AI is already part of the traveller journey
The 2025 Food & Wine Tourism Report gives significant space to artificial intelligence and its growing role in travel planning. AI is no longer only a topic for operators and technology observers. It is already being used directly by travellers to search, compare, translate and build their experiences.
According to the report, 60% of travellers already use AI-based tools to find ideas and inspiration, 69% use them to translate menus and content, and 58% use them to search for destinations and accommodation.
Trust is increasing, especially among younger users
Compared with earlier research, the share of people who see AI as “more risky than beneficial” has decreased. Familiarity is reducing fear. Younger generations are leading that change: among 18-24 year olds, only a minority now believe the risks outweigh the benefits, while older users remain more cautious.
The overall direction is clear. The more travellers use these tools, the more AI becomes normalised as part of the decision-making process.
How travellers are using AI today
The most common use case is translation. Menu translation and interpretation of local content are already mainstream behaviours. Inspiration is another major area, followed by destination search and comparison. In the younger age groups, frequent use is already significant across all three functions.
International markets show different speeds of adoption. The United States leads on the use of AI for inspiration, followed by France and Germany, while the UK, Austria and Switzerland show a more cautious approach.
What travellers expect next
The report shows that travellers expect AI tools to be simple to use, accurate and privacy-conscious. Looking ahead, the most requested applications are automatic translation, personalised itineraries, advanced recommendations on food, wine and beer, and support for identifying sustainable experiences and low-impact routes.
Personalisation is attractive, but travellers still want to remain in control. They expect to verify information and combine AI with other trusted sources rather than delegating every decision blindly.
From information to action
The next stage is what the report describes as a shift from inspiration to “pro-doing”: AI moving from an information layer into actual trip building and booking. For that to happen at scale, AI will need deeper integration with booking systems, inventory, hospitality tools and intelligent travel assistants.
For operators in food and wine tourism, this means that digital communication, product data and booking flows will need to become much more structured, consistent and machine-readable than they often are today.
