Written by Where Algorithms End, Expertise Begins: The Enduring Value of the Travel Advisor
Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS
The AI community calls 2025 “The Agentic Year” and it appears to be true. AI agents are infiltrating the travel industry and offering high quality itinerary planning, hotel, resort, local tours and more. Here is a list of the more important ones; Genspark.ai, Mindtrip.ai, Layla.ai, Wonderplan.ai, Easytrip.ai and Vacay.com.
The travel industry stands at a crossroads. AI agents can now book flights in seconds, suggest personalized itineraries based on vast datasets, and handle routine travel inquiries 24/7 without coffee breaks or vacation time. As these digital assistants become increasingly sophisticated, many travel professionals are wondering: what’s left for human travel agents?
The answer isn’t to compete with AI on its own terms as that is a losing battle. Instead, successful travel agents must pivot to areas where human expertise, intuition, and relationship building remain irreplaceable. Here’s how travel professionals can thrive in an AI-dominated landscape.
Become the Expert of Extraordinary Experiences
While AI Agentics excel at processing data and finding deals, it struggles with the nuanced art of creating truly memorable experiences. Travel agents should position themselves as experienced experts who understand the intangible elements that make a trip unforgettable. This means going beyond booking flights and hotels to crafting narratives around travel.
A skilled agent might suggest timing a Morocco trip to coincide with a local harvest festival that doesn’t appear in standard tourist databases, or recommend a small family-run restaurant in Tuscany where the owner’s grandmother still makes pasta by hand. These recommendations come from years of building relationships with local contacts, personal travel experiences, and an understanding of what moves people emotionally—something AI cannot replicate.
Specialize in Complex, High-Touch Travel
AI handles straightforward bookings well, but complex itineraries requiring multiple moving parts still benefit from human oversight. Travel agents should focus on sophisticated travel planning: multi generational family trips with varying mobility needs, corporate retreats requiring careful logistics coordination, or adventure travel to remote destinations where local knowledge is crucial.
These scenarios often involve contingency planning, real-time problem-solving, and the ability to make judgment calls that consider multiple client’s needs simultaneously. When a volcanic eruption grounds flights in Iceland, a human agent can immediately assess alternatives, rebook accommodations, and communicate with worried family members all while considering the traveler’s specific preferences and constraints.
Master the Art of Crisis Management
Travel disruptions are inevitable, and this is where human agents shine brightest. While AI can process rebooking options, it cannot provide the emotional support and creative problem-solving that panicked travelers need when things go wrong. Travel agents who excel at crisis management become invaluable partners rather than mere service providers.
This means being available during emergencies, maintaining relationships with hotel managers who can provide last-minute accommodations, and knowing which airlines are most flexible during irregular operations. Agents should invest in 24/7 communication systems and develop rapid response protocols that demonstrate their value when travelers need help most.
Build Deep Expertise in Niche Markets
Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, successful travel agents are developing deep expertise in specific niches where personal knowledge and connections matter most. This might mean specializing in accessible travel for individuals with disabilities, luxury safaris in East Africa, culinary tours of lesser-known wine regions, or spiritual journeys to sacred sites.
Niche specialization allows agents to charge premium fees while building a reputation as the go-to expert in their field. These specialists often know details that aren’t available online: which safari guides are best with nervous travelers, how to navigate complex visa requirements for remote destinations, or which accommodations truly understand dietary restrictions.
Leverage Technology as an Enhancement Tool
Smart travel agents aren’t fighting AI—they’re partnering with it. By using AI tools for research, pricing comparisons, and routine tasks, agents can focus their time on high-value activities like relationship building and complex planning. This hybrid approach combines AI’s efficiency with human creativity and intuition.
Agents might use AI to quickly identify flight options and hotel availability, then apply their expertise to recommend the best choices based on factors AI cannot assess: the personality of the traveler, upcoming local events, or seasonal considerations that affect the quality of the experience. Genspark.ai is a great example of how AI can generate content and then the agent enhances it.
Cultivate Long-Term Client Relationships
Perhaps most importantly, travel agents must shift from transactional service providers to trusted travel advisors. This means understanding clients’ evolving preferences, remembering their travel history, and proactively suggesting trips that align with their interests and life stages.
Building these relationships requires consistent communication, personalized service, and the ability to anticipate needs. An agent might reach out when they spot a deal to a destination on a client’s wish list, or suggest adjusting an upcoming trip based on local events or weather patterns they’re aware of.
The Human Touch in a Digital World
The travel industry’s future belongs to professionals who understand that their value lies not in competing with AI’s efficiency, but in providing what technology cannot: genuine human connection, creative problem-solving, and the ability to transform a simple trip into a meaningful journey. By embracing these distinctly human capabilities, travel agents can not only remain relevant but become more valuable than ever in our increasingly automated world.