally recommend related bloggers to me.” Male, 25–40, Single, no kids (China).
Another consumer notes: “No need to deliberately follow. It [platform such as RedNote] pushes relentlessly once you’ve searched.“ Male, 41-50, Married with kids (China)
“Sometimes I’ll even ask AI tools to plan my itinerary, like ‘give me a 7-day trip in Italy’ with food and art, and it gives me ideas instantly. As well as to translate certain things into English or Mandarin.” Female, 25–40, Married with kids (China).
Planning Reimagined: Instant Itineraries, Tailored Trips
In India, where holiday planning is often a meticulous affair, AI is proving to be a powerful shortcut.
“It’s made my research much easier. This was the first time I used it to plan a holiday with my child in December. I used ChatGPT to give me a list of hotels which have good kids’ activities in terms of kids’ clubs, an aqua park and all of that. And it was so much easier than actually going through hotel websites or going through 10,000 photographs to see if they even have it.”
— Female, 41–50, Married with kids (India).
Travellers are no longer relying solely on traditional search engines or travel agents. They’re turning to AI for a faster, more intuitive way to build their dream getaways.
A respondent we engaged with in the United Kingdom used AI to help maximise value for money and to assist him in estimating the overall cost of a trip.
…, you have the AI tools and stuff which is already happening, right. So, things like ChatGPT, you already use to help plan some parts of your holiday. Like you might use it to find an itinerary, or you might use it to be like, where’s a good place to go for this…I get the most value for money with ChatGPT”
Male, Age 25-30, Single (UK)
A One-Stop Shop for Stress-Free Planning
In the US, consumers are finding AI particularly useful for compressing hours of research into a matter of minutes.
“I’ve started using AI to plan trips, and it’s actually been really helpful. You can say, ‘I have this budget, and I want to go here for these many days,’ and it gives you a whole outline. Then you can tweak it. It saves so much time. For my Croatia trip, I had a rough itinerary in like two hours. It’s a one-stop shop and way less stressful than piecing it together manually.”
Female, 41–50, Single (USA)
Even seasoned travellers are impressed by the time-saving possibilities.
“My wife tends to use ChatGPT the most. She said, ‘We’re going to be in Sicily for this many days, please suggest an itinerary for us.’ It came back with a great outline. We didn’t follow it exactly, but components got folded in. It helped us think of things we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves, which saved time and effort.”
Male, 51–65, Married with kids (USA)
From Search Engine to Travel Sidekick
AI’s role doesn’t stop at booking; it travels with you. In India, younger professionals are already using AI tools like ChatGPT during their trips to access quick answers, directions, or recommendations, bypassing Google altogether.
“When we are visiting any city and want to have some quick answers instead of using Google, we use the ChatGPT app. For other purposes, we use Google Maps. It shows which buses, trains, and metros are available and at what time.”
Male, 31–40, Married without kids (India)
And in some cases, travellers are even using AI to navigate local cuisines, especially when looking for dietary-specific options like vegetarian food.
The Human Touch Still Matters
Despite AI’s growing influence, human intuition and peer validation remain vital. There are examples of traveller who begin their planning by analysing negative reviews. The travellers are paying attention to how establishments and staff respond; this real interaction gives them comfort that the experience will be good regardless of what happens.
“Instead of looking at the latest review, I start in the reverse. I look for the worst ones. What do the negative reviews say? And also check with my office colleagues.”
Male, 31–40, Married with kids (India)
A Travel Revolution in the Making
No longer just a tool, AI is now a companion: saving time, offering tailored inspiration, and making the planning process as exciting as the journey itself. As AI tools evolve, so too does the way we explore the world.
From family holidays, solo sojourns, menus and maps, AI is doing more than helping us travel.
This shift is helping tourists travel more meaningfully, while destinations are being challenged to rethink their operations to make sense of the opportunities created by these evolving behaviours. South African Tourism is actively researching to better understand these changes and will be updating the published market booklets with the latest traveller profiles once the study is complete. The updated insights will be rolled out in the coming months, shared with key stakeholders, and made available across our platforms.
Source: Qualitative research was conducted by South African Tourism in July 2025 across India, China, Kenya, the UK, and the USA, as part of a broader study aimed at gaining deeper insights into these key markets.
