It was yet another week where we flesh and bone humans were reminded of our own supposed frailties.
I can’t speak on behalf of our loyal and humble readers, but for the journalists in our team, I can assure you we are pitched a media release about how AI will subsume all human workers in travel about every three to four minutes – perhaps we are being spammed by a conniving chatbot with those emails?
Nonetheless, it’s obvious to say that AI continues to be a theme that drills its way through the travel sector’s consciousness with the same gusto that US President Donald Trump burns his way through an established constitution – the threat of norms being upended is real and on the surface feels very scary.
Yesterday we reported on the results of a new report from Boston Consulting Group, and while the top few pages appeared to paint a rosy picture of strong leisure growth through to 2040, the chapter on the impact of AI raised a few eyebrows.
It’s hard to leaf past pages with phrases like “existential threat” and not be taken aback a little.
The study canvassed eight countries – including Australia – and found that more than half of Aussies doubt the importance of the human touch in travel planning.
Our sister title Travel Daily went fairly hard on the story of Open AI’s ChatGPT launching AI agent functionality in January. The platform is capable of using its own browser to make travel reservations on behalf of users.
OpenAI’s Operator tool also has the capacity to autonomously book flights, hotels, and tours online, including complex itineraries that feature multimodal travel – effectively becoming a bespoke personal assistant in the pocket of travellers that could not only search out travel products it feels a person might like, but go ahead and purchase it for them as well.
At the time, my sweaty hands and vexed face immediately sought the reassuring counsel of Australian Travel Industry Association CEO Dean Long, who told me his members have essential skills that no single AI could replicate.
“In essence, while AI can provide efficiency, combining the use of an ATIA accredited travel agent and tour operator offers a level of care and expertise that transforms travel into a truly memorable experience,” Long said.
But I guess six months can feel like an eternity in AI terms, and the latest report predicting travellers will increasingly adopt AI agents in exchange for humans over the next 15 years is a sobering thought.
Interestingly, the study also suggested that as the use of AI agents goes mainstream, they will become more enmeshed in the social media platforms as well, taking the advice of influencers and trending threads to shape trips it feels users are after.
Call me old fashioned here if you must, but elements of this feel like a false economy to me. A world where we are fed the illusion of tailored travel choices, when in reality the selections are being stripped off a synthetic shelf moulded by the masses and served to us in fake wrapping marked ‘unique’.
I also note that simply because there is a rush to use an emerging technology, it does not necessarily guarantee it will continue to be used in the same way by future generations. I only need point to the waning stocks of dating apps, many of which are now leaking money faster than Elon Musk’s Tesla business.
Generation Z users in particular are abandoning the apps to seek out relationships, and get this, meet in real life! What a novel concept indeed.
I only mention this to demonstrate that while AI agents will no doubt continue to make their presence felt more and more in the world of travel, it is not an assurance of one-way smart bot domination. More than likely, as hinted at by the Boston Consulting Group report, the answer to future travel security will be found in some version of coexistence between human and machine. At least, that is what we should be begging of our silicon overlords, right?
In further news this week, Travel Daily broke the story of travel pioneer Phil Hoffmann retiring from his role at Phil Hoffmann Travel (PHT) after 35 years of service.
While the well-respected travel icon will retain an ambassadorial role leading tours and continuing to advocate for the brand, Hoffmann will take some well-deserved time-out to relax and reflect upon his decades of achievements.
Among those many credits has been an almost unrivalled commitment to innovation in the cruise sector. Hoffmann’s love of cruising led to the creation of Australia’s first dedicated cruise department, and later, escorted group tours.
He was also one of the founding directors of Cruiseco, specialising in fly/cruise packaging, music charters and incentive groups.
Hoffmann took time out with my colleague Jo-Anne Hui-Miller to discuss his storied career leading a business in the travel sector for three decades.
And while it would be perfectly acceptable for a person retiring to spend that moment reflecting only on personal achievements, perhaps the true mark of the man was the fact he used plenty of that interview to provide advice for travel sellers around the country.
PHT CEO and MD Peter Williams said the business will continue to operate as normal under his leadership, and Michelle Ashcroft, who has been with the business for 28 years, will move into the role of Chief Operating Officer.
In the world of cruise now, and the theme of placing shackles on the sector in Europe continued full steam ahead in France.
Moving on from Nice, this time it was the popular tourist city of Cannes on the French Riviera to announce restrictions. French lawmakers have moved to ban cruise ships carrying over 1,000 passengers from January 2026. In response, CLIA was very candid with its disappointment, stating it was “perplexed” by both the short timeline to the new rules, and the rejection of ships that inject significant economic and social vitality of port cities.
Adding to the mixed signals is the fact CLIA signed the Sustainable Cruising Charter for the Mediterranean with the French Minister of Transport and cruise lines only a few weeks ago, a document that committed the sector to a set of environmental objectives.
As I alluded to in a previous wrap only a few weeks ago, there’s nothing wrong with fair-minded and reasoned cruise policy from nation states that aim to ensure sustainability. The problem is when the added restrictions are enacted suddenly without much consultation, and with a runway that is surely going to cost cruise lines plenty of money in adjusted itineraries.
Well, as usual I am writing this at a frenetic pace at the end of the day, so I should wrap my weekly review there. But a special mention to check out our reporting on the major Qantas breach this week and what it could mean for future legal challenges, the new appointment at the top for the under siege VisitBritain brand in Australia, the sale of an Australian airline in Queensland, and another great exclusive from Jo-Anne about how Aussie travellers are reacting to military escalation in the Middle East.
Enjoy your weekend!
