The use of generative AI (artificial intelligence) across the business travel ecosystem seemingly gathered pace in 2024 and will remain a central focus for the managed travel sector moving into 2025, according to a new Amadeus report.

The travel technology giant commissioned market research firm Mercury Analytics to survey 306 travel technology leaders across 10 markets (Italy, France, Germany, the UK, India, Australia, China, Japan, the US and Canada) in Q3 2024 to understand how generative AI will likely impact the travel sector moving forward and the challenges to greater adoption.

Generative AI was cited as a ‘top priority’ for the coming year by 46 per cent of respondents – ahead of any other technology – and this figure rose to 61 per cent in Asia Pacific.

Globally, 51 per cent of respondents said generative AI already has a “significant presence” in the travel industry in their country, with digital assistants, tailored recommendations and content generation seen as top use cases.

A further 36 per cent of respondents expect generative AI to emerge over the next year, while 11 per cent expect the process to take one to two years.

Nevertheless, 41 per cent of travel companies said their organisation has the budget and resources in place to implement generative AI, while 87 per cent are open to working with a third-party vendor to develop generative AI-powered applications. 

Among the use cases that have emerged, the study found that most are experimenting with digital assistance for travellers during booking (53 per cent), while others are providing recommendations for activities or venues (48 per cent), content generation (47 per cent), and collecting and condensing post-travel feedback (45 per cent).  

When asked what, if anything, was slowing the roll-out of the technology, respondents pointed to data security (35 per cent), lack of expertise and training (34 per cent) and issues with data quality and technological infrastructure (33 per cent) as key challenges. ROI concerns and a lack of use cases (30 per cent) and difficulty in connecting with partners or vendors (29 per cent) were also listed.

Commenting on the report findings, Sylvain Roy, chief technology officer, at Amadeus, said: “While the technology [generative AI] will be a key focus for the next year, questions are rightly being asked whether generative AI will deliver sufficient returns on investment, while talent shortages are also coming under the spotlight. 

“It is crucial that we use this new technology responsibly, including ensuring data security, privacy and content reliability. It is time for generative AI to prove it can live up to the hype.” 

The survey also asked respondents to describe what successful deployment of generative AI looks like, with responses, in ranked order, including return on investment, customer satisfaction, efficiency and productivity improvements, performance metrics (accuracy, precision and relevance) and increases in key performance indicators. 

Along with generative AI, other technologies set to top the agenda in 2025 include data management (according to 38 per cent of respondents), cloud architecture (36 per cent), non-generative AI IT infrastructure (34 per cent) and biometric technology (23 per cent).