The travelers most fluent in AI are also the heaviest users of travel advisors. Among U.S. adults who use AI tools, 51% of Millennials and Gen Z have booked a vacation through a travel advisor — the highest rate of any generation — compared with 44% of Baby Boomers, according to new research from ALG Vacations.

The finding cuts against the widespread prediction that AI would hollow out the advisor channel. AI writes the itinerary, ranks the hotels and surfaces the deals. The advisor does the same, then converts the booking and answers the phone at midnight when the flight cancels. For sellers of travel, the data suggests AI is functioning as a top-of-funnel research layer rather than a replacement for human distribution.

ALG Vacations commissioned Atomik Research to survey 1,000 U.S. adults who currently use AI tools, with fieldwork conducted April 24–28, 2026. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The same generations leaning on advisors are also the most trusting of machine-generated recommendations. Among AI users, 31% of both Gen Z and Millennials say they completely trust travel recommendations generated by AI. Among Baby Boomers, that figure is 12%. Younger travelers are not picking sides between AI and advisors; they are using both.

Older generations show a sharper either-or preference. Among Baby Boomers, 59% trust a travel advisor more than AI for final vacation decisions, while 15% trust AI more.

Where advisors hold the edge

The preference for human help concentrates in higher-stakes, higher-margin situations — the bookings where advisor commission and supplier relationships matter most. Asked when they would prefer working with an advisor over AI, 36% of AI users point to when something goes wrong, such as a canceled flight or a double-booked hotel. Respondents also favor advisors for complex multidestination trips, family and group travel, and luxury bookings.

Skepticism about AI-only planning is measurable. In the survey, 42% of respondents say important details could be missed when using AI for travel planning, and 42% cite privacy or security concerns. Meanwhile, 82% say it is extremely important to have access to a human for support when booking a vacation — a figure that spans generations.

The survey frames the division of labor in practical terms. AI serves as a tool for inspiration and research. Advisors bring firsthand destination experience, supplier relationships and the kind of judgment that comes from booking trips for a living — plus the access to resorts and inventory that the public does not always see.

"Travel advisors are the essential link between travelers and the global travel industry. They offer trusted expertise, simplify complex choices, and bring peace of mind in an era when navigating travel can feel overwhelming. Unlike AI tools that rely on algorithms alone, travel advisors bring human insight, creativity, and education to every trip," said Zane Kerby, president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors.

Interrogating the numbers

The data comes with caveats worth noting for distribution strategists. The sample is limited to U.S. adults who already use AI tools, and the research was commissioned by ALG Vacations — a tour operator with a direct commercial stake in the advisor channel. The reported figures measure stated usage and trust, not transaction volume or commission flows.

Still, the directional signal is consistent: the youngest, most AI-fluent travelers report using advisors more often than anyone older, and their demand concentrates in the complex, high-value segments where human sellers capture the most revenue. For advisor networks, host agencies and tour operators, that positions Gen Z and Millennials as a growth cohort rather than a lost generation — provided the channel can meet them where AI-assisted research begins.