#online-travel-agencies

#online-travel-agencies

It isn't a universal truth, but a vast number of goods and services have their own full-circle moments. While there are still plenty of travel agencies in the U.S., the overall number is still down considerably from a peak in the 1980s. For some industry forecasters, though, the future looks a lot like the recent past, except that instead of travelers trusting human agents with making their travel plans a reality, they'll use AI agents for the same purpose.

As a new wave of AI-powered platforms promises to automate trip-planning and booking, there's a long history worth paying attention to. For more than a decade, travel brands have tried - and failed - to turn social media into a place to book vacations. Consumers spend hours every day on social platforms, but they still overwhelmingly book trips via online travel agencies like Booking.com and Expedia, or directly with airlines and hotels.