How You Can Beat AI Travel Agencies

I’m sure you know all about the AI automation trend, and the threat it poses to your agency – AI-powered flights, hotels, tours, itineraries, marketing and more. The rising numbers of AI travel agencies and AI travel marketplaces are plotting ways to replace human involvement with AI travel planners. They’ll learn and improve.

They’ll definitely erode your future revenues and take away some of your clientele. You might be disheartened by the AI juggernaut, but what if you had a plan to keep your business viable?

The AI travel business startups and the major OTAs are all in on what is becoming a copycat, non-expert mediocrity, undermining the travel industry’s most precious resource – human travel advisor expertise. If you adopt AI as they’re doing, will it be a curse leading you nowhere — the race to the bottom on price? Will your “special travel sauce” be diluted to a tasteless fake cheddar cheese topping?

If you manage a traditional travel agency or a tour company that isn’t using AI, you might really enjoy this article about retaining your customers and win the marketing and service battles. And here’s the kicker — your content and service strategy can exploit AI’s weaknesses (impersonal, weak advice, uncertainty), capture it’s automation strenghths, and erode its apparent benefits (mass personalization, self-managed bookings). We can learn with AI and use it against the AI travel agencies.

This is Crazy, There’s No Beating AI!

I know, you’re thinking “this is crazy, you can’t beat AI.” Like the Borg in Star Trek – you will be assimilated.  But since your product is human service, you must find a way to win.  And even if you integrate some AI into your business, you can still use that to present your unique, humanized value proposition and create the bond you need with travelers.

To get your new project in clear view, try this strategy brief:

AI is here and threatening small travel businesses. Ironically, its benefits, tools and insights might actually help us defeat the threat of AI travel agencies. If AI tools are an asset, then the travel advisor is the best person to leverage them on behalf of the customer, and nurture the carefree travel planning and booking experience they really want. The glorification of self-managed travel is all hype and we can gently uncover its flaws, so travelers might prefer human services.  The personal face to face, voice to voice customer/advisor relationship is the core of your business. Ironically, AI travel management system’s weaknesses and strengths can spawn some great ideas about how we can make your human-expert based travel agency look better and provide the kind of service travelers actually do want. We can leverage the strengths and weaknesses of AI systems to make your unique personal services worth a premium price, and open your customer’s mind to the full value your advisors can create.

Right now, personalization is the number one priority because it builds personal relevance to travelers. It is persuasive and more engaging.  The AI people are promising to the nail that feature and put you out of business. They want your clientele and new travelers too (i.e., Zennials).  But you can also personalize your content, products and communications to initiate contact with your advisors earlier, faster, with more intent, in a manual fashion as I’ll lay out in this article below.

In executing this kind of strategy, you’re positioning your unique skills/strengths to drown out your AI competitor and make their strengths/brand seem flat and undesirable.

Promises, Promises

Do you remember that song by Naked Eyes, a big radio hit about naivete and illusions?  AI travel sellers make the vague promise of personalized, best-value trips and safe, error-free itineraries free of human interaction. Due to the uncertainty of no-human contact, smart travelers will want to reach a real, trusted travel expert, of which the AI travel agencies have few.

Personally, I’m not convinced that AI-served consumers will warm up to any travel expert. Once begun impersonal and non-committal, it stays that way. It becomes part of their new intent.  Most likely, they’ll return to use the AI-itinerary booking tools, and then expect the advisor to iron out any issues with their trip.  And how many pro advisors would like seeing their role reduced to an itinerary fixer?  How will they add value at this point in the purchase and build a genuine person-to-person connection?

AI can be an aid in visualization and pre-trip planning, but if travelers are served with bland, common AI-generated travel descriptions, Chatbot answers, and “cross your fingers” bookings, is this a worthy scenario for your amazing agency?

With respect to marketing, we’ll be designing content and messaging to make customers want to forget the AI self-service thing and get the certainty and full joy of the perfect vacation via real travel advisors. The goal is to make the traveler realize the full value of an experienced travel advisor.  So in fighting AI, we end up presenting your value more clearly and effectively. This project will make your business stronger.

Understanding AI and Learning How to Beat It

Generative AI served up via ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or other GPTs is helpful for low-budget amateur creators. From content research to Chatbot answers, it can help them produce much better copy and tactics, even photos and videos. Below, we’ll explore a little closer so you can see “the tarnish on the shiny new buttons.”

