Agentic AI and the Future of Travel Agents: What You Must Do Now
Will Agentic AI Replace Travel Agents? What You Need to Know Now
The travel industry is standing on the edge of one of the biggest disruptions it has ever faced (and it’s going to be much bigger than the introduction of online booking, which also caused a big fuss).
Travel agents were once the indispensable planners, curators and booking experts for vacations and business trips of all kinds. But now they are about to meet a new competitor that doesn’t sleep, doesn’t get tired, and can act in seconds for a client (even while you’re still sleeping): Agentic AI travel agents.
Google defines Agentic AI in this context as “Autonomous, intelligent systems that can perceive, reason and act independently to make complex decisions and automate dynamic, multi-step processes.” This is not generative AI, but rather a whole new ballgame on the road to beyond-human intelligence and thoughtful capabilities.
If you’re a travel agent and you haven’t yet heard of agentic AI, it’s time to pay attention.
AI Travel Agents that Think, Reason and Make Informed Recommendations
Unlike traditional search engines or even today’s self-serve booking platforms, Agentic AI represents a new generation of artificial intelligence.
These are AI agents (travel and virtually any other kind of agent) that don’t just answer questions, but act on a client’s behalf. With a simple plain-language request like: “Plan me a five-day trip to Disney World for two adults and two kids in June, with recommended character dining reservations and lightning lane passes” an AI agent (when they are fully implemented) can instantly:
Search every option across airlines, hotels and ticketing platforms.
Evaluate thousands of reviews and summarize real traveler feedback for best recommendations.
Create multiple itineraries tailored to your budget, preferences and schedule.
Book everything seamlessly, with one click.
And it can do this in seconds, not hours.
Let that sink in for a moment.
This is not science fiction. Agentic AI tools are already here in 2025 and the first versions are active in travel already. It is a limited and test-phase rollout at the moment, but with the pace of AI progress moving much faster than anyone expected, it means that within only a few years the typical travel agent could potentially be functionally obsolete for most clients. This will be the case for both straightforward and even moderately complex trips.
So the question isn’t if Agentic AI will reshape the travel business, it’s how fast will agentic AI make your job obsolete—and how can travel agents respond to adjust to offer valid in the face AI travel agent competitors?
The AI Travel Agent Threat: AI Never Sleeps
For decades, travel agents have competed against online booking engines and discount travel sites. But those platforms still left gaps that agents could fill: expertise, efficiency and the ability to weave together complex itineraries.
Agentic AI changes all that. It doesn’t just provide information—it takes action. AI becomes the booking engine, the researcher and the personal assistant all in one. It can think. It can even reach out to other AI agents so that a whole team of AI agents are working together on a client’s complex Disney vacation or round-the-world cruise excursion. And it will do all of that in literally seconds, before you’ve even poured your morning coffee and opened the email request.
Want a honeymoon in Italy with vineyard tours, luxury hotels and Michelin-star dining? AI can map it out instantly. And it will be meaningful, by comparing and synthesizing traveler reviews from thousands of past guests, and securing reservations in a fraction of the time a human could.
For clients, that’s incredibly compelling. When those new discounts drop on an existing reservation, AI agents will have the client file updated with the lower fare before you even wake up.
All of this means one thing: travel agents must rethink their role, and quickly.
But all is not lost. With every innovation throughout history, there can be a way forward.
The Opportunity for Travel Agents: What AI Travel Agents Can’t Do (Yet)
While the power of AI is extraordinary, it still has areas that it cannot do (at least not until AI is embedded in human synthetic “people”). And these blind spots are exactly where human travel agents can (and must) shine.
Here are the areas that travel agents should be focusing on (and marketing) in order to compete with the inevitable AI disruption that’s coming your way.
First-hand experience: AI can scrape and make recommendations based on reviews, but it can’t personally walk the grounds of a resort, sleep in the hotel bed, see the sunset from a balcony, or dine at the restaurant it just booked. Your lived experiences in real life—the ones you share with clients—are your superpower.
Human reassurance: Some travelers simply want the comfort of knowing a real person has checked the details and can be reached if things go wrong. AI can process refunds, but it can’t really empathize or reassure (it can, but at least not as well as a human…yet).
Personal storytelling: When you say, “I’ve stayed at this hotel, and here’s what you’ll love,” that connection builds trust in a way AI can’t replicate.
What Travel Agents Should Do Now
The clock is ticking on Agentic AI agents in travel. Here’s how to future-proof your business in the age of Agentic AI:
Adopt AI, don’t fight it: Use AI as your assistant. Let it handle repetitive research or booking workflows so you can focus on what you do best: building relationships and delivering human insights. Get used to using AI now (if you’re not already). Because those who choose to ignore it will be left in the jet fumes.
Reposition your value proposition: Stop selling yourself as the “fast and efficient” option, or anything that AI will easily outperform. AI will hands-down win all of those battles every time. It will get the dining reservations for a thousand clients before you can even log in. Instead, emphasize your unique first-hand knowledge, connections to places and personalized service.
Invest in experiences: If you specialize in Disney vacations, for example, visit often and stay at every single resort you plan to sell. Share your authentic experiences—photos, stories, tips—that clients know couldn’t come from a machine.
Market differently: Don’t market against AI. That is a losing battle and you could risk (at worst) looking desperate and lacking confidence. You need to market beyond AI and be a thought leader by acknowledging the benefits of AI, if asked. Highlight your role as a trusted guide who blends technology with real-world expertise. Stand with confidence and that will resonate with travelers. Be aware of where AI can win and where you can win and build a business plan that delivers the best of both worlds for your clients.
Many clients will want to work with a real person, but they won’t just do it without a benefit. They’ll need a reason to work with you once agentic AI starts to take hold and the benefits become widely known. You can give them that reason if you start shifting now.
The Bottom Line for Travel Agents facing AI Competition
Agentic AI isn’t coming. It’s already here.
Within a few years, it will be more in the public eye and capable of replacing many of the core services travel agents provide today.
But that doesn’t mean the profession is doomed. It means that the role of the human travel agent must evolve past the current format. Many travel agents will, unfortunately, not be able to make it in the new world order. However, the travel agents who survive—and thrive—will be those who embrace AI as a tool, while doubling down on the one thing AI can’t yet offer: authentic human experience.
If you’re a travel agent, your job isn’t to compete with Agentic AI. Your job is to make sure that when clients are choosing between a conversation with a machine and a conversation with you, your perspective, your expertise and your experiences make the choice obvious.
The time to start planning your marketing and business plan is here.
Need help with transforming your travel business marketing strategy? Reach out and let’s talk.
by Mike Belobradic, Travel Industry Marketing Advisor