Why AI chatbots won’t become OTAs any time soon

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Booking Holdings is preparing for AI-driven changes in travel but doubts chatbots will become full-fledged online travel agencies

Mar 11, 2025

CFO Ewout Steenbergen pointed out that even Google, despite its capabilities, never transitioned into an OTA. Steenbergen also suggested AI-powered tools could lower Booking’s marketing costs by diversifying lead sources beyond traditional search engines. He outlined four key reasons AI chatbots are unlikely to compete directly:

1. Travel logistics—fulfillment, payments, regulations—are complex.
2. Travelers trust established OTAs over generic AI agents.
3. AI investors want returns, not costly expansions into travel.
4. Booking can create a more personalized travel-specific AI.

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