Almost 68 per cent of Indian travellers likely to use AI for their next trip: Survey

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Indian travelers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to take the guesswork out of travel planning, not just for inspiration but across the journey from destination discovery to dining.

According to Agoda's 2026 Travel Outlook Report, while one in three (33 per cent) state they already use AI for travel planning, almost twice as many (68 per cent) say they are likely to use it for their next trip.

For a market that has always been quick to embrace technology, this indicates a growing appetite for AI across all stages of travel planning.

Data from the report suggests that what Indian travelers want from AI goes beyond a simple search. When asked how they would use it, respondents pointed to recommendations for local attractions and activities (38 per cent), personalised itinerary creation (37 per cent), and destination suggestions (29 per cent).

Interest also extends to dining recommendations (23 per cent) and budget management (22 per cent). These findings point to a traveler who expects AI to be present in every stage of the trip-planning process, not as a shortcut but as a smarter way to plan.

Sentiment towards AI-generated recommendations is broadly receptive, with nearly 9 in 10 respondents (88 per cent) saying they either trust or feel neutral about such recommendations, including over half (53 per cent) who express clear trust.

This interestingly aligns with findings from Agoda's 2025 Travel Trends survey, in which nine in ten Indian travelers reported using travel apps when booking trips, pointing to an established comfort with technology in travel planning. For Indian travelers, embracing AI in travel planning is less a behavioral shift and more a natural progression, especially for a generation that has been planning and booking travel through a screen for over a decade.

The platform has previously explored this through its 2025 AI-powered Vacation Planner campaign, which invited Indian travelers to answer a set of questions about their preferences, generating customized itineraries and destination visuals, with personalized recommendations delivered by Bollywood celebrity Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign was a real-world expression of the tailored, intuitive planning experience that travelers are increasingly looking for, and one that the 2026 survey findings reflect.

Gaurav Malik, country director, Indian Subcontinent & Indian Ocean Islands at Agoda, said, "Indian travelers are showing a clear appetite for AI across every stage of trip planning, from discovering destinations to deciding what to eat and even budgeting. This is no longer an emerging trend but is fast becoming the baseline for how a well-planned trip comes together. At Agoda, we continue to offer a range of technology and innovations that make the entire trip planning experience more accessible, convenient, and personalised for every traveler."

As AI becomes a more natural part of how people research and plan their travel, India stands out as a market where AI adoption in travel is not just growing but gaining clear intent and direction.