UK Travel and AI: 2026
"As AI moves from supporting travel decisions to making them, trust will become a key differentiator for brands."
Sinead O'Connor, Travel Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for Travel and AI
- Opportunities
- Now: win by designing for trust, not replacing it
- Next: monetise in-trip recommendations to unlock new revenue streams
- Next: build towards agentic AI by automating low-risk decisions first
- Graph 1: select support desired from AI tools before or during travel, 2026
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THE MARKET
- Market factors
- AI tools are well placed to solve travel’s fragmentation problem
- Using AI for travel planning is niche but emerging
- Graph 2: uses of AI in the last six months, 2026
- Personalised solutions can unlock value for hesitant consumers
- Graph 3: the financial confidence index, January 2025-June 2026
- Accountability will shape adoption
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THE CONSUMER
- AI-powered search and inspiration
- Using AI tools for inspiration is still niche overall
- AI search will supplement (not replace) the discovery stage
- Graph 4: online platform used first when searching for information on holiday destinations, 2026
- Ideation tops current use cases in holiday planning
- AI-powered recommendations
- Personalised recommendations drive value for both consumers and brands pre-booking
- AI usage is strongest among those travelling further
- Proactive smart recommendations support in-destination planning
- Graph 5: interest in smart upgrade recommendations before or during travel, by household income, 2026
- Vision for the future: always-on, proactive support drives upsell opportunity
- Trust and AI-powered travel
- Trust concerns will slow AI adoption among key traveller groups
- Graph 6: age, by interest in using AI in travel planning – NET, 2026
- Branded chatbots do not have a trust advantage
- Human-in-the-loop is still a key differentiator
- Human-first, AI-enhanced customer support could command a premium
- Safeguard brand equity with AI guardrails
- Graph 7: UK, select perceptions of travel recommendation sources, 2026
- Agentic solutions in travel
- Keep the joy of the planning process
- Opportunities for in-brand agentic solutions
- Prioritise low-risk agentic use cases
- End-to-end trip planning is the next frontier
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- loveholidays combines the best of Gen AI search and in-house expertise
- Google is building agentic commerce for goods and accommodation
- Trip.com offers a glimpse of an all-in-one travel ecosystem
- Future-focused innovations improve accessibility of travel support
- The view from retail: Tesco closes the gap between inspiration and purchase
- Network Rail promises to improve disruption management using AI
- Learnings from foodservice: introducing AI means reimagining hospitality
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- UK generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Abbreviations
- Abbreviations and terms
A significant share of consumers who have used AI for travel planning are satisfied with the recommendations it provides and 28% of this group would be happy for AI tools to book parts of a trip on their behalf. This shows AI is already proving its value among early adopters by reducing planning effort and improving convenience. As confidence in these tools grows, there is clear commercial potential for brands to use AI to automate more stages of the booking journey, helping increase conversion and reduce drop-off.
AI is particularly well placed to address the fragmentation that often slows the path from inspiration to booking. By reducing the time and effort required to compare options and make decisions, AI can minimise friction and shorten booking journeys. This is especially relevant in an environment of increased uncertainty and more last-minute planning, where personalised recommendations and proactive support can help convert hesitant consumers into bookers.
In travel, the brand-customer relationship extends beyond booking. As capabilities evolve, this creates opportunities for AI-driven personalisation to boost engagement and ancillary spend throughout the trip. However, travel is a high-value, high-stakes category, meaning AI errors can have costly financial and reputational consequences. Brands should take a graduated approach to the rollout of agentic solutions, balancing the benefits of AI against the need to maintain consumer trust and service quality.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Use of AI during search and inspiration journey
- Use of AI recommendations and interest in proactive recommendation options
- The role of trust and reputational risks of chatbot suggestions
- Agentic solutions in travel including early stage adoption and prospects for end to end trip planning
Market Definitions
This Report examines the behaviours and attitudes of UK adults concerning how they utilise AI tools in travel planning.
An adult, for the purposes of Mintel’s research, is anyone aged 16 or over.
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