AI is a brewing threat to Google, Bing, META, Linkedin, who are being flooded with copycat, AI-generated content. It’s a nightmare those companies must now screen out. The very content the AI LLM GPTs are pumping out will be filtered out in the name of authenticity and real human engagement. And is there anything worse than social/email AI auto-replies and fake sincerity and certainty?

1. Visualize how fake the “emotional relationship” with an AI system is. Where’s your opportunity in that? Humans need human interaction, and not fake humans. Customers need to know the travel pro and identify with them in a personal way. Of course, online is the medium, so you will need content and a live presence where travelers can interact with your advisors. They need constant proof that they have a real human connection to them and there’s real value in that.
2. People don’t do social media to publish stuff, they actually crave real, person-to-person responses – with people who are real, with warmth, joy, relatable flaws and their own personality and values. You could focus on this personal connection with customers and what that’s really about. How do you connect one personality to another different personality and make the best of it?

AI in Your Travel Content Marketing Strategy

There are things to like about AI. ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek and other GPTs can gather a lot of information quickly to give us ideas fast. They can slant their output to your brand and to a particular audience to give us ideas. They’re a sounding board, but I can tell you they’re not that great when you get to a sophisticated level. They can’t scrape that off the web because it’s not published. Companies keep their top brand tactics to themselves.  And brands are very difficult to comprehend.  AI is only good at the basics.

Let’s take a quick look at Generative AI’s basic content marketing strengths:

• Content Research, Ideation and Inspiration: Generative AI can assist creators and copywriters in brainstorming new content ideas and providing new creative angles to blogs, social posts, PPC ads, and email messages.
• Production Efficiency: Generative AI tools can advise and enlighten the content writer and generate drafts of blog posts, social media updates, product descriptions, and drafts, significantly reducing the time/effort needed to produce content.  This automation of content attracts a lot of users, who don’t want expertise, but rather just have something that sounds presentable.
• Enhanced Mass Personalization: AI can analyze vast amounts of customer data to understand individual preferences and behaviors, for the use of automated recommendation engines and personalized email and social messages for higher engagement rates.
• Scalability: Generative AI can easily handle large volumes of content creation and deliver content in multiple languages or formats, making it highly scalable for organizations of all sizes.
• Data-Driven Insights: AI-powered analytics where available, can analyze market data and consumer behavior to uncover insights and trends, which can inform content strategy and optimize campaigns for better performance (prescriptive analytics). You can leverage this info for your manual campaigns.

In the Hands of Your Top Talent

Yes, AI systems can make one single marketing creator/strategist very effective by replacing a monotonous layer of work, giving them time and financial resources to maximize their unique skill set and experience – unleashing improve marketing results. Given most companies are reluctant to spend on marketing, this turns the table on agency budget spending habits – for the good.

Now after that glimpse of AI’s strengths and benefits, let’s look at its weaknesses and failings. Because these are the Achilles heel we can leverage to win.

Trust, Empathy and Real Confidence: AI’s Weaknesses

AI systems don’t have the trusted human-to-human connection with travelers that’s so vital in initial engagement, closing bookings or keeping clients loyal for years on end.  AI LLM GPTs can only provide or mimic a travel decision process.  They give the customer too much control where the traveler doesn’t really understand what they’re doing.  The traveler needs guidance to build a great trip.

AI travel agencies want minimal interaction and costs, so their ideal is minimal human CSRs, agents and advisors – fully xHuman. They’re creating AI travel advisors for maximum throughput and minimal contact. Do travelers feel confident when there is no human involvement? It has to concern them.  They feel alone and worried about one missed connection or a nightmare hotel or some documentation detail. These AI travel companies target a hurried, cost-conscious travel audience for high-volume itineraries to common destinations. The service becomes a commodity which will have no winners – a race to the bottom.

A better audience are those wealthy, luxury travelers across the globe who calmly take their time to find the perfect travel experience.  And your agency is much more attractive to them.

Your advantage then is to sell unique travel itineraries, to unique niche audiences, and wary travelers who fear too good to be true travel deals. Your travel marketing will connect them with real, experienced travel advisors who have actual experience with destinations and tours. And when your marketing emphasizes the value of your experienced advisors, it erodes travelers’ reverence of the AI travel product. In our content, we can discuss or infer the comparison.  You provide real person-to-person security and confidence about a complex itinerary as well as listen to the traveler’s real preferences. AI isn’t real, so it can’t.

