10 key takeaways from a presentation at WiT Japan by Amy Wei, Senior Product Director, Trip-com Group.

1. The shift is already here and accelerating fast.

Trip.com launched its AI assistant TripGenie in February 2023, just 2.5 months after ChatGPT. Three years of real user data tell a clear story: AI-assisted bookings are up significantly year on year, real-time tool usage has grown 3,100% year on year, and the share of users asking booking-related questions (as opposed to general questions) has shifted from under 50% to over 60%. Adoption is not coming.

2. People are using AI to reduce uncertainty, not to get more options.

The primary job AI is doing in travel is not inspiration or discovery – it is confidence-building. Users want to understand what they are actually buying: fare conditions, baggage rules, cancellation policies, lounge access. Over two-thirds of pre-booking flight queries are about lounges and conditions, not prices. A good AI does not win by providing more options. It wins by helping users decide with less uncertainty.

3. AI has moved from the planning stage into the trip itself.

The assumption that AI is primarily a planning tool is being overtaken by reality. Real-time tools – menu translation, local navigation, medical assistance, live translation – are seeing growth.

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