2026 State of Travel: Lack of AI Adoption Becoming Revenue Risk

A new report says that AI adoption is now a prime driver in travel, splitting the industry between travellers who are embracing AI tools and suppliers who largely aren't, and travel advisors must fill the gap.

The human+AI model has staying power, according to Skift, but only if suppliers get on board before technology overtakes them.

Skift Research’s fifth annual State of Travel 2026 report reframes the USD$11 trillion travel industry through a new “Travel Stack” model that cuts across consumers, commerce, operations, and experiences. The 162‑page report shows that AI adoption is accelerating, but unevenly, and that unevenness is becoming a revenue risk.

Traveller familiarity with AI trip‑planning tools has climbed to 62%, with usage up 124% year-over-year. High‑income travellers and business travellers are driving most of the growth, with business travellers using AI at roughly twice the rate of leisure travellers, according to the report.

Travellers are still relying on human advisors, especially when booking cruises (63%), says the report, and new AI-enabled agency models show that advisors can scale. But this only works if suppliers make themselves visible to AI tools, because travellers are increasingly discovering trips using AI first.

But suppliers are behind in narrowing the divide: only 33% of travel companies are experimenting with agentic AI, and just 2% have scaled it.

The impact is already visible: only 6% of hotels appear in AI‑generated search results, leaving most brands invisible at the first traveller query.

In a finding that will surprise few, Skift says discovery has shifted from "search‑scroll‑compare" to "ask‑shortlist‑decide."

The advantage for advisors, however, is that trust in AI remains a hurdle, with a net negative comfort level for AI/chatbot booking. The report shows that booking direct or through an advisor are still the most trusted channels.

Meanwhile, travellers continue to spend, but more carefully. Safety/security and rising costs are tied as top concerns at 54% each, yet 52% of travelers say they’ll adjust plans rather than cancel, and only 1% plan to skip travel entirely.

For those who are travelling, food experiences lead 2026 trip priorities at 71%.

Loyalty is also increasingly transactional: credit‑card and bank rewards outrank hotel and airline programs, and despite hotels spending nearly USD$75 billion annually on distribution and loyalty, 83% of U.S. travellers say they’d switch programs if a competitor better matched their preferences.

Travel advisor jobs expected to grow

The good news is that it's not all doom and gloom on the AI front for advisor jobs, and airlines, hotels, short‑term rentals, OTAs, tours/activities, and cruises show wide spread growth, according to the survey:

Crowding and climate pressures are shaping traveller choices. Forty‑two percent of travellers say they’ll avoid overcrowded or environmentally stressed destinations, and 74% of Barcelona residents say the city has reached its tourism limit.

Meanwhile, The Great Barrier Reef saw its largest annual decline in hard coral cover in 39 years.

The bottom line for advisors: AI has become infrastructure for high‑income and business travelers, while most suppliers, especially independent hotels and small experience operators, remain largely invisible in AI‑driven discovery.