Imagine planning a holiday across India’s Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. You could compare dozens of websites, scroll through reviews and ask friends for recommendations.
Or you could give ChatGPT or Gemini your dates, budget and interests and receive an itinerary in seconds.
You are not alone. Many Australians are already doing this. According to a recent survey of adult travellers, 28.8% of Australians used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to find deals, check out destinations and create their travel itineraries.
Among Gen Z travellers, Australian government research puts the figure at 30%.
AI is becoming the gatekeeper between those travellers and the destinations, hotels and experiences they choose. Our new research set out to understand what makes travellers willing to delegate travel decisions to AI platforms.
What we found
Australians made a record 12.3 million trips overseas in 2024–25, 11.6% more than the year before, in addition to 113 million domestic trips.
Our findings tell us that travellers consider using generative AI for travel planning based on five characteristics: reliability, accountability, trustworthiness, fairness and transparency.
We also examined different levels of delegation to generative AI, from allowing AI tools to design travel plans to making final decisions and recommendations.
Travellers were more likely to use AI when they perceived it as reliable and believed its providers could be held accountable for its recommendations and for addressing problems when they arise. This means travellers are willing to hand over control to AI if it provides accurate, consistent and dependable recommendations.
If travellers feel they can trust AI, they are more likely to delegate travel planning.
But there are caveats.
The Australian government’s Smartraveller website warns AI can provide outdated transport schedules, incorrect visa information, and recommendations for hotels that have closed. Relying on incorrect information could ruin part of your dream vacation.
What builds trust among travellers?
Our study found accountability of AI plays a significant role in building trust among travellers. Travellers are more willing to delegate decisions to AI platforms when they believe these are responsible and accountable.
Meanwhile, the OECD’s AI Principles promote responsible AI through greater transparency (making clear when AI is being used) and explainability (helping people understand how it reaches its recommendations).
Yet our study of 421 Australian travellers challenges the assumption that more explanation always builds trust. We decided to survey Australian travellers using generative AI because Australia is one of the global frontrunners in AI usage.
Djoudi Hamani / AFP via Getty Images
The transparency paradox
The most surprising result concerned transparency.
Responsible AI frameworks rightly encourage organisations to explain their systems’ capabilities, limitations and risks.
The federal government’s guidance for AI adoption says transparency and explainability should be tailored to what the AI is being used for, users’ knowledge and the risks involved.
Yet in our study, greater perceived transparency was associated with less willingness to delegate at every level.
We call this the “transparency paradox”. People often use AI precisely to avoid the mental effort of searching, comparing and checking. If the system then presents a lengthy account of how it weighed every flight, review and hotel feature, the promised convenience begins to disappear. Explanation feels like homework.
Our findings do not mean transparency is bad, or that companies should hide how AI works. They show its value depends on how the information is delivered.
The answer is progressive disclosure: provide the essential information first, then let users request the evidence, sources and reasoning they need.
What this means for Australian travellers
The transparency paradox matters because AI has become a critical gatekeeper between travellers, tour operators and travel destinations.
A recent report by Tourism Australia identified AI-mediated travel discovery – using AI to research and book a trip – as one of their strategic priorities. The agency also recognises travellers are increasingly using AI and AI agents in choosing their travel destination and making related bookings.
Say you are planning your next overseas vacation. You should consider:
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fact-checking the information provided, for example, whether the train time is correct or the hotel actually exists
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checking who is accountable if something goes wrong, and
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not assuming that more explanation always means higher trustworthiness.
The future of travel is likely to involve a collaboration between humans and AI. The AI platform will process the information and generate travel options, while the traveller retains control over the ultimate travel decisions.
The post “Using AI to plan your next holiday? Sometimes, too much information is just too much” by Sanjit K. Roy, Professor of Marketing and Service Science, Edith Cowan University was published on 10/20/2026 by theconversation.com