AI agents are moving from assistants to actors. Google is collapsing discovery and purchase into a single AI-owned step. OpenAI's Operator books hotels without APIs. Y Combinator is funding companies built around agents, not dashboards. The shift is from tools that help to systems that do.
The future of AI agents in travel is an interesting topic. Particularly when it comes to where jobs will be created (if any) and how the boundaries of companies will shift.
My experience is from tours and activities. One hypothesis here is that we’ll see increased automation through AI agents, but the roles and structure of the value chain will remain largely the same.
There will still be:
• Tour operators (with core competence in product creation)
• Res tech providers (specializing in building technology)
• Marketplaces (focusing on distribution)
An alternative view is that some players will try to become full-stack, using automation and AI to control everything between the guide and the group.
Examples include GYG Originals (push to product) GYG Ticketing (to res tech) and Bokun’s attempt to connect tour operators to resell each other’s inventory (push to distribution)
However, these efforts typically struggle from a lack of focus and capabilities.
Yes, agents can book without APIs - but they're not good at it and the risk is too high. This is exactly where OTAs will most likely be the plumbing for AI bookings. But they'll loose a lot of value (see above).
Some really sharp insights in this, especially the shift from tools that help to systems that do, and the point that "the companies that win will be those with fast inventory, clear APIs, and strong first-party data."
That said, I’d push back slightly on the idea that “brand websites may become less relevant.” What’s becoming less relevant are *traditional* websites - the kind built on monolithic stacks, with unstructured content, and no real strategy for reuse or distribution.
But brand websites built on structured content models using headless CMSs like Sanity - or more specifically, composable content operating systems - are a different story. These systems treat content as data, making it inherently more machine-readable, API-ready, and distributable. That’s exactly what AI agents feed on.
The best travel brands won’t lose control, they’ll retain it by embracing this distribution shift. Not just of pricing and availability, but of the editorial content, inspiration, and storytelling that sells travel. That’s how you maintain brand presence, even when the customer journey doesn’t start or finish on your website.
The future of AI agents in travel is an interesting topic. Particularly when it comes to where jobs will be created (if any) and how the boundaries of companies will shift.
My experience is from tours and activities. One hypothesis here is that we’ll see increased automation through AI agents, but the roles and structure of the value chain will remain largely the same.
There will still be:
• Tour operators (with core competence in product creation)
• Res tech providers (specializing in building technology)
• Marketplaces (focusing on distribution)
An alternative view is that some players will try to become full-stack, using automation and AI to control everything between the guide and the group.
Examples include GYG Originals (push to product) GYG Ticketing (to res tech) and Bokun’s attempt to connect tour operators to resell each other’s inventory (push to distribution)
However, these efforts typically struggle from a lack of focus and capabilities.
Will this change in the future? Would
be interesting to see.
Interesting. So many thoughts :-)
AI booking/shopping vs brand. IMO the ones who have the most to loose here are OTAs. The inventory will still be needed. If anything it might increase the volume since it becomes a lot easier to book. I wrote about it a while ago: https://martinsoler.substack.com/i/152284601/zero-click-search-will-change-metrics-will-it-change-conversions
Yes, agents can book without APIs - but they're not good at it and the risk is too high. This is exactly where OTAs will most likely be the plumbing for AI bookings. But they'll loose a lot of value (see above).
As usual, thanks for a great newsletter.
Some really sharp insights in this, especially the shift from tools that help to systems that do, and the point that "the companies that win will be those with fast inventory, clear APIs, and strong first-party data."
That said, I’d push back slightly on the idea that “brand websites may become less relevant.” What’s becoming less relevant are *traditional* websites - the kind built on monolithic stacks, with unstructured content, and no real strategy for reuse or distribution.
But brand websites built on structured content models using headless CMSs like Sanity - or more specifically, composable content operating systems - are a different story. These systems treat content as data, making it inherently more machine-readable, API-ready, and distributable. That’s exactly what AI agents feed on.
The best travel brands won’t lose control, they’ll retain it by embracing this distribution shift. Not just of pricing and availability, but of the editorial content, inspiration, and storytelling that sells travel. That’s how you maintain brand presence, even when the customer journey doesn’t start or finish on your website.
Great writing!
👏
The internet is changing and big tech is not waiting for businesses to adapt https://www.aitidbits.ai/p/agent-responsive-design
Google’s new AI Mode and the new agentic checkout are two prominent examples of such a change.
Me encanta. Reading you feels a bit like having a crystal ball into where travel is headed. Thank you!
Greay and insightful and frightening potentially completely correct!!
thank you Mauricio ✌️😁