Every year, a new prediction circulates that travel agents are on the brink of extinction. Most recently, the usual doomsday narrative has been fuelled by the rapid rise of AI travel search.

Ask a chatbot where to go for a “relaxing beach break with culture” and it will oblige with enthusiasm, lists, videos, average temperatures and possibly a recipe for paella if you get your prompts tangled.

There’s no denying AI has raised the bar for inspiration. Customers can now explore possibilities instantly and visually, without leaving the sofa. That’s not a threat to agents, it’s just the new landscape.

Where things get interesting is what happens next. Because choice doesn’t create clarity, it creates overwhelm. People don’t want more holiday options. They want the right one.

'Interpretation is where agents excel'

This is where the agent’s role shifts, but absolutely does not diminish. Agents no longer need to spend hours sifting through brochures or loading endless package searches. AI can handle the broad filtering and the mood-board phase, but that’s only the start of the customer journey. The real value now sits in what the agent does that AI can't – interpretation.

When a client says “relaxing,” the agent understands the unspoken meaning. Maybe it’s, "I don’t want to see my children for two hours a day". Maybe it’s, “I need quiet, but I’m bored after 20 minutes of quiet". Maybe it’s, “I want something that makes me feel like myself again".

(Credit: iStock / South_agency)

AI hears vocabulary – travel agents hear lives.

Then there’s taste. Not all five-star hotels are created equal. Some are luxury in the sense of marble bathrooms and a wine list that requires a second mortgage. Others are luxury in the sense of warm staff who remember your name and bring you a coffee exactly how you like it without asking.

AI can’t tell the difference. But a travel agent can, often at a glance.

'The agent makes the holiday'

And, of course, there's reassurance. Travel is emotional. It marks milestones, it repairs relationships, it gives families shared stories that last for decades.

When things go wrong, no chatbot will fight your corner with an airline or chase down a missing room confirmation at 11pm the night before travel. But a travel agent will.

So the role is evolving. Agents aren’t competing with AI. They’re editing it, curating it,  translating abundance into confidence.

The winners will be the ones who lean into that, using AI to expand options, while sharpening the human touch that helps customers choose.

The future of travel isn’t human or machine – it’s human because the machine can't cut it on its own.

The robots can generate the list. The agent makes the holiday.

Derek Jones is an experienced travel industry executive who held senior roles with the likes of Thomson, Tui and Kuoni. He is chair of Abta LifeLine and a board advisor to homeworking outfit Not Just Travel.