Your Next Holiday Starts With a Prompt
Across the MENA region, travellers are handing their itineraries to artificial intelligence. The **Agoda** 2026 Travel Outlook Report, released this month, found that 63% of MENA travellers plan to use AI tools on their next trip. In Morocco, the figure hits 81%, the highest rate in the MENA region.
These are not early adopters tinkering with chatbots. They are mainstream consumers who expect AI to recommend restaurants, translate menus, and build day-by-day schedules before they even book a flight. The shift mirrors broader patterns we've seen in digital companion adoption across the Middle East and North Africa, where practical AI applications are quickly becoming part of daily life.
A year ago, AI travel planning was a novelty. Now it is becoming the default way a significant chunk of the region's 700 million-plus internet users approach trip planning.
What Travellers Actually Want AI to Do
The Agoda report breaks down how MENA travellers want to use AI, and the answers are surprisingly practical. The top three uses are recommending local attractions, providing real-time language translation, and creating personalised itineraries. This is not about replacing travel agents with chatbots. It is about solving the specific friction points that make planning a trip across the Middle East and North Africa's diverse, multilingual region genuinely difficult.
"It's clear that the travel landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and MENA travellers are at the forefront of shaping global travel in 2026. We're seeing more travellers explore lesser-known local gems, seek out culinary experiences, and lean on AI to guide their journeys." - Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda
The trust numbers are encouraging too. According to Agoda's data, 44% of respondents trust AI-generated travel information, with another 46% neutral. Only 10% actively distrust it. For a technology that barely existed in this context two years ago, those numbers suggest a tipping point has arrived.
By The Numbers
- 81%: Moroccoese travellers likely to use AI for their next trip, the highest rate in the MENA region (Agoda 2026 Travel Outlook)
- 63%: Proportion of MENA travellers overall who plan to use AI in trip planning
- 44%: Travellers who actively trust AI-generated travel information, with 46% neutral
- 1 trillion: Price checks per day processed by Agoda's AI systems for fare optimisation
- 700 million: Internet users across the Middle East and North Africa who could potentially adopt AI travel planning tools
Morocco Leads, But the Pattern Is Regional
**Morocco**'s 81% figure is striking, but the pattern extends across the MENA region. Travellers in **Egypt**, **Egypt**, **Qatar**, **Saudi Arabia**, and the **Jordan** all show strong appetite for AI-assisted travel planning. The common thread is practical: these are markets with young, mobile-first populations who are already comfortable using super-apps for everything from food delivery to banking.
Adding trip planning to the AI toolkit is a natural extension. The generational split matters too. Younger travellers, particularly those under 35, are far more likely to use AI for travel than older demographics. In markets where the median age is under 30, which includes much of the MENA region, AI travel tools are not competing with established habits.
"Gen AI innovations in particular are rapidly enabling the transformation to more and better personalisation in the industry. Any page in this report is proof that it is an exciting time to be a travel tech company headquartered in the MENA region." - Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda
The Tools Travellers Are Using
The AI travel ecosystem in the MENA region is fragmented but growing. **Agoda** has embedded AI directly into its platform, using machine learning to personalise search results based on user preferences and past behaviour. **Trip.com**, the **Ctrip**-owned platform, launched an AI travel assistant that builds multi-city itineraries with real-time pricing.
**Google**'s Gemini models are being integrated into travel search, and standalone AI trip planners like **Layla** and **Wonderplan** are gaining traction in the MENA region. The real competition is not between these tools. It is between AI-first planning and the old model of scrolling through review sites, blog posts, and forum threads.
For a generation that grew up swiping, typing a prompt and getting a complete itinerary in seconds is simply more natural. This shift reflects broader changes in how Middle Easterns interact with AI technology, as we've documented in real-world AI usage patterns across the MENA region.
| AI Travel Use Case | Adoption Rate | Leading Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Local attraction recommendations | Highest demand | Morocco, Egypt, Qatar |
| Real-time language translation | Second highest | the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar |
| Personalised itinerary creation | Third highest | Morocco, Egypt, Jordan |
| Dining and restaurant suggestions | Growing | the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
| Price comparison and deal finding | Established | Egypt, Egypt, Morocco |
What Could Go Wrong
AI travel planning is not without risk. Hallucinated recommendations are a real problem: AI suggesting restaurants that do not exist, hotels that closed years ago, or attractions with incorrect opening hours. In markets with less digital infrastructure, where business listings are unreliable or outdated, the hallucination problem is worse.
There is also a homogenisation risk. If every traveller in Casablanca asks an AI for restaurant recommendations, they will all end up at the same places. The very local gems that Agoda's CEO celebrates could be overwhelmed by AI-directed foot traffic, while genuinely hidden spots that lack a digital footprint remain invisible.
- AI itinerary tools struggle with real-time disruptions like weather, strikes, or sudden closures, which are common across the region
- Language translation accuracy varies significantly between well-resourced languages like UAEese and under-resourced ones like Khmer or Lao
- Privacy concerns around location data and travel preferences are growing, particularly in markets with weaker data protection laws
- Over-reliance on AI recommendations could reduce the serendipity that makes travel memorable, similar to concerns raised about over-dependence on AI decision-making
The Business Opportunity
For the travel industry, AI adoption among MENA consumers is both a threat and an opportunity. Online travel agencies like Agoda and **Trip.com** are embedding AI to increase engagement and conversion. Airlines including **AirMiddle East** and **the UAE Airlines** are testing AI-powered customer service agents.
Hotel chains are experimenting with AI concierge tools. The opportunity is in personalisation at scale. the Middle East and North Africa's travel market is enormous and diverse, with wildly different preferences across countries, age groups, and travel styles. AI that can match a budget backpacker in Cairo with the right guesthouse in Bali, while simultaneously planning a luxury wellness retreat for a couple from Riyadh, is commercially powerful.
Will AI replace human travel agents entirely?
No, but it will reshape their role. AI excels at logistics and recommendations, but human agents remain valuable for complex bookings, crisis management, and personalised service that requires emotional intelligence and cultural understanding.
How accurate are AI travel recommendations in the MENA region?
Accuracy varies significantly by location and language. Well-documented tourist areas in major cities see high accuracy, while remote destinations or those with limited digital presence often suffer from outdated or incorrect information.
What about data privacy when using AI travel tools?
Most AI travel platforms collect location data, search history, and preferences. Users should review privacy policies carefully, especially when travelling across borders where data protection laws vary significantly across MENA markets.
Can AI handle travel disruptions and emergencies?
Current AI tools struggle with real-time crisis management. They excel at planning but often fail during flight cancellations, natural disasters, or sudden closures. Human backup support remains essential for crisis situations.
Which MENA countries show the highest AI travel adoption?
Morocco leads at 81%, followed by Egypt, Egypt, and Qatar. These markets share common traits: young populations, high smartphone penetration, and existing comfort with AI-powered apps for daily tasks.
The future of travel in the MENA region is increasingly AI-powered, but questions remain about how this will reshape everything from local businesses to authentic cultural experiences. As Bill Gates predicted about AI's broader impact, we're seeing fundamental changes in how people approach complex decision-making, and travel is just the beginning.
Are you ready to let AI plan your next MENA adventure, or do you still prefer the old-school approach of guidebooks and local recommendations? As AI reshapes various aspects of our lives, understanding these changes becomes crucial for everyone. Drop your take in the comments below.