Only 1 in 5 Travel Brands Fully Committed to AI, New Global Study Finds

AMSTERDAM, 28 October 2025 – A new global study from London Research, conducted in partnership with Relay42, a Supermetrics company, reveals a growing gap between data-mature travel brands and those lagging behind—particularly in how they apply artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance customer experience.

The report, Data and AI - The Twin Forces Shaping the Future of Travel Marketing, explores how travel companies across airlines, hotels, airports, tour operators, and cruise lines are evolving their marketing capabilities through advanced data management and AI adoption. The report shows that brands that have the capability to unify and activate customer data enjoy a clear competitive edge in personalization, orchestration, and decisioning. However, to maintain that advantage, these leaders must accelerate their AI maturity to fully harness its potential across the business.

Travel Data Leaders Outperform on Every Front

Surveying 200 senior travel marketers worldwide, the study highlights how data management leaders are outpacing mainstream companies across every stage of the marketing journey. 

These leaders are:

• Nearly three times more likely to enrich customer profiles with predictive insights (39% vs. 14%).
• Twice as likely to use machine learning to anticipate customer behavior and value (36% vs. 17%).
• Almost three times more likely to deliver timely, personalized responses (43% vs. 15%).

The AI Imperative

Despite these advances, the research uncovers an emerging AI gap. While early adopters are using predictive AI to support common marketing use cases, only a fifth of travel companies (21%) say they're already exploiting the power of AI for predictive decisioning and modeling.

One in three (33%) data management leaders regard AI as mission-critical for future marketing success, compared with just 12% of mainstream companies.

The full adoption of advanced AI is being slowed by three main challenges: technology platform limitations that make integration with legacy systems difficult, a shortage of in-house expertise to build and manage AI effectively, and fragmented or low-quality customer data. Without the right infrastructure, skills, and unified data foundation, organizations struggle to scale AI and unlock its full potential for accurate predictions and personalized experiences.

“Only one in five travel marketers has fully adopted AI—a gap that represents both a challenge and an unprecedented opportunity,” said Christiaan van der Waal, General Manager Data Activation at Supermetrics and CEO at Relay42. “Those who hesitate risk falling behind as competitors shift from static campaigns to dynamic, data-driven customer journeys powered by intelligent decisioning. The industry leaders emerging today aren't treating AI as a supplementary tool—they're embracing it as a core strategic capability that will define the future of travel marketing."

AI Beyond Marketing

The report emphasizes that AI's benefits extend far beyond the marketing function. Applying causal, predictive, agentic, and generative AI across the enterprise can streamline operations, optimize pricing, manage risk, and enhance customer service.

"AI isn't just a marketing enabler—it's a growth engine for the entire business," said Linus Gregoriadis, Director and Co-founder of London Research. "Data management leaders are blazing a trail with machine learning for predictive analytics and decisioning. However, we are still only at the start of the AI journey, particularly for generative and agentic applications."

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About the Research
The study, conducted by London Research, in partnership with Relay42, a Supermetrics Company, surveyed 200 senior travel marketers worldwide. It quantifies the competitive advantage achieved by organizations that have implemented advanced data management and AI capabilities.

About Relay42, a Supermetrics Company
Relay42 empowers businesses to create meaningful customer relationships by utilizing smart technology to transform fragmented interactions into seamless journeys. Relay42 gives businesses the freedom, flexibility, and agility to build sustainable customer relationships, using valuable customer data as a baseline. Global brands, including Air France, KLM, and Levi's, rely on Relay42 to anticipate and address customer needs in real time across all online and offline channels. In June 2025, Relay42 was acquired by Supermetrics, joining the leading Marketing Intelligence Platform that empowers marketers to seamlessly connect data, customer behavior, and business impact.

Learn more: https://supermetrics.com/platform/activate-data