Humans will outshine AI in enriching tourism experience, say experts at KTM 2026

Kochi / September 26, 2026

Kochi, Sept. 26: Although AI disruption is reshaping the tourism industry, human intervention remains vital because people understand travellers' emotions and create meaningful, immersive experiences throughout a tour, experts at Kerala Travel Mart (KTM 2026) said.

They were speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Application of AI / Disruption by AI in Tourism Industry’ held on the sidelines of the business-to-business (B2B) meetings and exhibition as part of KTM 2026 at the Sagara and Samudrika Convention Centres on Willingdon Island today. The September 24-27 event is one of the country’s premium tourism and trade expos.

Dr Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor, Digital University Kerala, said AI helps travellers find destinations, automate bookings, compare options, manage dynamic pricing, and plan further, while also offering real-time recommendations and tailored itineraries.

“But intervention of humans will make journeys memorable since they understand traveller emotions and create meaningful experiences,” he noted.

Dr Gopinath said tour agents can provide tourists with deep local insights and human networks that AI cannot replicate. He also reminded people to check every fact, including prices, visas, and policies, as AI can be confidently wrong.

“India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) will be enforced in 2027. If you use AI for customer data and rely on a third-party processor, you must ensure your guidelines are clear to avoid a huge fine, which ranges from Rs 30 crore to 250 crore,” he said.

“It's important to ensure that your customers' data, if you use AI for any of those processes, is anonymised. Also, ensure that it's protected and proper guidelines are followed.”

According to him, tour operators can win over AI by providing access details, local knowledge, and curated tours. They can offer standard itineraries for free, and hotels and homestays can win with clean data and direct relationships. Tour planners and agents can win as designers, advisors, and fixers.  

Mr Kanu Aravind, Vice President, IBS, said AI is fundamentally different from all the technology that preceded it, at least in the last 50 years, and it challenges human intelligence.

“Capabilities of AI are evolving now, and it will continue to evolve. We have to look at what sort of capabilities are evolving in the market in this space, and therefore not be afraid of it,” Mr Aravind observed.

On the cost of AI, he said costs are coming in terms of options for the tech team, and you might have a clear paid subscription version for some of the licenses.

“There are changes for the people who are also training the platform. The cost of AI is actually coming down quite significantly,” he said.

“If you're looking at AI as a business transformation change, there are opportunities that you can look at. But you have to change the capability, process, and system, and enable the people. If you do all these four things, then you can look at AI as an opportunity.”

Mr Ratheesh R Nath, Director, Paradise Holidays, moderated the session. Former KTM President Riyas Ahmed welcomed the participants to the seminar session.

ENDS

 

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