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What the Next Generation of Travelers Want (and Will Pay For)
Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Booking.com
Moderated by Robin Gilbert-Jones, Skift Research
THE ARGUMENT
Passion-driven trips for events or showing off a new dress have become traveler priorities in Asia, but safety and value are critical. Economic pressure and Middle East corridor disruption are pushing travelers to choose destinations closer to home. Houldsworth said travelers will trade down on room category or hunt for sales rather than cancel the trip. Asian travelers are already ahead of the industry on AI adoption, just as they were on mobile and other tech advancements. Who owns the customer after the booking will be a key issue for LLMs.
THE EVIDENCE
- More than almost 70% of Asian travelers are already using AI for travel research, with 90% expressing intent to use it more.
- The real AI trust barrier is not payment security but post-booking accountability: “who owns the customer.”
- AI-enabled instant response is already a standard traveler expectation: “that’s going to be table stakes, very fast.”
- More than 90% of travelers said they would travel for modern milestones, everything from buying a new dress to skincare.
THE SO WHAT
Travel demand in Asia is holding up, but travelers are more careful than they let on — safety and price are key factors when it comes time to book. AI is quickly becoming something travelers expect, but there’s a bigger problem that needs solving: if AI makes your booking and the flight gets canceled, who do you call? Asian travelers are ahead of the rest of the world on technology and social media, and they’re booking across more platforms than ever. Travel brands that aren’t where these travelers already are will lose them.
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