If personal connections with the traveler are the key that supports your business model, you’ll be conditioning the traveler to look ahead to that and actually prefer it.

Personalizing Content: A Major Improvement in Travel Marketing

Tech people believe AI is the only way to personalize, but that’s not so.

One clever way you might get the edge on the AI travel companies, is to mimic AI personalization in your content, email messaging, and your visuals. It can and should refer to one of your advisors, with reference to common advice they give to their clients. You may already have this functionality in your current travel management software or travel marketing software. Your advisors/agents should input key notes on each customer in discussion to allow you to edit your emails or text messages. This is better than just tracking their online behavior.

Given you’re not getting tens of thousands of leads just yet, you can take greater care with your best leads and repeat customers.

Mimicking AI Personalization with Human Expertise in Content Marketing

Let’s take a general look at how you might out-personalize your AI travel company competitors.

The goal is to create content that feels tailor-made for different segments of your audience, even if it’s not dynamically generated by an algorithm.

1. Deep Audience Segmentation (Manual Data Collection & Persona Building):

• Beyond Demographics: Instead of just age and income, your advisors are gathering rich qualitative data:
  • “Travel DNA”: What excites them? What are their deepest travel dreams? What are their fears (e.g., getting lost, language barriers, security)?
  • Past Experiences: What did they love/hate about previous trips (booked with you or elsewhere)?
  • Lifestyle & Values: Are they eco-conscious? Adventure seekers? Foodies? Mountain bikers or skiers, or luxury travel connoisseurs? Family-focused?
  • Pain Points: What frustrates them about travel planning or past trips?
  • “Their Own Words”: Actively collect direct quotes from feedback, conversations, and even casual comments. This is gold for content.
• Create Detailed Personas: Based on your advisors’ insights, create 3-5 (or more) detailed client personas. These aren’t just fictional; they represent real patterns your advisors see. Give them names, backstories, and specific travel desires.
  • Example Persona: “Eco-conscious Solo Explorer Emma”: Loves off-the-beaten-path destinations, values sustainable practices, prefers small group tours or independent travel, interested in cultural immersion and wildlife. Avoids mass tourism.
• Leverage UGC & Feedback Systematically:
  • Dedicated Feedback Channels: Make it easy for clients to share feedback (surveys, direct emails, post-trip calls).
  • Internal Knowledge Base: Your advisors should be logging key client insights in a shared CRM (even a simple spreadsheet works) so that everyone can access and learn from these rich profiles.
  • Testimonials & Stories: Actively request and curate written or video testimonials that highlight specific positive experiences and why they valued your human touch.

2. Niche-Specific Content Creation (Human-Curated Expertise):

• “Expert Spotlight” Series:
  • Blogs/Videos: Have your advisors write or speak about their personal expertise. “Jane’s Top 5 Hidden Gems in Tuscany for Foodies,” “Mark’s Essential Packing List for an African Safari,” “Sarah’s Guide to Sustainable Travel in Costa Rica.” This showcases their knowledge.
  • Q&A with an Expert: Solicit common traveler questions and have your advisors answer them in blog posts or short video clips. This directly addresses pain points and builds trust.
• Curated Itineraries/Guides: Develop highly specific, detailed guides for your niche personas. These are not generic; they reflect the insights gathered:
  • Example for “Eco-conscious Explorer Emma”: “7-Day Ethical Eco-Adventure in the Amazon: A Guide by Sarah, Your Sustainable Travel Expert.” This would include specific sustainable lodges, local community interactions, and ethical wildlife viewing tips.
• Problem/Solution Content:
  • Blog Series: “Solving Your Travel Headaches: How a Human Advisor Makes the Difference.” Address common frustrations (e.g., last-minute changes, complex visa requirements, finding authentic local experiences) and explain how your advisors handle them with personal care.
  • Case Studies: Share anonymous success stories where an advisor went above and beyond to solve a client’s problem or create an extraordinary trip.
• “Day in the Life” Content: Show snippets of your advisors researching, connecting with local partners, and experiencing destinations. This builds authenticity and highlights the human effort behind their recommendations.

