Travel companies are losing visibility into the customer journey

AI-driven discovery is making it harder to understand where bookings, traffic, and traveler decisions originate

Travel companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, but many still lack a clear understanding of how travelers are actually using AI during the booking journey. Research from TravelTech Show found that a large share of operators cannot fully track how customers engage with generative AI tools or identify where online traffic and bookings are coming from. The findings highlight a growing challenge as discovery behavior spreads across AI assistants, social media platforms, traditional search engines, and emerging recommendation systems. As the digital customer journey becomes more fragmented, visibility into traveler intent and attribution is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Key takeaways

• Customer behavior is becoming harder to track: Nearly one-third of surveyed travel operators said they do not know how travelers are using generative AI to interact with their business.
• Traffic attribution is weakening: More than one-fifth of respondents admitted they cannot clearly identify where bookings and website traffic originate through online search channels.
• AI is reshaping the booking journey: Travelers are increasingly combining AI tools, social media, and traditional search engines during trip planning and booking, creating more fragmented discovery paths.
• Travel brands face growing visibility challenges: As AI intermediaries become part of travel discovery, companies may receive less direct insight into traveler intent, preferences, and decision-making behavior.
• SEO is evolving into AI optimization: Operators are increasingly focusing on generative engine optimization (GEO) and online visibility strategies designed for AI-driven search environments.
• Social platforms remain influential: Instagram was identified as the most effective platform for marketing and business generation, reflecting the growing role of visual and social discovery in travel planning.
• AI investment continues to rise: Most surveyed operators plan to increase AI spending during the next year, focusing on customer experience, loyalty, conversion growth, and operational efficiency.
• Data strategy is becoming critical: The findings suggest that understanding traveler behavior across multiple digital touchpoints may become one of the travel industry’s biggest strategic challenges in the AI era.

Source: PhocusWire

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