2025年准许起飞：AI赋能旅行与运输行业客户服务研究报告（英文版）

REPORT

Clearedfortakeoff

AIelevatescustomerserviceintravelandtransportation

Managementsummary

transportationindustry,enhancingefficiency,cuttingcostsandimproving

customersatisfaction.Withitsabilitytoautomaterepetitivetasks,providereal-timesupportanddeliverhyper-personalizedservices,thenewtechnologyallows

companiestomeettherisingexpectationsoftoday'stravelerswhileaddressingtheoperationalcomplexitiesinherentinthissector.

A

rtificialintelligence(AI)isreshapingcustomerserviceinthetraveland

TheindustryhaslongshownastronginterestinusingAI-basedtechnology,withearlyusecasesalreadyshowcasingitstransformativepotential.FromAI-powered

chatbotsmanagingreal-timeitinerarychangestopredictiveanalytics,theindustry

isbusyintegratingAIintocustomer-facingandback-endprocesses.Indeed,the

industryappearstohavereachedapivotalmomentinitsadoptionofAI.Yet,significantregionalvariationpersists:WhileAsialeadswithadvancedAIimplementations,Europeshowsstrengthsindatareadinessbutlagsbehindinformalizingcustomerservice

usecases.TheUnitedStates,meanwhile,excelsintreatingdataasanassetbutfaceschallengesinareassuchassecurityandcompliance.

Despitethisprogress,steppinguptheadoptionofAIacrossthetravelandtransportationindustryisnoteasy.Challengesincludefragmentedprocesses,alackofstructured

AIgovernance,andresourceconstraints,particularlyamongsmallerplayers.Moreover,AIrequirescompaniestorethinktheiroperatingmodel,upskilltheirworkforceand

ensurerobustdatastructurestofullycapitalizeonitspotential.

Toremaincompetitiveinthisrapidlyevolvinglandscape,travelandtransportation

Cover:WeiquanLin/GettyImages

companiesmustmovebeyondisolatedusesofAIandadoptamoreholisticapproach.Thatincludesintegratingend-to-endprocesses,aligningtheirAIstrategieswiththeir

organizationalgoalsandfosteringinnovation.Below,wediscussthesechallenges–

andshowhowfirmsinthetravelandtransportationindustrycanunlockthefullpotentialofAItodeliverbothoperationalexcellenceandexceptionalcustomerexperiences.

2RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

3RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

Contents

Page

4

8

14

18

20

1Tickettotransformation

IsAIamust-haveoraluxuryupgrade?

2Clearedfortakeoff

HowtravelisleadingtheAIjourney

3Fromcheck-intochatbots

AIinaction

4Smoothlandingorturbulenceahead?

PreparingforAI

5Fullthrottle

ChartingthefuturewithAI

Fast

Facts

ofsurveyed

firmsconsiderthemselves

innovators

Regulatory

concernsseenasmainbarriertoadoption,

rangingfrom

56%offirmsinAsiato71%intheUSA

ofsurveyed

83%

managers

attribute"high"

importancetoAI

4RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

1

Tickettotransformation

IsAIamust-haveoraluxuryupgrade?

Thetravelindustryhascomealongway.Fromtheinceptionofbrick&mortartravelagenciesin1840sEnglandandthefirstmasstourismboominthesecondhalfofthe19thcentury,theindustryhasoscillatedbetweengoodtimesandbad.1TwoworldwarsandtheCOVID-19pandemiceachtemporarilyputahalttointernationaltravelbutcouldnotdestroypeople'sinnerurgetoexplore.AsdiscussedinRolandBerger'sstudy

D2Cchallenges:Thetravel

industry

,2today'stravelindustryishometoavibrantdiversityofmarketplayerssellingtravelservicestoconsumersinahighlycomplexmarket.

