More Than a Quarter of Travelers Plan to use AI this Holiday Season

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — More than a quarter of travelers said they plan to use AI to help plan their holiday vacation, according to a recent survey of 1,200 travelers conducted by leading travel publisher Matador Network. In total, 64 percent of respondents said they have either used AI to research or plan travel or plan to in the future. Matador Network is the creator of the personal AI travel assistant GuideGeek

“For many people, the holiday season is without question the most hectic part of the year, especially if there is travel involved,” said Matador Network CEO Ross Borden. “This year GuideGeek is giving you the gift of time. You can plan your whole holiday vacation — from choosing a destination to booking a flight and hotel and making dinner reservations — before you finish your mug of hot cocoa.”

To further illustrate its simplicity and popularity, 79% of survey respondents who previously used travel AI said they are likely to use it to plan their holiday travel. Even 15% of those who have yet to try travel AI say they are likely to use it for the first time during the holidays.

In addition to being hectic, the season can also get quite expensive. GuideGeek can customize an itinerary with a set budget, saving countless hours of comparison shopping. In fact, 85% of those who say they use travel AI as a tool to stay within their budget plan to use AI for holiday travel.

For those who are planning to travel back home, this is the first winter holiday season where generative AI is easily accessible and part of the mainstream. Holiday travelers can ask GuideGeek — which is free to use — what to do when they get to their destination.

“One of the hallmarks of the holidays is going back to your hometown or traveling long distances to see family and friends,” Borden says. “If it’s been a few years, a lot has probably changed. Maybe your favorite diner closed but a great new cafe opened up. The bar you went to in college has a new name and the old movie theater is now an entertainment complex. GuideGeek is great for planning customized itineraries, but it can also help you rediscover a familiar place.”

For example, travel influencer Nicola Easterby recently asked GuideGeek to plan a day in London, where she lives. Meanwhile, Kiersten Rich, who creates travel content as The Blonde Abroad, planned a month-long trip through Italy customized to her specifications.

GuideGeek, which can be messaged directly on Instagram or WhatsApp, delivers personalized, instant recommendations in response to any travel query. Built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology, GuideGeek includes many travel-specific integrations, including live flight data from more than a thousand OTAs and airline websites.

About Matador Network

Matador Network is the world's No. 1 media brand for modern adventurers. With more than 14 million followers across social media, Matador has become a leading travel brand through its production of article features, city guides, creator-first content and original videos. Matador is the top-ranking travel brand on TikTok and its videos are viewed more than 140 million times per month. It has content distribution deals with American Airlines, Hearst Media and GSTV and works with brands like Ford, REI, Samsung, YETI, Southwest Airlines, Visit California and Microsoft. matadornetwork.com