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UAE travellers save up to Dh3,500 per trip using AI for holiday planning
Around 250,000 to 350,000 UAE travellers use AI tools every month to plan itineraries, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia showing the highest global trust in AI for trip planning, industry experts say
- PUBLISHED: Wed 8 Jul 2026, 8:55 AM UPDATED: Wed 8 Jul 2026, 9:01 AM
Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming the starting point for holiday planning in the UAE, with travellers increasingly turning to AI tools to shortlist destinations, compare hotels, plan budgets and build itineraries before making a single booking, according to travel industry experts.
An estimated 250,000 to 350,000 UAE-based travellers use AI support for trip planning every month, a figure that rises during peak periods such as Eid, summer holidays, winter breaks and long weekends, said Masna Haseen, head of growth marketing and partner relations at Cleartrip.
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“Travel planning has moved from ten open browser tabs and one confused WhatsApp group to one sharp prompt. In the UAE, that shift is happening fast because travellers are digitally confident, mobile first and very good at finding value without wasting time,” Haseen said.
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She added that AI-led planning now spans itinerary building, destination shortlisting, hotel comparison, flight timing, activity planning, visa checklists, local transport planning and budget optimisation.
Trust on AI
A research by Skyscanner has found that traveller trust in AI for trip planning is significantly higher in the UAE and Saudi Arabia than the global average.
“Our traveller research of 22,000 travellers found that users in the UAE and Saudi Arabia show the highest levels of trust in AI for trip planning, with confidence at 81 per cent which is significantly higher than the global average of 54 per cent,” said Ayoub El Mamoun, travel expert at Skyscanner.
He said this high level of trust was translating into growing usage.
“UAE travellers have one of the highest trust signals when using AI... so it is proving to be a very popular way to plan trips,” El Mamoun said.
Savings of up to Dh3,500
AI-assisted planning is also helping travellers cut costs.
Cleartrip’s Masna Haseen estimated that AI support can help UAE travellers save between 8 and 15 per cent on a typical leisure itinerary, depending on the destination, flexibility and size of the travelling group.
“For a solo or couple trip costing around Dh4,000 to Dh8,000, that could translate into savings of roughly Dh400 to Dh1,200,” she said, adding that families stood to save even more. “A well planned family trip can often save around Dh1,500 to Dh3,500.”
She said the savings typically came from smarter choices across an itinerary, such as flying on better-priced dates, choosing a better-connected hotel area, finding lower-cost transport, identifying affordable attractions and building a cleaner daily route.
Skyscanner’s El Mamoun said AI tools were also helping surface price-conscious travel options when travellers used specific prompts.
“In Explore with AI, travellers can use prompts like ‘cheapest summer holidays in Spain in June’ and the tool will surface options. Price consciousness is really shown through the options surfaced,” he said.
Is AI replacing travel agent?
Both travel experts said AI was reshaping the early stages of trip planning rather than eliminating the role of travel agents altogether.
“UAE travellers are increasingly turning to AI first for inspiration, comparison and itinerary shaping. They want fast answers, personalised options and a sense of control before they speak to anyone or commit to a booking,” Haseen said.
However, she noted that travel agents remained important for complex trips.
“For luxury holidays, large family groups, visa heavy routes, religious travel, corporate travel or last minute disruption, human travel consultants continue to play a strong role.
“The trend is not simply AI versus travel agents. AI is becoming the first layer of travel planning, while human expertise remains important for trust, reassurance and execution,” she added.
El Mamoun said Skyscanner was seeing similar patterns globally.
“We're continuing to see strong momentum in AI-assisted travel planning globally, with travellers using AI... to support booking decisions, showing that AI is still primarily influencing the top of the travel funnel,” he said.
According to Skyscanner's internal data, early testing of its Explore with AI tool found that 51 per cent of traveller prompts related to seasonality, 47 per cent focused on flights and 42 per cent referenced budget considerations. About 60 per cent of users who submitted a prompt clicked through to view the flight options recommended by the tool, though this reflects engagement rather than completed bookings, the company said.
