Exclusive Research Study

Download the first-of-its-kind behavioral study revealing how real users plan, search, and book in the age of AI.

Statistically-validated findings from real user behavior that every travel executive needs to understand

Our first-of-its-kind behavioral study for the travel industry tracked 42 users through real-world travel-planning scenarios in Google AI Mode. This research provides the data and insights that travel brands have been craving—not only what actions users took, but how they used AI to research and make decisions, from the first search query to hitting the “book” button.

These findings reveal how AI is fundamentally changing how people plan and book travel.

Key takeaways

Google business profiles are the new “above the fold.”

More than a local business listing, a Google Business Profile is a travel storefront and a go-to information resource. When a local pack or inline link is clicked and opens a Google Business Profile, users dive into photos, reviews, pricing, and the website.

Conversations replace keyword searches.

AI Mode accelerated the shift from short, fairly generic search prompts to longer, more specific chat prompts that turn into full-blow conversations. Travel brands need to adapt to become part of the conversation and win bookings.

People trust information from AI.

With post-task accuracy trust ratings exceeding 4.3 out of 5, consumers expressed confidence in the information generated in AI Mode. Travel brands with AI visibility and valuable, relevant content inherit that trust.

AI Mode is the travel planning concierge.

Users spent significantly more time in AI Mode on planning tasks (average ~104 seconds) than booking tasks (average ~38 seconds). Users linger, explore, and compare options in AI but move quickly to book elsewhere once they’ve made a decision.

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What We're Doing (and Why it's Unique)

The first statistically-validated research on real user behavior in the travel industry.

We tracked 40 real U.S. travelers end-to-end, from their very first search query to hitting the "book" button.

Instead of abstract questions, our tasks simulate real-life scenarios.

We used remote moderated UX sessions, screen recordings, and post-session surveys

We don’t just measure clicks; we’re studying how users decide, compare, and refine queries in a real search or booking context.

We’ve even built an AI-powered knowledge base with transcription, scene detection, and sentiment analysis to dig deep into the video data.