Companiescanonlythriveinthismarketiftheystayontopoftheirgame,embracingnewtechnologiesthataddressconsumerpreferencesanddesires.Inthisstudy,weinvestigateindustryprogressonadoptingAIandplanstointegrateitfurther,identifyingcurrentgapsandmarketopportunitiesforplayers.Ourfindingswillbeofinteresttoallmarketparticipants,betheytouroperators,mobilityoperators,contentproviderssuchashotelchainsandairlines,oranyotherentitiesindirectcontactwithtravelconsumers.

Threetrendsarecurrentlydrivingtheadoptionofnewcustomerservicetechnologybythetravelindustry:strongerdemandfortravel,higherconsumerexpectationsoftravelexperiencesandtheincreaseddigitalizationofdistributionchannels&customerjourneys.Inlate2024andearly2025,RolandBerger,inpartnershipwithPotlocandTalentNeuron,carriedoutacomprehensiveglobalsurveyofdecision-makersincustomerservicedepartments,

Thetravelandtransportation

industryhastakenoffonitsAIjourney, butcruisingaltitudediffersalot amongtheplayers.Rule-basedAIuse caseswithchatbotsincustomer servicemarkonlyafirstmoveintheAI journey.Thenextstepisalready overdue-usingGenAI-basedagentsthatprovide,e.g.,packagecomposition proposals.Additionally,theimpactof AIonwebvisibilityneedstobe understoodandplayersmustrethink theefforttheyexpendongainingD2C marketshares.Standingstillisdefinitelynotanoption!"

withacross-industrypanelof550globalmanagers.Theresultsofthatstudyarereportedin

Servicewithasiliconsmile:

CustomerserviceintheageofAI

.3Some90ofthemanagersanddecision-makersinvolvedinthesurveyworkdirectlyinthetransportationindustry.Theirresponses,reportedhere,provideuswithinsightsintothespecificchallengesincustomerservicefacingtravelandtransportationcompanies,oneofthemostpromisingareasforAI,highlightinghowwidelyAIsolutionsarealreadyinusetodayandillustratingcurrentusecasesforthetechnology.A

MatthiasHanke,SeniorPartner

1Bieger,T.,Laesser,C.,&BeritelliP.(2025).DasEndedesTourismus?UniversityofSt.Gallen.

/10.36198/9783838563695

2

/en/Insights/Publications/D2C-challenges-The-travel-industry.html

3

/en/Insights/Publications/Customer-service-in-the-age-of-AI.html

5RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

AKeytrendsdrivingtheadoptionoftechnologybythetravelindustry

Trend

#1

Strongerdemandfortravel

Trend#2

Higherexpectations

oftravel

experiences

Trend#3

Greaterdigitalization

ofcustomer

journeys

Source:RolandBerger

Trend#1:Strongerdemandfortravel

Thetravelindustryhasexperiencedaremarkableresurgencepost-pandemic,withglobaldemandreachingunprecedentedlevelsin2024.Fouryearsaftertheoutbreak,theindustryhasnotonlyreboundedbutexceededitspre-pandemicperformanceinmanyareas.InternationaltourismreceiptsareexpectedtohitUSD1.6trillionin2024,afourpercentincreaseover2019inrealterms,indicatingthesector'srobustrecovery.4Anestimated1.4billioninternationaltouristswererecordedin2024,representinganimpressive11%increaseoverthepreviousyear.5Thissurgeindemand,drivenamongotherthingsbythephenomenonof"revengetravel"–peopletakingtripsthattheyweren'tabletoduringCOVID-19–underscorestheresilienceoftheindustryandtheenduringdesireofconsumerstoexploretheworld.

Increasedtourismposesacriticalquestionforindustryplayers:Howcantheymeetboomingdemandeffectively,especiallyinthefaceofresourceandpersonnelscarcity–aparticularprobleminWesterneconomies?Astravelcompaniesgrapplewiththesechallenges,theymustexploreinnovativesolutionsforoptimizingoperations,improvingcommercial

vrAIisnolongeracompetitive

processes,enhancingcustomerserviceandensuringtheycanfulfiltheneedsofagrowingmarketinasustainablefashion.Meetingtheexpectationsof1.4billioninternationaltouristsrequiresnotjustoperationalefficiencybutalsoastrategicapproachtoresourceallocation,workforcemanagementandcustomerengagement.

edgebutastrategicnecessity.

