Generative AI was cited as a “top priority” for the coming year by 46% of travel industry leaders in a new report from Amadeus called “Navigating the future: how generative artificial intelligence is transforming the travel industry.” A total of 306 senior technology decision makers with knowledge of generative AI were questioned in the third quarter of 2024 in 10 countries including Canada, Italy, UK, France, Germany, India, Australia, China, Japan and the US.
Other technologies cited as a top priority for 2025 included data management (38%), cloud architecture (36%), non-generative AI IT infrastructure (34%) and biometric technology (23%).
Globally, over half of travel technology leaders (51%) argue generative AI already has a “significant presence” in the travel industry in their country. A further 36% expect this presence to emerge over the next year, while 11% expect the process to take one to two years. Just 2% of travel technology leaders think it will take three or more years for generative AI to have a significant presence on the travel sector where they are.
Today, 41% of travel companies say their organization has the budget and resources in place to implement generative AI, while 87% are open to working with a third-party vendor to develop generative AI-powered applications.
The report did find several challenges emerging. When asked what, if anything, was slowing the roll-out of the technology, industry leaders said:
- Data security — 35%
- Lack of expertise and training — 34%
- Data quality and inadequate technological infrastructure — 33%
- ROI concerns, lack of use cases or difficulty in estimating value — 30%
- Difficulty in connecting with partners or vendors — 29%
While the process of experimentation continues with the deployment of generative AI, several use cases have emerged in the travel sector. These are led by digital assistance for travelers during booking (53%) and followed by recommendations for activities or venues (48%), content generation (47%), helping staff to better serve customers (45%) and collecting and condensing post-travel feedback (45%).
Sylvain Roy, chief technology officer, Amadeus, said generative AI “is a technology that has the potential to transform every facet of the travel ecosystem, significantly enhancing the passenger experience at every step of the journey.”
While the technology will be a key focus for the next year, he said, questions are rightly being asked about whether it will deliver sufficient returns on investment, while talent shortages are also coming under the spotlight. It is crucial, said Roy, “that we use this new technology responsibly, including ensuring data security, privacy and content reliability. It is time for generative AI to prove it can live up to the hype.”
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