Walking tours today are the same as they were 25 years ago—in fact, they’re much like when Thomas Cook led his first tour in the 19th century. However, change is on the horizon—and it's coming fast. With this bold statement, Alex Bainbridge, CEO Autoura offered at Arival’s flagship European event this week, a forward-looking session on the future of guided experiences showing how artificial intelligence is poised to radically reshape the guided tour sector—and why tour operators must adapt to stay relevant.
As AI continues to evolve, the digital assistant on travellers’ phones will soon evolve from providing information to becoming a travel companion. This shift is pushing, in words of Bainbridge, traditional tour operators to rethink the group tour model. In this sense, the panelist urged tour operators to begin offering private, personalized tours at group-tour prices—or face the risk of being replaced by AI-guided alternatives.
How can tour operators adapt?
To stay ahead in this rapidly evolving landscape, the panelist emphasized the need for tour operators to rethink their approach, with a focus on:
- Modularizing tours to create flexible, personalized experiences.
- Transitioning from large buses to smaller vehicles to meet the growing demand for more intimate group settings.
- Adopting hybrid models that combine live human guides with AI-powered assistance, offering a more dynamic and responsive travel experience.
- Exploring remote-guided tours, where guides can lead experiences virtually from anywhere in the world, as a promising direction for the future.
“Anyone investing in their business now needs to plan wisely,” warned Bainbridge. And added: “If you're buying a new bus with a ten-year loan, you could quickly find yourself with an asset no one wants.”
It became evident throughout the discussion that the traditional concept of a “tour” is rapidly evolving. Fixed schedules, group formats, and rigid start times are being replaced by more flexible, on-demand experiences. As AI becomes an integral part of travellers’ journeys—available at their fingertips 365 days a year—expectations are shifting toward highly personalized, real-time interactions. This shift is set to fundamentally transform how people discover, engage with, and experience the world, marking a new era for the travel industry.
The Arival 360 Europe event is being held for the first time in Spain (Valencia) from April 28th to 30th. It features a series of insightful sessions with top-tier panelists, offering an invaluable opportunity to exchange knowledge, address industry challenges, and forge partnerships that drive growth and innovation in the travel sector.
