Planning a holiday used to mean hours spent drowning in browser tabs, comparing room rates, and meticulously mapping out daily itineraries.
Today, an increasing number of South Africans are simply opening a chatbot, typing in a budget, and letting artificial intelligence build a dream vacation in seconds. But behind the hyper-efficient appeal of instant travel itineraries lies a growing problem: pre-researched doesn’t mean correctly informed.
As AI tools confidently invent non-existent hotels, quote outdated visa rules, and ignore real-world travel logistics, South Africans are discovering that turning a machine-generated plan into a seamless trip still takes a very human touch.
According to McKinsey, fewer than a third of travellers have used generative AI for travel-related tasks, but 84% of those who have say it improved their experience.
General research is the most common use at 54%, followed by inspiration and local food recommendations at 43% each. Transport planning accounts for 41%, itinerary building for 37% and budgeting for 31%.
South African figures show a similar trend, with 23% of South Africans saying they have used AI to plan a trip.
The shift is part of a broader change in how people discover and choose what to buy, increasingly described as agentic commerce.
“Agentic commerce is fundamentally changing how people discover and choose brands. As journeys become more conversational and intent-driven, companies have to rethink how they show up, not just to be found, but to be chosen, and to deliver value in that moment,” says Ndidi Oteh, CEO of Accenture Song.
Hotels are entering the AI conversation
The change is already affecting how hotels reach potential guests.
Phocuswright found that general search engines fell from 51% to 36% as travellers’ most-used research resource within 18 months, while the use of platforms such as ChatGPT for trip planning nearly tripled. Sixty-one percent of travel executives are experimenting with or scaling agentic AI.
Radisson Hotel Group has developed an app in ChatGPT with Accenture that queries its reservation system across more than 1,000 hotels in over 100 countries.
Travellers can describe what they want in ordinary language, with the system returning properties, current rates and availability, amenities, location information and map-based results before directing them to the hotel’s website to complete the booking.
“AI is radically transforming how people search for and book hotel stays, and we are committed to being at the forefront of this shift,” says Gianni Di Fede, global chief commercial officer at Radisson Hotel Group.
“With Accenture, we are reimagining hotel discovery for the next generation of travellers, meeting guests in the planning moment with a branded experience that makes it easier to find, compare, and book Radisson Hotels properties.”
Radisson is also automating price matching across third-party booking platforms.
“Today’s travellers expect speed, simplicity and confidence when they book,” says Di Fede.
“Price matching is our commitment to ensuring that guests who choose to book directly with us never have to wonder whether they could have found a better deal elsewhere.”
But can AI get the holiday right?
The convenience of AI also comes with risks. Hotel information, prices, availability, visa requirements and ownership can change, meaning an itinerary that looks convincing may contain outdated information.
Otto de Vries, CEO of the Association of Southern African Travel Advisors (ASATA), says South African clients are increasingly arriving at consultations with AI-generated plans already in hand.
“Yes, as everywhere else in the world, a growing number of South African clients have started walking into the first consultation with their travel advisor with an AI-generated plan already in hand.”
But, he says, “pre-researched isn’t the same as correctly informed”.
“Our members are spending real time unwinding AI-drafted itineraries that quote outdated visa requirements, recommend properties that no longer exist or have changed hands, or ignore the basic logistics of travelling in a certain region. The correcting, verifying, risk-managing role is exactly what an advisor does that a chatbot can’t.”
De Vries also warns about “hallucinated detail”, where AI tools can invent accommodation, attractions, prices and opening times with confidence.
Then there are AI-enabled scams, including fabricated hotel listings, fake reviews and scam booking pages, as well as the risk of travellers oversharing personal and payment information.
And when something goes wrong, AI cannot take responsibility.
“No accountability when things go wrong: a chatbot cannot rebook a cancelled flight, or intervene during a medical emergency.”
Why travel advisors still matter
The rise of AI has also reinforced ASATA’s decision to change its name from the Association of Southern African Travel Agents to the Association of Southern African Travel Advisors.
“An agent takes an order and processes a booking. An advisor gives advice, and curates an experience. We made that call because we could see the industry heading this way, and AI has only sharpened the point.”
De Vries does not believe AI can provide the same level of personalised advice as a travel professional.
“Not yet, and for the most part I don’t think it ever will.”
“A good advisor picks up on what someone actually needs from a trip, even when they haven’t said it outright,” he says. “AI answers the question you type. It doesn’t ask the follow-up question, and it doesn’t hear what you didn’t say.”
For travel professionals, his advice is to use AI rather than compete with it.
“Lean into being an advisor, not an agent, because that’s the part of the job AI can’t take.”
AI can handle administration, first-draft itineraries and routine correspondence, freeing advisors to focus on judgement, relationships and problem-solving.
For travellers, AI can be an excellent starting point for a holiday. But a polished itinerary is not necessarily a verified one.
AI may be changing how South Africans plan their holidays. But when the itinerary meets the real world, human expertise still matters.
zamandosi.cele@nationalmg.co.za