Key Takeaways
- 56% of U.S. leisure travelers used artificial intelligence for travel planning in the past year, marking a significant increase.
- Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini account for 33% of trip research, narrowing the gap with traditional search engines.
- Travelers remain cautious, as only 8% trust AI answers alone; 51% click through to source websites for verification.
- Millennials lead AI adoption at 74%, with Gen Z at 72% and baby boomers increasing usage from 13% to 27%.
- AI is also valuable for in-destination support, with 51% using it for real-time recommendations and 95% finding it helpful for tasks.
More than half of U.S. leisure travelers now use artificial intelligence to plan, book or navigate their trips, according to new research from Phocuswright, signaling the fastest behavioral shift the travel industry has seen in ten years.
Phocuswright’s new report – The AI Surge: Travel’s Fastest Behavioral Shift in a Decade – shows that 56% of travelers used AI for at least one trip in the past 12 months, up sharply from 43% in late 2025 and more than double the share in 2024. Overall AI use among travelers – not limited to travel tasks – has also climbed to 59%.
“AI has crossed the threshold from curiosity to utility,” said Pete Comeau, managing director of Phocuswright. “Travelers are past the point of experimenting now – they’re integrating AI into the core of how they research and shape their trips. This is a structural shift, and it’s happening faster than anything we’ve tracked in the past decade.”
The report finds that generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini have surged to 33% usage for trip research, quintupling since 2024 and closing in on general search engines, which hold 35%. Yet travelers still verify what they see: only 8% said AI answers alone were sufficient, and 51% typically clicked through to source websites after receiving AI‑generated results.
“Half of travelers who used AI in search engines told us they still clicked through to source websites after seeing AI answers in search,” said Mike Coletta, senior manager of research and innovation at Phocuswright. “This violates the common narrative of a zero click world. AI is definitely reducing clickthrough in search overall, but travel is much more resilient because it’s higher stakes and verification-heavy, especially in the transaction phase. Which helps explain why Google and the OTAs continue to report solid financial results.”
Standalone AI platforms remain the most widely used and most valued: 64% of AI travelers used them, and 81% said they were the most useful environment for AI‑powered trip planning.
Cross‑generational acceleration
While millennials lead in adoption (74%), the growth is broad‑based. Usage among Gen Z reached 72%, Gen X hit 50%, and baby boomers more than doubled their adoption in six months, rising from 13% to 27%.
AI’s role expands from planning to in‑destination support
Travelers increasingly rely on AI once they arrive in their destinations. More than half (51%) used AI for real‑time recommendations on what to do, and 95% rated it helpful for in‑destination tasks such as navigation, learning about neighborhoods and managing reservations.
The release of this research comes as Phocuswright prepares for its Phocuswright Europe conference, taking place this June. The conference will bring together leaders from across travel, technology and investment to examine how AI is reshaping traveler expectations, supplier strategies and the competitive landscape.
“This is the fastest behavioral shift we have measured in well over a decade of tracking consumer travel behavior,” added Comeau. “At Phocuswright Europe, we’ll explore AI’s strongest role in travel today, which is reducing friction at the moments when travelers need context, comparison and confidence.”
