In South Africa, travel agents and consultants are increasingly exploring the role of AI to enhance their services, and the industry has responded well to adopting AI practices, as reported by Travel News.
However, while AI offers opportunities for efficiency and innovation, it also presents significant risks that must be carefully navigated.
Over-reliance
Natalia Rosa, Communications and Marketing Expert and CEO of Big Ambitions, warns against the common mistake of using Generative AI as a ‘crutch’ rather than a thought partner.
"One common mistake travel consultants and businesses make when adopting Generative AI is treating it like a ‘crutch’ to cover areas they’re less proficient in, for instance, relying on AI to draft legal contracts or generate generic marketing copy. While those tasks might be suitable for Generative AI to handle, the real transformative power lies in using AI as a thought partner," Rosa told Travel News.
She emphasised the importance of using AI to complement human expertise rather than replace it.
Data privacy and algorithmic bias
One of the biggest dangers of AI in the travel industry is its heavy reliance on personal data.
In addressing concerns regarding data privacy and algorithmic biases, it is crucial to understand that these challenges are not exclusive to AI but reflect broader issues in data usage and technology adoption, says Otto de Vries, CEO of Asata.
“AI systems require vast amounts of data to deliver personalised experiences, and while this does raise privacy risks – especially across different jurisdictions – it is the responsibility of human advisers and business leaders to ensure that this data is managed ethically and securely. Similarly, although algorithmic biases can skew results – favouring popular destinations over emerging ones – human expertise is essential,” he says.
Rosa adds: "When using AI as your thought partner, always be mindful of the data you’re inputting. Ensure that you maintain robust data privacy standards and remain alert to any algorithmic biases that could skew recommendations. Your industry expertise is crucial in evaluating the outputs and making adjustments to avoid reinforcing any unintended biases."
Advice
Rosa provided the following advice for agents when leveraging Generative AI as a thought partner:
- Quality of instruction: AI is only as good as the prompts it receives. As an expert, your instructions for AI should be high quality, which leads to outputs that are closer to your vision. However, there’s a learning curve in crafting these prompts. Poorly framed instructions can lead to generic or off-target suggestions, so honing your “prompt engineering” skills is essential.
- Preserving the human touch: No matter how advanced AI becomes, the personal connections you build with clients are irreplaceable. Use AI to streamline processes and enhance creativity, but continue to invest in the human elements – empathy, intuition, and relationship-building – that make travel consulting truly personal and unique.
“In short, you get to decide ‘when to human, and when to AI’. The choice is not whether to use generative AI or not. It’s here, and it’s only getting smarter, faster and more efficient as a tool,” Rosa says.
De Vries adds while concerns about privacy and bias are valid, they underscore the need for responsible leadership rather than a retreat from innovation.
“The true challenge lies in ensuring that AI is used as an enabler – an advanced tool in the hands of human expertise – to enhance service quality and safeguard the personal connections that are the lifeblood of travel.”
This year, Asata is launching an AI literacy project to equip its members with the skills and frameworks necessary to use AI judiciously and effectively.
“By ensuring that our travel consultants are well versed in the responsible use of AI, we can enhance personalisation and operational efficiency without compromising the human touch that defines our industry,” De Vries concludes.
