AI at the heart of tourism and hospitality

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from experimentation to necessity in the tourism and hospitality sector - transforming how destinations operate, grow, and compete. AI is now central to achieving national transformation agendas across the Middle East, from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to the UAE’s digital-first tourism strategy.

The latest co-branded report with the Future Hospitality Summit, AI at the heart of tourism and hospitality: powering personalisation, efficiency and growth, examines how leaders across the tourism and hospitality sector are applying AI to anticipate guest preferences, optimise operations and support sustainability goals. The analysis is informed by a regional survey conducted by PwC Middle East of industry leaders across hotels, travel, investment and government.

The findings indicate broad adoption of AI across the sector, with 91% of respondents piloting or using AI solutions. However, only 3% have progressed to enterprise-wide deployment, constrained by legacy systems, talent gaps and data privacy considerations. Despite these challenges, the value is clear: 85% report measurable improvements in cost efficiency and performance, and 74% have allocated dedicated AI budgets for the first time.

AI’s biggest impact areas include:

• Guest experience: creating hyper-personalised and seamless journeys
• Human resources: empowering and upskilling the workforce
• Operations and data infrastructure: transforming fragmented systems into connected intelligence
• Channel management: redefining distribution and reputation in an AI-driven marketplace

Ultimately, AI is not replacing the human touch - it’s amplifying it. The winners will be those who use AI responsibly to make every interaction seamless, ethical and valuable.