With travel anxieties on the rise thanks to increasing global disruptions and unpredictability, more people are turning to technology to smooth their journeys, according to new research from Amadeus.

The digital research firm’s latest study, Connected Journeys: How Technology Will Transform Travel in the Next Decade, found that the needs of travellers are changing, and that emerging tech is rushing to fill the gap, particularly AI, which has seen a 64% in usage compared to last year.

Polling 9,500 global travellers from countries including the UK, USA, Europe and India, the survey found that AI is now routinely used to plan and manage journeys, leading to benefits like significant time savings (42%), highly personalised recommendations (37%) and the discovery of new destinations (36%).

Travellers who used genAI to plan their trips reported greater confidence in their decisions (35%), with 64% saying they’d pay for an AI travel assistant to provide in-trip support, and 17% willing to spend up to 5% of their total trip cost on such services.

More than a quarter (27%) even said they would definitely consider using an AI-powered VR headset to explore their destination in 3D before their trip.

However, the study also reveals areas where AI is falling short. A quarter (25%) of respondents reported experiencing outdated or inaccurate information from AI-generated results, while another 25% struggled with AI’s inability to capture their personal preferences.

“Travellers are embracing AI with enthusiasm, but they’re also demanding more,” said FranciscoPérez-Lozao Rüter, president of hospitality for Amadeus.

“In hospitality, we see this as a call to action: to deliver technology that not only responds to traveller needs but anticipates them. From booking the perfect stay to navigating the trip itself, hyper-personalisation and real-time accuracy are no longer optional; they are expected.”

The data also reveals that, beyond AI expectations, other travel tech is playing a key role in easing concerns at every stage of travel, including packing (26%), going through security (27%), travel to the airport (26%) and the flight itself (24%).

Recommended reading

• AI Boom Fuelling Record UK Traveltech Investment
• TravelPerk Wins $200M In Series E Funding
• UK Gov Partners with TikTok On Better Medical Travel Advice

Solutions already alleviating anxiety include real-time travel updates via apps (29%), digital wallets for secure document storage (27%), smart baggage tracking systems (26%) and integrated ‘super apps’ offering comprehensive travel management in one place (26%).

Similarly, biometric gateways are favoured by 69% with their promise of a smoother airport experience by eliminating repetitive document checks, while two-thirds (66%) of travellers showed strong interest in remote baggage check-in, meaning luggage would be collected directly from their homes to significantly reduce pre-trip anxiety.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Dr Dee Waddell, IBM’s global head of travel and transportation, said: “The pace of change in the travel industry is daunting. Between now and 2030, many aspects of travel retail and channel distribution will evolve substantially…and customers will react with new demands, and higher expectations.”