Nearly nine in 10 travel advisors have encountered clients armed with AI-generated research, according to a recent survey. More often than not these polished itineraries contain impossible connections, unrealistic budgets, even fictional hotels.
TORONTO — A lot of work goes into crafting a well thought out travel itinerary. Travel advisors can spend hours researching accommodations, coordinating budgets and logistics, booking flights and curating experiences to match each client’s preferences.
Imagine, then, the frustration of having a client arrive with their own research and AI-generated itinerary that looks impressive on screen but falls apart when it comes time to book.
That is one of the key findings from Goway’s recent Confessions of a Travel Advisor Survey, which asked 1,600 travel advisors across North America to share their experiences. The survey found that 89% of respondents have had clients arrive with their own AI research, while 14% identified the “I researched this on AI” planner as among the most challenging types of clients to work with.
From impossible itineraries and made-up recommendations to budgets that bear little resemblance to real travel costs, the findings highlight a growing challenge for advisors as generative AI becomes part of how consumers research their holidays. Travellers who once arrived with a destination in mind may now come equipped with a detailed itinerary, suggested hotels and an estimated budget generated in seconds.
For Dan Christian, host and founder of the Travel Trends podcast, the speed at which AI produces these plans is a major factor in shaping expectations.
“The biggest shift is how quickly an idea becomes an expectation. Someone asks ChatGPT to plan a two-week trip, and seconds later they have this beautifully presented itinerary with hotels, restaurants and a budget. You can understand why they get excited. The challenge comes when they take that to an advisor and discover that the price isn’t realistic, the connections don’t work or some of the recommendations can’t be booked.”
According to Goway’s survey results, advisors are encountering three recurring problems with AI-generated travel plans: itineraries that ignore geography and logistics, recommendations for places or services that do not exist and budgets that are unrealistic.
The most common complaint is that AI plans trips without accounting for the realities of travel. An itinerary might cram several destinations into a few days without considering transfer times, flight connections, opening hours or the exhaustion that comes with constantly moving between hotels.
Christian tells Travelweek the problem is that a convincing itinerary is not necessarily a workable one.
“Travel is complicated! Anyone who has put together a multi-day trip knows how many moving parts there are. Change one flight or one hotel, and it can affect everything that follows.”
General-purpose AI tools can generate detailed plans without verifying every connection, opening time or booking condition. Even when a tool has access to current information, that does not guarantee that all the components of an itinerary will work together.
Christian also points to the difference between what is technically possible and what makes for an enjoyable holiday.
“You might be able to visit three cities in five days, but do you want to spend that much of your holiday checking out of hotels and getting to the next one? An experienced advisor knows when to say, ‘Let’s take something out. You’ll enjoy this much more if you slow down.’”
Another concern is ‘AI hallucinations’. One in 10 advisors surveyed by Goway reported outright fabrications, including attractions, hotels, restaurants, flights and transportation routes that do not exist.
Unrealistic pricing is a third recurring issue, with AI suggesting luxury trips at implausibly low prices, first-class airfare well below market rates and multi-country itineraries on budgets that do not reflect the actual cost.
For advisors, correcting these assumptions can take time, particularly when clients have already become attached to the itinerary AI has produced.
Renee Stanton-Defaria, Senior Director of Sales at Goway, says advisors are adapting to the new reality, and that the errors in AI-generated research can reinforce the value of their expertise.
“We’re hearing that advisors are doing well at adjusting to this new reality. In so many cases, the AI research clients bring to advisors is full of errors. This actually boosts the confidence of advisors, becuase whether it was ineffective prompts to start with, or just AI hallucinations, we can still clearly see that the human element is essential.”
Rather than dismissing a client’s AI-generated itinerary, Christian recommends using it as a starting point for a conversation about what the traveller really wants.
“I’d start by saying, ‘Great, show me what you’ve found.’ They’ve just given you a really useful insight into the trip they’re excited about. That’s a good place to begin.”
The next step is to understand what appeals to the client. Is it a particular hotel, the destinations, an experience or the price? Once those priorities are clear, the advisor can explain what needs to change and why.
“I’d give you another night here, change this connection and use a local operator I trust for that experience,” Christian suggests as an example of how an advisor can make their expertise visible through specific recommendations.
He also encourages advisors to be transparent about their use of AI. Rather than positioning themselves against the technology, they can explain how they use it to support their work while making clear that the information still needs to be checked.
“The important thing is how you use it. Asking another AI tool whether the client’s itinerary is correct isn’t enough. Check the details with suppliers, booking systems and people who know the destination.”
Christian also emphasizes the importance of being clear about planning fees. Reviewing a client’s itinerary, verifying assumptions and making the trip workable are professional services, even when the initial research comes from the traveller.
“You don’t have to start again, but you do need to take ownership of what you recommend,” he says.
For Goway, the growing use of AI reinforces the importance of human expertise, particularly in tailor-made travel.
Stanton-Defaria says the company remains confident in its position in the tailor-made travel market, where complex itineraries and individual client needs call for deep destination knowledge.
“Our Destination Specialists will always be able to instill confidence and trust in a way no computer program ever could.”
Christian identifies relationships, judgement and having someone to turn to when something goes wrong as key areas where advisors demonstrate their value.
“Knowing who to call, which operator you trust and who can help when plans change can make an enormous difference to someone’s trip.”
He also points to the importance of understanding the individual traveller. A client may ask for the same holiday their friends enjoyed, but further questions can reveal different priorities and lead to a more suitable recommendation.
Rather than making broad claims about what AI cannot do, Christian encourages advisors to demonstrate their value through real examples, such as helping a family select the right trip, arranging a special experience through a supplier relationship or supporting a client through a disruption.
The goal, he says, is not to reject new technology but to use it to improve service.
“Our Summit theme this year is ‘Beyond AI,’ and for me that means getting past the excitement around the technology and asking what it helps us do better. For an advisor, that could mean less time on routine administration and more time getting to know clients and looking after them.”
As AI becomes a more common part of travel research, advisors may increasingly find themselves refining plans that clients have already started building rather than creating every itinerary from scratch.
For Christian, that shift does not diminish the advisor’s role. It makes the ability to assess informatio