UK Travellers Lead Europe in Using AI and Social Media to Plan Holidays, New Study Reveals

UK travellers are leading Europe’s adoption of AI for travel planning, with usage rising faster than in any other major market, according to new research from MMGY Travel Intelligence

LONDON, UK (11th June 2026) – UK travellers are among Europe’s most digitally engaged holiday planners, according to the 2026 Portrait of European Travellers™, a new study from travel market research specialists, MMGY Travel Intelligence. The research examines evolving travel behaviours and planning trends across Europe, including travellers from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The findings reveal that more than half (52%) of British travellers now use AI tools to support travel planning, up from 40% in 2025, representing the fastest growth in AI adoption among the major European markets surveyed.

The findings highlight a growing willingness among British travellers to embrace new technologies that enhance the travel planning experience, from discovering destinations to personalising itineraries and making more informed decisions. The survey found that ChatGPT is the most widely used AI platform among UK travellers (35%), with generating travel inspiration and ideas (47%) emerging as the primary use case.

“UK travellers are emerging as Europe’s most enthusiastic adopters of artificial intelligence in the travel planning process,” said Simon Moriarty, VP, Syndicated Research at MMGY Travel Intelligence. “AI usage for travel planning has increased by 12 percentage points year-on-year in the UK, the strongest growth among other European markets.”

The research study also revealed the growing role of social media in travel planning. Nearly half (46%) of UK travellers say social media platforms influence their holiday decisions, while 32% use them to research and follow destinations. YouTube and Instagram emerged as the most influential platforms for travel inspiration.

Together, these findings point to a major shift in how British consumers discover, plan and engage with travel, with social platforms and AI increasingly influencing destination inspiration and booking behaviour.

Further findings from the Portrait of European Travellers™ study are available through EurekA!, MMGY’s searchable travel research platform. More information can be found at mmgyintel.com.

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Media Contacts

Daniela Resenterra, dresenterra@mmgy.com

Louise Bailey, lbailey@mmgy.com

Havana Hutton, hhutton@mmgyglobal.com

About MMGY

As MMGY Global’s flagship integrated marketing and communications agency specialising in travel, tourism and hospitality – MMGY knows travel. Drawing upon our own research and insights from over four decades of working with clients around the world, we bring a new perspective to connecting travel brands with today’s traveller. Offering services from integrated marketing and creative to destination representation and PR, we provide our clients with unrivalled expertise. For more information, visit mmgy.com.