From deciding where to go to avoiding overcrowded destinations, travelers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence. New Booking.com research suggests the next battle in travel may be for something much harder to earn than a booking: trust.

Remember when planning a vacation meant opening 15 browser tabs, comparing hotels, reading restaurant reviews, checking a map and somehow ending up watching a video about a destination you weren't even planning to visit? AI would like a word. Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving into the travel-planning process, helping people decide not only where to stay, but where to go, what to do and even when not to visit. And travelers are already using it.

According to Booking.com's Global AI Sentiment Report, 67% of travelers surveyed have used AI in connection with a trip at least once, while 62% have used it specifically to plan or book travel.

But there is an interesting catch. Travelers may be willing to ask AI for advice. That doesn't mean they automatically believe everything it tells them. And that gap between use and trust could become one of the most important questions facing hotels, destinations and travel companies as AI reshapes how people discover the world.

AI Has Already Joined the Travel Planning Conversation

Booking.com's study, conducted among more than 37,000 consumers across 33 markets, suggests AI is no longer a futuristic addition to travel. It is already part of the journey.

Among travelers surveyed, 61% said they had used AI while on a trip, while 31% had used it to find and book flights and 30% to book accommodations. Perhaps more interesting is what travelers want AI to do next.

They aren't simply asking it to find the cheapest room.

• 71%want AI recommendations that help them avoid overcrowded destinations or peak travel times.
• 60% want it to recommend experiences that positively impact local communities,
• 38% want help researching new destinations,
• 37% want assistance finding cultural activities and
• 36% want dining recommendations.

That suggests a significant evolution in what a digital travel assistant could become.

The question is moving beyond: Can you find me a hotel?

Toward: Where should I go, when should I go, and how can I experience the destination better?

The New Competition May Start Before Travelers Search for a Hotel

For hospitality brands, that shift has important implications. A traveler traditionally searching for a resort might begin with Google, an OTA, social media or recommendations from friends. AI introduces another path.

Someone can now describe an entire vacation in natural language: I want a quiet beach destination with great food, cultural experiences and a hotel suitable for three generations traveling together. The technology can narrow thousands of possibilities into a handful of recommendations.

Suddenly, the competition isn't only about ranking for “best hotels in Mexico.”It's about whether a hotel, restaurant or destination is relevant enough to appear in the answer to a much more specific question.

For hospitality marketers, that means accurate information, distinctive positioning and authoritative digital content become increasingly valuable. If travelers are asking AI increasingly detailed questions, brands need to give the digital ecosystem enough meaningful information to understand what makes them different. In other words, being online is one thing. Being understandable to both travelers and AI is another.

But There's a Trust Problem

Here is where Booking.com's findings become especially interesting.

Globally, 91% of consumers are excited about AI, and 69% believe it makes life easier.

Yet only 6% fully trust AI solutions, with many users fact-checking the information they receive.

The report also found 53% worry about privacy and how companies use their data, 39% are concerned about issues including bias and misuse, and 35% believe AI can feel impersonal and remove the human touch.That tension matters enormously in travel. A mediocre movie recommendation costs you two hours.A bad travel recommendation can cost you several thousand dollars and a week of vacation.Travel decisions carry financial and emotional weight, which means accuracy and trust can matter just as much as convenience.

Booking.com's data clearly illustrate the paradox: 77% use generative AI, but only 57% trust it. Travelers are using the technology. They're just keeping one eyebrow raised while they do it.

Travelers Want an Assistant, Not an Autopilot

The distinction becomes even clearer when consumers are asked how much control they are willing to surrender. Only 12% said they are comfortable with AI making decisions independently, while 10% said they would not trust it to act without human approval. Even among consumers most enthusiastic about AI, Booking.com found reluctance to remove humans completely from decision-making.That may offer the travel industry an important clue.

The immediate future of AI in travel may not be autonomous systems deciding where everyone goes.It may be something closer to an extraordinarily capable assistant: one that can filter thousands of choices, translate information, identify patterns and make recommendations while leaving the final decision where travelers apparently still want it. With them.

Latin America Is Moving Faster

There is another part of Booking.com's research hospitality companies operating in Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America should pay particular attention to.

For destinations across Mexico and the wider region, that could make Latin America an important testing ground for the next generation of AI-powered travel experiences.

AI Is Moving From Convenience to Better Travel Decisions

Perhaps the most revealing finding in Booking.com's report has little to do with booking efficiency.

Travelers want AI to help them make better choices.

They want to know when a destination is less crowded.

They want to discover local cultural experiences.

They want recommendations that can positively benefit communities.

They want help navigating an increasingly overwhelming universe of travel possibilities.

That creates an opportunity for hospitality companies that extends beyond simply installing another chatbot. Hotels and destinations possess something AI needs: real knowledge about places. The restaurants worth discovering. The neighborhoods travelers overlook. The local traditions that shouldn't be reduced to a photo opportunity. The experiences appropriate for different kinds of guests. The moments when visiting somewhere in another season can completely change the trip. AI can help surface that knowledge at extraordinary speed. Hospitality can give it context.

The Next Great Travel Influencer May Be an Algorithm

Travel discovery has continuously evolved. Guidebooks influenced one generation. Search engines transformed another. Social media turned millions of travelers into publishers, and influencers created an entirely new layer of destination discovery. AI may represent the next shift.

Booking.com's research found 24% of consumers trust AI assistants for travel planning, compared with 19% who trust work colleagues and 14% who trust influencers.

That doesn't mean Instagram inspiration or recommendations from friends are disappearing. It does mean AI has earned a surprisingly influential seat at the travel-planning table. For hotels and destinations, the question therefore isn't simply whether travelers will use artificial intelligence. They already are.

The more important questions are whether AI understands what makes a travel experience distinctive, whether travelers trust the recommendations it provides and whether hospitality companies can use the technology without losing the authenticity that makes people want to travel in the first place.

Because AI may increasingly help decide where the journey begins.

The destination still has to make travelers glad they came.