At a time when artificial intelligence, automation and digital disruption are reshaping every corner of travel, industry leaders are increasingly aligned on one critical point: technology may transform tourism, but it cannot replace its soul. That was the central takeaway from the panel discussion, ReAIMagining Tourism with Tech & Human Touch, where leaders from destination management, hospitality, cruise, travel technology and online distribution explored how innovation and empathy must evolve together.

Moderated around the idea that tourism is being reimagined—not reinvented—through technology, the discussion moved beyond the familiar AI-versus-human debate. Instead, panellists argued the future belongs to a “high-tech, high-touch” model, where digital tools drive efficiency, resilience and personalisation, while human interaction continues to define memorable travel experiences.

Technology as an Enabler, Not a Replacement: Gujarat’s Experience Vision

For Hirendrasen Dhabi, AGM, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, tourism’s digital evolution begins not with replacing touchpoints, but enhancing experiences. He stressed that hospitality starts long before check-in, often with something as simple as a warm smile at the door. That emotional dimension, he argued, cannot be digitised.

While Gujarat has been steadily integrating technology—from online booking systems and digital ticketing to immersive tools such as augmented and virtual reality—these innovations are being positioned as enablers of more seamless and curated visitor experiences rather than substitutes for real engagement. Destinations such as the Statue of Unity were cited as examples of how technology can support personalised tourism journeys while preserving the experiential core of travel.

Hospitality’s Core Will Always Be Human

 That distinction between enabling and replacing was echoed strongly by Ranju Alex, CEO, India & South Asia, Accor, who argued that hospitality, by definition, is inseparable from human connection.

Using the metaphor of a road journey from Delhi to Chandigarh, Alex described how technology such as GPS has undoubtedly made travel more efficient, but the essence of the experience remains rooted in moments technology cannot recreate—the stop at Murthal for parathas, the roadside interactions, the spontaneity of travel. For hospitality, she argued, the same principle applies. Technology may remember a guest’s coffee preference or streamline room delivery, but it cannot replicate genuine care or the warmth of service.

Her view reinforced a theme that ran throughout the discussion: in travel, automation should amplify service, not sterilise it.

AI and Personalisation Shift from More Choice to Smarter Choice

 That thinking extends powerfully into digital distribution, where AI is reshaping not only how travel is booked but how travellers make decisions. For Parikshit Choudhary, Chief Business Officer – B2B and Customer Connect, MakeMyTrip, personalisation at scale is perhaps where AI’s impact will be most profound.

He pointed to a major shift in digital platform thinking. For years, online marketplaces thrived on abundance—more choice, more listings, more options. But in travel, he argued, that model is being inverted. Today, the real value lies not in overwhelming travellers with endless choices, but in intelligently narrowing them.

AI, in this sense, is not simply about recommendation engines; it is about reducing friction. By anticipating whether a traveller is booking for business, family leisure or group travel, platforms can present more relevant options faster, shortening the decision journey. In this model, less browsing and quicker conversion become markers of better customer experience.

Rather than removing human judgement, AI is increasingly being positioned as a digital concierge—guiding travellers toward more relevant choices while making personalisation scalable.

 Building Resilience Through Smarter, Safer Technology

 Yet as innovation accelerates, panellists agreed that the conversation is no longer just about growth. It is also about resilience.

Anil Parashar, Executive Director, ITQ Technologies, argued that technology investment in travel has fundamentally shifted. Where it was once largely growth-driven, today resilience has become equally central.

Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability, cyber threats, health crises and operational disruptions, he said travel businesses are now designing technology ecosystems not simply for efficiency but for shock resistance. Automation, in this sense, is increasingly about building systems that can absorb disruption without collapsing under it.

That resilience conversation, he noted, extends directly into security, privacy and trust—especially as AI and biometric technologies become more embedded in travel ecosystems. Innovation without safeguards, he suggested, is incomplete innovation.

 Essence of the ‘Human Aspect’ that travel can never Automate

 This balancing act between digital advancement and human values also resonated strongly with Ratna Chadha, CEO, TIRUN Travel Marketing, who perhaps distilled the panel’s philosophy most succinctly.

For Chadha, technology should “process the predictable,” while people should “elevate the experience.”

It was a reminder that much of what can be automated should be—but not everything that can be automated necessarily should be. In a people-driven business like travel, she argued, the industry must also ask what should remain deliberately human. Travellers rarely remember journeys because the booking engine worked flawlessly, she noted. They remember discovery, emotion, surprise and meaningful engagement. Those are outcomes created through human touch.

Her intervention raised a deeper industry question: as automation advances, where should travel consciously preserve human interaction, not for operational necessity, but for emotional value?

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 High-Tech, High-Touch Is Tourism’s Next Growth Model

 Taken together, the panel painted a picture of tourism’s next phase not as a technology race, but as a design challenge—how to embed intelligence into journeys without stripping away warmth.

For destinations, it means using digital tools to make experiences seamless and personalised. For hotels, it means combining automation with service that still feels deeply human. For travel platforms, it means moving from endless choice to intelligent relevance. And for the wider industry, it means building technology that is not only innovative, but resilient, secure and empathetic.

Perhaps the strongest consensus was that the debate is no longer tech versus touch. It is about how the two reinforce one another. Because if travel is fundamentally about experiences, then technology’s role is not to replace the moments that matter, but to make more of them possible.

And in that sense, the future of tourism may not be defined by artificial intelligence alone, but by something far more enduring: intelligent hospitality.