Why most travel agencies are not ready to succeed with AI

The travel industry wants AI, but is not ready for it (yet).

Artificial intelligence is quickly moving from a future promise to a present-day expectation. Travel agencies worldwide no longer debate whether AI will matter. Most already believe it will play an important role in improving efficiency, decision-making, and customer experience.

Data from the State of Travel Agency Operations reflects this clearly. Across agencies of all sizes, there is a strong interest in AI and a clear aspiration to benefit from it. But at the same time, a large share of agencies still rely on manual processes and run on a basic technological foundation.

This contrast between aspirations and current foundation will not only limit the use of AI, but can prove to be a structural blocker holding travel agencies back.

AI cannot work around broken foundations

The problem is not a lack of ideas or effort. It’s the operational reality and the technological foundation.

AI depends on data that is accurate, consistent, and accessible. Yet data from the State of Travel Agency Operations benchmark shows that integration levels across core agency systems remain low. Bookings, customer data, finance, and operations are often spread across disconnected tools, with manual processes still widely used to move data between them.

In these environments, data does not flow. It gets stuck in silos.

When systems are disconnected, AI only sees fragments of reality. Insights are incomplete, automation fails at the edges, and outputs are difficult to trust. As a result, AI is reduced to a surface-level helper instead of becoming a core operational capability.

No AI tool can fix this. And no amount of experimentation will change the outcome while the foundation remains the same.

The real risk is falling further behind

There is a growing divide in the industry. Agencies that invest in modern, connected operations are building the conditions AI needs to succeed. Others are falling further behind, even if their AI ambitions are just as strong.

Data from the State of Travel Agency Operations benchmark shows that manual effort remains a defining feature of day-to-day operations for many agencies, despite the growing interest in automation and AI. This manual complexity limits scale and makes it harder for AI to deliver meaningful impact.

This gap will not close on its own. AI amplifies existing strengths and weaknesses. Agencies with clean, connected data move faster, automate more, and make better decisions. Agencies with outdated systems face rising complexity, higher effort, and slower response times.

The path forward is clear, even if it is not easy. Agencies that want AI to deliver real value must start by modernizing their operational foundations. Strong integrations, fewer manual handovers, and reliable data are not optional. They are the price of entry.

There is no doubt that AI will shape the future of travel agencies. But only those with connected operations will be able to use it as a real advantage.

Would you like to know how you can prepare your agency for the future and pave the way for meaningful AI adoption?