AI Is the New Search for Affluent Travelers

In just 12 months, AI has become a top tour and attraction discovery channel, Arival research shows — and high-value travelers are leading the shift

by | 30 March 2026

Just one year ago, AI barely registered in how travelers discovered tours and experiences. In Arival’s prior survey, just 8% of U.S. travelers and 7% of Europeans reported using AI tools for tour discovery.

Fast forward 12 months, and the shift is dramatic. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok have moved from novelty to mainstream, emerging as core platforms for travel planning. For some traveler segments, AI now rivals — and in some cases surpasses — traditional discovery channels like Google and social media.

Based on Arival’s latest survey of 2,550 U.S. and European travelers, this report — exclusively for Insider Pro members — examines how AI is being used across the travel journey and what this rapid shift means for tour and attraction operators.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Travelers Who Used AI in Trip Planning — by Region, Age and Income
  • The AI Tools Travelers Use
  • How Travelers Use AI
  • How Helpful Travelers Find AI
  • How Travelers Learn About Tours & Attractions

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Tags: AI trip planning, attractions, Featured, travel experiences, tours and activities, travel research, AI, AI in travel, AI in experiences, consumer research, tourism research, AI in tourism, AI research, AI travel planning, AI search, how travelers are using AI
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