Gen AI is proving to be a useful tool for travel planning, as respondents to a recent McKinsey survey report satisfaction with the technology. Although less than a third of travelers have used gen AI for travel-related tasks, McKinsey’s Ryan Mann, Tom Bartman, Vik Krishnan, and coauthors note that the majority of those who have—84 percent—report that the tools improved their experience. These tools also appear to be effective for travel companies, leading to a 45 percent lower bounce rate among consumers directed to travel sites from a gen AI source.
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A dot chart illustrates the most common AI use cases in travel planning, as measured by the percentage of respondents engaging with these features. "General research" leads as the top use case, with 54% of travelers citing it as their primary AI application. Both "travel inspiration" and "local food recommendations" are used by 43% of respondents each, closely followed by "transportation planning" at 41%. "Itinerary creation" is noted by 37%, while "budgeting" is used by 31. "Packing assistance" is the least common, referenced by 20% of travelers. This display quantifies the breadth of AI integration across various aspects of travel planning, with the most widespread applications focused on research and local discovery.
Note: This image description was completed with the assistance of Writer, a gen AI tool.
Source: Adobe Blog, “Adobe Analytics: Traffic to U.S. retail websites from generative AI sources jumps 1,200 percent,” blog entry by Vivek Pandya, Adobe, March 17, 2025; McKinsey analysis.
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To read the article, see “Travel industry trends and the opportunity for private equity,” November 24, 2025.