Whilemanyinourindustryhavemadepromisingstarts,therealchallenge

liesahead:embeddingAIacrossthe

entirevaluechain.Thosewhoactnow,withvisionandresolve,willdefinethenexteraoftravelandtransportation."

FlorianDehne,Partner

4UnitedNationsWorldTourismOrganization(UNWTO).WorldTourismBarometerandStatisticalAnnex,January2025.

/doi/abs/10.18111/wtobarometereng.20?journalCode=wtobarometereng

5Ibid.

6RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

Theroleoftechnology,particularlyAI,willbeessentialinaddressingthesechallengesandensuringtheindustrycanthriveinaneraofheighteneddemand.B

BEvolutionofinternationaltravelinrecentyears

Internationaltourismreceipts[USDtn]

Internationaltouristarrivals[m]

Today

+11%

1,500

1,400

1,300

1,200

1,100

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

1,445

1,465

1,415

1,305

1,339

1,246

1,1091,151

1,204

COVID-19

1,015

1,060

975

973

460

406

20102012201420162018202020222024

Source:RolandBerger,UNWTO

Trend#2:Higherexpectationsoftravelexperiences

Asglobaldemandsurges,sotoodotheexpectationsoftoday'stravelers.Consumersarelookingforout-of-the-ordinarytravelexperiencesandincreasinglyprioritizingconvenience,efficiencyandpersonalization.Toachievethis,theyarereadytomakeconcessions,suchasspendingmore:Accordingtooneindustrystudy,over90%oftravelersareallocatingthesameorhigherbudgetsfortravelin2025comparedtothepreviousyear.6WhileyoungergenerationssuchasGenZfocusonstretchingtheirbudgetswithcost-effectiveoptions,BabyBoomersareincreasingtheirtravelspendsignificantly,optingforpremiumservicesandaccommodation.Demandisgrowingforupgradedexperiences,frombusiness-classflightstoluxuryhotels,asconsumersseektomaximizecomfortandqualityduringtheirjourneys.7

6Sabre.(2025).SabreTravelerSentimentSurvey.Sabre.

/insights/adventure-seekers-multi

-generational-trips-and-this-years-biggest-spenders-sabre-survey-results-reveal-2025s-key-travel-trends/

7Ibid.

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

7RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

Inadditiontofinancialconcessions,travelersareincreasinglyopentosharingpersonaldatainexchangeforgreaterconvenienceandpersonalization.AccordingtoIATA,85%ofpassengersarewillingtoshareimmigrationdatadigitallyinadvanceoftheirtrip,and89%expressinterestintrustedtravelerprogramsthatexpeditesecurityscreening.Thisopennessunderscoresashiftinconsumermindset,whereprivacyiswillinglytradedforseamless,tailoredtravelexperiences.8

Addingtothecomplexityofincreasedexpectationsistherisingpopularityofnichetraveltrends,suchas"cool-cations"andspecialtyexperiencessuchasSantaClaus-themedvacationsorsafariorsnorkelingadventures,tonamejustafew.Thesetrendsrequirecompaniestoofferincreasinglyspecializedservices,raisingquestionsabouthowmuchcanreasonablybeexpectedfromhumanemployeesinbothsalesandserviceroles.

Fortravelfirms,meetingtheseheightenedexpectationspresentsbothchallengesandopportunities.Amoredemandingclienteleincreasestheriskofcustomerdisappointmentbutalsoopensthedoortoinspiringandexcitingtravelerswithexceptionalservice.TonavigatethisVUCA(volatile,uncertain,complexandambiguous)world,companieshavenochoicebuttoembraceAI–asdiscussedintherecentRolandBergerstudy.