3. Personalized Communication Flows (Manual & Segmented):

• Segmented Email Marketing: Instead of one newsletter for everyone, send different emails to your persona segments.
  • Example: Emma receives emails about new sustainable travel options or eco-lodges, while “Luxury Lover Liam” gets updates on exclusive resort openings and private tours.
  • Triggered Emails (Manual): If an advisor knows a client is interested in a specific region, they can manually trigger an email with relevant blog posts, current deals, or even a personal note.
• Direct & Intentional Outreach: Your advisors should be empowered to reach out personally to clients (via email, phone, or messaging apps) with highly relevant content they know the client will appreciate, based on their profile.
  • “Hi [Client Name], I just read this article about [niche topic] and immediately thought of your interest in [specific preference]. Thought you might enjoy it!”
• Personalized CTAs (Calls to Action): Instead of a generic “Book Now,” tailor CTAs in your content.
  • “Ready to explore sustainable travel? Connect with Sarah, our Eco-Adventure Expert, for a personalized consultation.”
  • “Dreaming of a luxury escape? Chat with David, our Bespoke Travel Concierge, to design your perfect getaway.”

4. Authenticity and Storytelling (The Human Advantage):

• Embrace Imperfection: Unlike AI, humans make mistakes and have personal experiences. Share advisors’ anecdotes, even minor travel mishaps they overcame, express unique views, show personality. This builds relatability.
• Highlight the “Why”: AI can tell you what to book. Your advisors can explain why a particular experience is transformative, why a certain destination fits a client’s soul, or why they personally love a specific tour operator. This taps into emotions.
• Video Content with Advisors: Short, unscripted videos of your advisors sharing tips, reflecting on recent trips, or giving personal recommendations. This humanizes your brand significantly.
• User-Generated Content with Context: When sharing UGC, add a brief quote from one of your advisors about why that particular image or experience resonates with their philosophy or what they know about that client’s journey.

How to Appear Better Than AI and Automation Services:

1. Emphasize Empathy and Emotional Intelligence:
   • Content Angle: “We understand your wanderlust on a deeper level than any algorithm.”
   • Highlight Stories: Share client testimonials that focus on how your advisors listened, understood, and solved problems that an AI couldn’t.
   • Focus on the “Journey” not just the “Transaction”: AI helps you book. Humans help you dream, plan, and feel secure throughout.
2. Showcase True Expertise and Insider Knowledge:
   • “Beyond Google” Information: Your advisors have visited destinations, have personal contacts, and know things that aren’t easily found online (e.g., best time to visit a local market, hidden cafes, and to reach reliable local guides). This is invaluable.
   • Curated Networks: Emphasize that your advisors have cultivated relationships with trusted partners worldwide, ensuring seamless experiences and access to exclusive opportunities. AI doesn’t build relationships.
   • Problem Solving in Crisis: Highlight how your human advisors are there for clients during unexpected events (e.g., flight cancellations, lost passports). AI can rebook, but it can’t offer reassurance and creative solutions in real-time.
3. Stress the Value of Time and Peace of Mind:
   • “Your Time is Precious”: Position your advisors as curators who save clients countless hours of research and stress, offering meticulously planned trips. AI can save time, but often requires extensive user input.
   • “A Human Safety Net”: Emphasize that in a world of endless options and potential pitfalls, your advisors provide a human safety net. This is a core differentiator.
4. Promote the “Human Connection” and Relationship Building:
   • Content on “Why a Travel Advisor”: Dedicate content to explaining the unique benefits of working with a human expert – the trust, the relationship, the feeling of being truly cared for.
   • Meet the Team: Feature your advisors prominently on your website and social media. Let their personalities shine.
   • Testimonials from Repeat Clients: Show how clients come back again and again because of the relationship they’ve built with their advisor.

By focusing on the irreplaceable qualities of human expertise – empathy, intuition, problem-solving under pressure, relationship building, and true insider knowledge – your content marketing can differentiate your travel agency, tour marketplace, or DMO, and attract clients who value a truly personalized and secure travel experience over pure automation.

It’s a great way to build your connections to customers and make AI personalization seem weak in comparison.

Competing against AI is an ongoing process, requiring the intent to learn and win using strategy.  What I’ve described above is just the beginning of a powerful effort to help your business win and keep ahead of what is your major threat — a tidal wave of AI travel companies cheapening the perceived value of travel advisors.