alexkich / ShutterstockArtificial intelligence can compare fares, build itineraries and even suggest where to spend the weekend. But apparently, travellers still want someone who knows what they are doing.
That is one of the more interesting messages from the 2026 Global Travel Agent Report by Amadeus Hospitality, which finds that travel agents are embracing AI while continuing to rely heavily on the Global Distribution System (GDS) to search, compare and book travel.
The report, based on a survey of 756 travel agents across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific between April and June 2026, suggests that the travel agent is not disappearing. Instead, the job is becoming more technology-enabled.
More than three-quarters of agents now use AI in some form, while more than four in five are comfortable using it to support booking decisions. Yet the technology is largely being used as an assistant rather than a replacement — helping agents research faster, compare options and build recommendations.
APAC is moving faster
APAC agents report the strongest growth in GDS usage, with 47% saying they use the platform more than they did two years ago, compared with 43% globally. They are also particularly enthusiastic about AI. 58% of APAC agents believe AI could improve pricing and upselling, while 51% see potential for better hotel recommendations.
That matters because the GDS is no longer simply a place to make a reservation. Agents log in more than six times a day and spend nearly eight hours connected, turning the platform into a busy marketplace where hotels, airlines and destinations compete for attention while trips are being built.
AI can compare. Agents still recommend
The report's most revealing finding may be what agents actually want AI to do. They are not asking it to take over. They want it to help them compare.
Globally, 48% see pricing and upsell suggestions as an area where AI could improve productivity, followed by hotel recommendations at 47% and destination inspiration at 43%. In APAC, interest in pricing and upselling rises to 58%.
That creates a new challenge for travel brands.
If AI is helping an agent decide which hotel to recommend, what happens if your hotel information is incomplete, outdated or difficult for the system to interpret?
The report finds that 40% of agents want AI-generated summaries of hotel content, while 37% want tools that can match traveller needs with relevant property features.
Suddenly, hotel descriptions do not look quite so boring. They could become the raw material for the next generation of AI-assisted travel selling.
Price still talks
For all the excitement around AI, some things have not changed.
Price remains king. Globally, 48% of agents say price is the number-one consideration for travellers. But APAC is slightly different: health and safety ranks at 25%, while value reaches 21%. And agents want proof that the price they see can be trusted. Ninety-four percent consider GDS rate parity highly important, while 63% say they will book elsewhere if hotel rates are inconsistent.
The ad has to earn its place
Travel brands also have only a brief window to capture an agent's attention. More than one in four agents globally say they have booked a provider after seeing it in a GDS advertisement. In APAC, that rises to 32%.
Two-thirds say GDS advertising influences their buying behaviour, with APAC again ahead at 72%. And 80% of APAC agents say they would act on a strong offer even if it appeared on a different GDS screen from the product they were booking.
That suggests travel advertising needs to stop thinking in silos. A hotel can catch an agent while they are booking a flight. A destination can influence an itinerary before a hotel has even been selected. The journey, rather than the product, becomes an advertising opportunity.
And then there is bleisure
Business travel is also creating another opening. The report finds that 30% of agency bookings are blended travel, combining business with leisure. For destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo or Seoul, that means the business trip may be only the beginning.
The agent who books the flight may also be deciding where the traveller stays, whether they extend the trip and what they do with the extra two days. That makes the GDS less of a booking engine and more of a trip-building engine.
The new travel sales pitch
The report's message for hotels, airlines and destinations is ultimately straightforward. Amadeus' own recommendations include improving hotel descriptions, using strong imagery, maintaining rate parity, making sustainability credentials visible and highlighting loyalty benefits. The report also says 57% of agents consider exclusive GDS-only offers a strong booking trigger.
The irony is that the more intelligent travel technology becomes, the more important good information becomes. AI can compare hundreds of options. But someone — or something — still needs to decide which option is worth recommending.
For now, that someone is still the travel agent.