Trend#3:Greaterdigitalizationofcustomerjourneys

Digitaltransformationisreshapinghowconsumersinteractwithfirmsinthetravelindustry.Forexample,digitalchannelshavebecomethedefaultforplanning,bookingandpayment,with71%ofpassengerspreferringonlineorapp-basedbookingand53%favoringairline-specificdigitalplatforms.Paymentpreferencesarealsoevolving,with79%oftravelersoptingforcreditordebitcardsanddigitalwalletsgainingtraction,particularlyamongyoungerdemographics.Thisshifttowarddigital-firstinteractionsdemandsthattravelcompaniesnotonlymaintainastrongpresenceontheirownplatformsbutalsoengageeffectivelyonthird-partychannels,suchasonlinetravelagents–meetingconsumerswheretheyare.9

Asdigitalchannelsbecomethedominanttouchpointforplanningandbookingtravel,companiesinthetravelsectormustadapt,findingwaystobalancepersonalizationwithdatasecurity.AIprovidesthetoolstoenhancedigitaltouchpoints,therebydirectlyinfluencingKPIssuchascustomersatisfactionwhileminimizingcostsandoptimizingoperationsforcompanies.

AIhasawiderangeofapplicationsincustomer-relatedareas,fromprocessingandinterpretinglargeamountsofdatatodrivingchatbotsandhelpingdevelopresponsestospecificcustomerissues,alongwithenablingcommercialexcellence.Inlightoftheincreasingdemandsfromcustomers,AIincustomerservicemayprovetobeanenablerforhumanemployees,augmentingtheircapabilitiesandenablingfirmstoprovidebetter,moreeffectiveandmorecustomer-specificsolutionsatalowercost.

8IATA(2024).IATAGlobalPassengerSurvey2024.IATA.

/en/publications/newsletters/iata

-knowledge-hub/key-trends-in-passenger-behavior/

9Ibid.

8RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

2

Clearedfortakeoff

HowtravelisleadingtheAIjourney

ThetravelindustryisatapivotalmomentinitsadoptionofAI,withearlyusecasesalreadydemonstratingitstransformativepotential.Frompersonalizedtripplanningtoreal-timeitineraryadjustments,AIisbeginningtoreshapehowtravelersdream,plan,buyandexperiencetheirjourneys.Theseinitialapplications,whilepromising,arejustthetipoftheiceberg,hintingatvastpossibilitiestocome.

Sofar,ourfocushasbeenprimarilyonthetravelindustry.Butthetravelandtransportationindustryisnaturallywiderthanthat,includingallfirmsinvolvedinmoving(orfacilitatingthemovementof)peopleandgoodsbyair,road,railorsea.Itismadeupoflargenumbersofstakeholders,includingplayersfocusedonbothconsumersandcorporatecustomers.Ourdatasetisbalancedbetweenthetwo,paintingatruepictureoftravelandtransportationandcoveringawidespectrumofcompaniesandusecasesalike.C

CB2Bvs.B2Cfocusoftravelandtransportationfirmsvs.otherindustriesinthesurveysample

USA

Travelandtransportation

[n=90]

42%

B2Cand B2Bandtechnicalservice

19%

B2CandB2Bandtechnicalservice

19%

B2CandB2B

48%

[n=21]

B2Bandtechnicalservice

5%

OnlyB2B

10%

OnlyB2C

Other

[n=460]

4%

9%

▲

9%

18%

[n=129]

18%

11%22%

[n=164]

25%12%

20%36%

2%5%

22%

Asia

42%

[n=36]

2%13%

8%

[n=167]

6%

5%

21%

15%

58%

Europe

30%

41%

[n=33]

FirmswithB2Cprocess

FirmswithoutB2Cprocess(exclusivelyB2B)

