Travel is changing rapidly, and artificial intelligence is part of the new wave. More than half of U.S. leisure travelers now use artificial intelligence to plan, book or navigate their trips, according to new research from Phocuswright, signaling the fastest behavioral shift the travel industry has seen in ten years. Phocuswright’s new report – The AI Surge: Travel’s Fastest Behavioral Shift in a Decade – shows that 56% of travelers used AI for at least one trip in the past 12 months, up sharply from 43% in late 2025 and more than double the share in 2024. Overall AI use Read more
Artificial Intelligence
My travel report for today looks at travel trends for Canadians, as well as what looks like an inevitable, major expansion of the Toronto Island Airport. I’m also debuting a new “Cruise News and Views” section on my blog to help people keep track of the booming cruise industry. And I’ve got a report on Hilton hotels use of artificial intelligence to help travelers make decisions, as well as an update on European travel. CANADIANS CAUTIOUS ABOUT TRAVEL: DOMESTIC TRIPS STILL A PRIORITY According to the Canadian Automobile Association’s Travel Wise survey, more than half of Canadians (51%) now say geopolitical and Read more
The puck is about to drop on another National Hockey League season, and both the NHL and its teams are cashing in. The NHL says it has signed Norwegian Cruise Line to a multiyear sponsorship agreement in the U.S, marking Norwegian’s first tie-up with a professional sports league and the NHL’s first with a cruise line. The deal begins tonight when the league drops the puck on its season in North America following two games in Prague between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres over the weekend. Norwegian will be the first NHL sponsor to receive exposure via the Read more
Inflation remains a problem for many Canadians. And it’s definitely an issue when it comes to travel. A new report from Flight Centre Travel Group shows that flight fares to major Canadian cities have increased by an average of 14%. The report shows flights between Edmonton and Vancouver are 82% more expensive than a year ago, while flights from Montreal to Toronto cost 36% more than they did at this time in 2023. On the other hand, at least one route – Vancouver to Toronto – showed a slight decrease in price. Here’s Flight Centre’s top Canada Read more
If you’ve noticed air fares are more reasonable these days, you’re definitely onto something. The latest StatsCan report states that consumers paid less for air transportation (21.1%) in September on a year-over-year basis. That coincides with a gradual increase in flights offered by airlines over the previous 12 months, the agency said. Robert Kokonis, president and managing director at AirTrav Inc., told me that the StatsCan figures estimate the average change of airfares within Canada and between Canadian cities and international destinations. “I am not surprised given the growth of seat capacity recovery over the past 12 months, particularly in Read more
