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World Tourism Day: AI may plan your holiday, but travellers still want the human touch
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On World Tourism Day 2026, HT Travel explores how AI is changing travel planning while travellers increasingly seek slower and more personal experiences.
What if your next holiday itinerary could be built in seconds? Tell an AI tool what you like, how much you want to spend and how many days you have, and it can suggest hotels, restaurants, experiences and even a daily plan. Convenient? Absolutely. But there is another travel trend happening at the same time. Travellers are also becoming more selective about what they want from a holiday. Instead of ticking off 15 attractions in three days, many are looking for longer stays, local experiences and enough time to actually enjoy a place.
That contrast makes the theme for World Tourism Day 2026, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to redesign tourism”, particularly interesting.
From AI itineraries to smarter holidays
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism is looking at AI as more than a holiday planning tool. Its tourism AI policy examines how technology could support travellers across the entire trip, from planning and recommendations to services at the destination. Think personalised suggestions, multilingual assistance, smarter customer service and better ways for destinations to understand visitor demand.
So, a traveller visiting Israel for its food could receive a very different set of recommendations from someone interested in heritage, wellness or outdoor experiences. The country is also trying to bring its tourism industry closer to its technology sector. In 2026, the Ministry launched Travel Innovation IL, a national travel tech community connecting tourism companies, startups, investors, government, academia and technology companies. The initiative has an investment of around NIS 1 million and aims to match tourism needs with technology-based solutions.
There is a more visual side to this too. Israel’s “100 Stories” augmented reality initiative is being developed for historical tourism sites, using digital storytelling to give visitors additional context while they are physically at the site.
But travellers are also slowing down
Technology may make travel planning quicker, but it does not necessarily mean people want to pack more into every holiday. Christian Schoch of Switzerland Tourism says travellers are becoming more intentional about their time away.
“In Switzerland, we are seeing travellers become more intentional in how they holiday, prioritising the quality and depth of an experience over simply trying to do more.”
That could mean staying an extra night, visiting a lesser-known region or choosing a different season for a trip. For Switzerland Tourism, this fits with its focus on longer stays, year-round travel, and encouraging visitors to explore more of the country.
So what could the future holiday look like?
• AI does the groundwork, helping travellers find places and experiences based on their interests.
• Digital services make trips easier, particularly when visitors need information in different languages.
• Technology helps destinations manage demand, which could support better visitor experiences at popular sites.
• Digital storytelling adds context to cultural and historical attractions.
• Travellers still decide what matters, from a long lunch in a local restaurant to spending an afternoon doing absolutely nothing.
And that last bit may be the most important.
Schoch expects technology to make travel more convenient as we move towards 2030, but says the quality, authenticity and depth of the human experience will remain more important.
After all, an AI tool can help plan your holiday. It can suggest the restaurant, map out the route and remind you what time your train leaves. It cannot replace the joy of finding a café you want to return to, extending your stay because you like the place or having an unexpected conversation with someone local.
Perhaps that is where tourism is heading. Smarter planning, better digital services and more personalised recommendations, paired with a very old-fashioned idea of travel. Take your time and actually experience the place you came to see.
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