Source:RolandBerger,Potloc

9RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

Thatsaid,perhapsthemostvisibledevelopmentsinthemarketfirstandforemostaffecttheB2Csphere.WeaskedrespondentswhethertheyfelttheirorganizationswerereadytoimplementAIintermsoftheiroperatingmodel,technology,accesstohigh-qualitydata,processautomationandsoon.Wethenusedtheiranswerstoclassifythembroadlyas"innovators,""adopters"or"laggards."Whatdidwefind?The90executivesfrominternationaltravelandtransportationfirmsfeaturethehighestnumberofself-proclaimedinnovators–tenpercent,comparedtosevenpercentacrossallindustries.TheserespondentsperceivetheirfirmasbeingatthehelmofusingAIincustomerservice.D

DAIimplementationreadinessbyindustry:

Travelandtransportationfirmsareforerunners[%ofrespondents]

InnovatorAdopterLaggard

33%

●7%

Overall

60%

FOCUS

Travel&transportation1)

●10%

58%

32%

Financialservices

Energyandutilities

Telecommunications

Retailandwholesale

Consumerproducts

9%

9%

7%

6%

0%

34%

29%

32%

41%

33%

57%

62%

61%

53%

67%

0-19%shareofvotes

40%+shareofvotes

20-39%shareofvotes

1Travel&transportation(incl.aviation,railroad,airportandmaritimeoperations)

Source:RolandBerger,Potloc

Withtenpercentinnovators,thetravelandtransportationindustrystandsoutfromothersectors.ThethreetrendsdiscussedinChapter1havealreadybeenrelevantfortheindustryforanumberofyears,pushingcompaniestobecomeincreasinglymoredigitalandgeneratecommercialvalue.Thetravelindustryrequiresclosealignmentwithconsumersinmanyinstances,eveninthecaseofB2Bfirmssuchasairlinecateringfirms,whoseproductsarealsoultimatelyusedbyconsumers.Thisappearstoboosttheindustry'smotivationtoadoptnewtechnologies,morestronglythanindustriesthatareonedegreeremovedfromendconsumers.Forexample,theconsumergoodssector,whoseproductsreachconsumersviathird-partyretailersinasimpleconsumptioncontext(forexample,foodconsumptionathome),hasnoself-styledinnovators.

WhiIethetraveIandtransportationindustryappearstohaveacomparativeIygoodgraspofthetopicofAIincustomerservice,itsperformancecomparedtootherindustriesmeritscIoseexamination.TheRolandBergerAIReadinessFrameworkcomprisesasetofkeydimensionsandIeversthatrepresentprerequisitesforthesuccessfuIdepIoymentofAI–reIatedstrategiesinthecustomerserviceenvironment.FourcriticaIdimensions-data,products,operatingmodeIandtechnoIogy-formthecoreofourmodeI,eachsupportedbyfouressentiaIIevers.These16IeverscoIIectiveIyformthefoundationforusingAItodriveefficiency,innovationandcustomersatisfaction.TheirinterconnectednessensuresthatAIinitiativesarenotonIytechnicaIIyfeasibIebutaIsostrategicaIIyaIignedwithbusinessgoaIs.BeIow,weoutIinethebackgroundforeachofthefourdimensions.

FigureEshowsthevaryingIeveIsofmaturityinthefourdimensionsforcompaniesacrossaIIindustries.ThedatadimensionappearstobethemostdeveIoped,withhighreadinessindataanaIyticaIdiscipIines,incIudingbigdata.CompaniesareaIsomakingstridesintreatingdataasanassetforprocesses,aIthoughindatacapabiIitiesanddataquaIitytheyshowonIymediumreadiness.Theproductsdimensionshowsmixedprogress,withhighreadinessinusecasesforimprovingexistingprocessesandmediumreadinessfortheactuaIdepIoymentofusecase–specificorproduct–andservice–specificknowIedge.ThetechnoIogydimensionIagssomewhatbehind,withmediumreadinessthroughoutaIIareasandverymixedresuItsforback–enddigitaIizationandintegrationIayers,asweIIasareassuchasscaIabIeinfrastructureandsecuritymechanisms.LastIy,theoperatingmodeIdimensionistheIeastmature,withIowreadinessindecentraIizedP&L–responsibIeteamsandoutcome–basedgovernanceasweIIasagiIecross–functionaIteams,aIthoughsomeprogressisevidentincompaniesIviewsonprocessautomationoptimizationopportunities.ThismirrorsweIItheoveraIIpictureofreIativeIyhighawarenesscombinedwithIittIeproficiency-andtheneedfortargetedeffortstoincreaseAIreadinessacrossaIIdimensions.E

