*By Christina Lainopoulou
Only 17%-20% say they trust AI-generated answers – Friends, family and travel agents remain more reliable sources of trust
Artificial intelligence It may be playing an increasingly prominent role in travel planning, but European travellers are not yet ready to hand over… the keys to their holidays.
New research from Phocuswright It highlights a striking discrepancy between usage and trust: travellers are increasingly turning to AI tools to search for destinations, flights, hotels and travel information, but when it comes to making a decision, they still place far greater trust in human recommendations.
According to the Europe Consumer Travel Report 2026, amongst travellers using AI for trip planning, 44%-51% in Britain, France and Germany turn to autonomous AI platforms.
Meanwhile, AI tools integrated into online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch platforms account for 21%–33% of usage, whilst AI responses within search engines account for a further 25%–34%.
In contrast, the websites and apps operated directly by tourism businesses and providers themselves lag far behind, with rates of only 11%-16%.
AI for information, humans for decision-making
The most interesting finding, however, concerns trust, as AI currently functions more as a “assistant” rather than an “authority” for the traveller. Phocuswright’s complementary research, Europe’s Trust Economy: Confidence as the Travel Industry’s Newest Competitive Advantage, shows that friends and family are still the most trusted source of travel advice.
Specifically, 42%–55% of European travellers say they trust personal recommendations a lot or quite a lot. Traditional travel agents follow, with trust ratings ranging from 33% to 42%.
In contrast, trust in the answers generated by artificial intelligence remains at just 17%-20%.
A different attitude from that of the British, Germans and French
The British seem more open to AI and digital tools, the Germans more cautious, whilst the French are more sceptical towards several sources of information.
For travel businesses, this means that a single communication strategy centred on AI is unlikely to work in the same way across all European markets.
As Managing Director of Phocuswright Pete Comeau As he points out, consumer attention is no longer focused on a single channel, but is divided between autonomous AI tools, search engines and online travel platforms.
The message to hotels, airlines, OTAs and other tourism businesses is clear: the next battle will not be decided simply by who makes greater use of artificial intelligence, but by who will succeed in making it more transparent, verifiable and reliable for travellers.
The findings will be the focus of the Phocuswright Travel Marketing AI Summit, London, taking place on 8 September in London, with executives from Booking Holdings, Ryanair, Skyscanner, Google, Expedia Group, GetYourGuide, TikTok, trivago and VisitBritain/VisitEngland in attendance.
Source: tornosnews.gr