UK Travel Behaviour: Young Adults Embrace AI for Holiday Planning

In the United Kingdom, the travel and tourism industry is observing a marked shift in planning behaviour: nearly one in five (18 %) of young adults (aged 25-34) are now using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to design their holiday itineraries. This marks a rapid change compared with older age groups, where AI usage remains under 3 %.

The findings reflect deeper generational changes in travel decision-making: younger travellers place higher value on experience authenticity, personalization, and sustainability, and are more likely than older cohorts to utilise AI to source, compare and customise their trips.

Travel-industry stakeholders note that while packaged holidays remain common, the growth in AI usage offers opportunities and risks: technology can streamline planning but may also reduce reliance on traditional travel-agency expertise and open-ended discovery.

The trend also suggests that destinations and marketers must adapt: content must be optimized for AI-driven discovery, personalization engines, and rapid access to information. Traditional brochure-and-email campaigns may become less effective.

For UK travel providers, this means rethinking how offers are packaged and communicated, with more flexible, interactive, and tech-enabled experiences that resonate with younger demographics. The industry sees this as a long-term strategic shift in how tourism is consumed and marketed.

Overall, the use of AI in holiday planning is accelerating and likely to reshape how destinations connect with future travellers, particularly Millennials and Gen-Z.