HowdoestraveIandtransportationcomparewithotherindustries?FigureFcomparesthe16dimensionsofAIreadinessintraveIandtransportationwiththereadinessinotherindustrieswithintheUS,asweIIascomparingtheUStraveIandtransportationindustrywiththeotherregions.ForthethreegeographicaIregionscoveredinthesurveycomparedwithaIIotherindustriestakentogetherintheUS,thefigureindicatesthepercentageofrespondentsineachcasethatconsiderthemseIves"fuIIyready"(vs."somewhatready"or"notquiteready/notreadyataII").F

AnuancedpictureemergesfortraveIandtransportation,withnotabIestrengthsandweaknessescomparedtootherindustriesandincertaingeographicregions.IntheUnitedStates,forexampIe,theindustryisparticuIarIystrongintreatingdataasanassetforprocesses,with29%ofrespondentsstatingthattheircompanyis"fuIIyready"inthisdimension,significantIyhigherthanthe14%readinessIeveIseeninotherindustries.SimiIarIy,traveIandtransportationintheUnitedStatesoutperformsintermsofhavingstructuredcataIoguesofcustomerserviceusecasesandoutcome–basedgovernance(33%-theUnitedStateshasbeenattheforefrontoftechnoIogicaIautomationandcoding,whichhaspromptedfirmstoconsiderwaystoimprovetoamuchIargerextentthansimiIarfirmsinAsia(6%)andEurope(9%).

10RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

11RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

ETheRolandBergerAIReadinessFramework

Cross-industryresults

Category

Operatingmodel

Products

Data

Technology

Maturitylevel

●.

.

.

●●

●

●

●

●●

●●

Dimension

Processautomationoptimizationopportunities

DecentralizedP&L-responsibleteamsAgilecross-functionalteams

Outcome-basedgovernance

Monitoringofdata-drivenproducts/services

Personalizationandcontextawareness

StructuredcatalogueofcustomerserviceusecasesUsecasestoimproveexistingprocesses

High-quality,diverseandup-to-datedataBigdataanalyticscapabilities

DataavailableasanassetforprocessesDatacapabilitiesandskills

Scalableinfrastructure(cloudification)SecurityandcompliancemechanismsTechnologicaltoolsandenablers

Back-enddigitalizationandintegrationlayer

Readinesshigh

.Readinesslow

●Readinessmedium

FAIreadinessoftravelandtransportationvs.otherindustries

[%ofrespondentswhoconsiderthemselves"fullyready"]

USA(exemplaryforindustrycomparison)AsiaEurope

ProcessautomationoptimizationopportunitiesDecentralizedP&L-responsibleteams

Agilecross-functionalteams

Outcome-basedgovernance Monitoringofdata-drivenproducts/services PersonalizationandcontextawarenessStructuredcatalogueofcust.serviceusecases

UsecasestoimproveexistingprocessesHigh-quality,diverseandup-to-datedataBigdataanalyticscapabilities

Dataavailableasanassetforprocesses

DatacapabilitiesandskillsScalableinfrastructure(cloudification)SecurityandcompliancemechanismsTechnologicaltoolsandenablers

Back-enddigitalizationandintegrationlayer

Other

industries

21%5%

7%

9%

23%

15%17%19%

14%

31%

14%

37%

22%12%

23%12%

Travel&

transportation

19%

5%

10%

24%

24%

10%

33%24%

19%

19%

29%24%14%

5%

19%

10%

Travel&

transportation

28%

6%

11%

8%

28%

17%

6%

33%

31%

31%

19%

22%

33%28%31%14%

Travel&

transportation

15%

9%

24%

24%

39%

21%9%

24%

36%33%30%27%

15%

18%

30%

9%

Operatingmodel

Products

Data

Technology

ParticularstrengthParticularweakness

Source:RolandBerger,Potloc

12RolandBerger|Clearedfortakeoff

However,theUStravelandtransportationindustrylagsbehindinself-perceivedbigdataanalyticscapabilities–perhapsduetorespondentscomparingthemselvestoindustriesfaraheadinthisrespect,suchasmediaortechnology,orbecauseourdatasetincludesahigherproportionofB2BfirmsintheUnitedStatesthanelsewhere.Furtherweaknessesexistinsecurityandcompliancemechanisms,whereonlyfivepercentofUSrespondentsreportfullreadiness,comparedto12%inotherindustries.Thisgaphighlightsacriticalareaforimprovementinthetechnologicalinfrastructureoftravelandtransportationcompaniesintheregion.

InAsia,travelandtransportationcompaniesexcelinproduct,operatingmodelandtechnologyaspects.Some33%ofrespondentsindicatefullreadinessinusecasesthatimproveexistingprocesses,highlightingtheirdesiretofurtheroptimizeprocessesbothinthesupplychainandinvolvingcustomers.Whiledatacapabilitiesappearweakerincomparison(22%),processautomationeffortsandopportunitiesarerelativelystrong(28%),furthersupportedbystrong"cloudification"(33%)andtheITbackbone.Thisstrengthunderscorestheregion'sfocusoncustomer-centricsoftwareapplications–Asiaisalsotheleaderin"superapps"thatcovermanyaspectsofconsumers'dailylives.

InEurope,travelandtransportationleadsinseveraldimensions.Forexample,36%ofrespondentsreportfullreadinessinhigh-quality,diverseandup-to-datedata,comparedtojust14%inotherindustriesintheUnitedStates.Similarly,39%oftravelandtransportationrespondentsarefullyreadywithregardtomonitoringdata-drivenproductsandservices,significantlyoutperformingthe23%readinesslevelofotherUSindustries.Therecentsurgeinspecialtytravel(seeChapter1)maybeanexplanatoryfactorhere:ThesheernumberofspecialtytravelfirmscontinuestorisewithinEurope,andtheseplayersrelyonadata-drivenproductandserviceapproachthatenablesthemtotailortheirservicestocustomerpreferences.AkeyweaknessisEuropeliesinthestructuredcatalogueofcustomerserviceusecases,whereonlyninepercentoftravelandtransportationrespondentsreportfullreadiness,comparedto17%inotherindustriesintheUnitedStates.ThisgapsuggeststhatwhileEuropeantravelandtransportationcompaniesexcelindataandmonitoringcapabilities,theymayneedtofocusmoreonformalizingandscalingcustomerserviceusecases–anessentialgaptoclosewhenitcomestoimplementingAI.

Overall,thetravelandtransportationsectordemonstratesstrongregionalvariationsintermsofAImaturity,withclearareasofleadershipandopportunitiesforimprovement.Whileouranalysisunderscoresthetravelandtransportationindustry'sambitiontobecomeaforerunner,todosoitwillneedtoaddressareassuchashavingclearlydelimitedstructuredcataloguesofAIusecases,tonamebutoneareaforimprovement.

Lookingahead,thenextwaveofAIadoptioninthetravelindustrywilllikelyfocusondeepeningpersonalizationandenhancingpredictivecapabilities.AIsystemscouldevolvetoanticipatetravelerpreferenceswithevengreateraccuracy,offeringhyper-personalizedrecommendationsbasedonpastbehaviors,real-timedataandcontextualfactorssuchasageandlikelyfamilyconstellations.Additionally,asAIcontinuestomature,itmayplayalargerroleinoptimizingcommercialandoperationalprocesses,fromdynamicpricingmodelstoresourceallocationacrosst