#Traveltech

A recent industry survey reveals that eight in every hundred holidaymakers are turning to artificial intelligence to plan their trips, up from four percent just a year ago. The finding underscores a rapid shift in how people discover destinations, compare options, and assemble itineraries. The trend is strongest among younger travellers, with Gen Z and younger Millennials more likely to rely on AI-powered ideas, itinerary optimizers, and personalized suggestions when mapping out a break from work or studies. For Thai readers, the news signals a potential acceleration in both outbound travel planning and the broader digital-ization of the tourism sector here at home.

South Korea, long celebrated as Asia’s most polished blend of high-speed tech, pristine public transit, and easy, passport-free tourism, is one of the few developed nations where Google Maps struggles to function as expected. Millions visit every year, hoping a confident tap on their screens will guide them from temple to temple, from subway to street vendor, with the same reliability they’ve come to rely on elsewhere. But a combination of national security concerns and geospatial data policy has created a friction that even the world’s most ubiquitous navigation tool cannot easily resolve in this country. For Thai readers, this isn’t just a curiosity about a foreign map app. It’s a reminder that digital tools that seem universal can be shaped by local laws, sovereignty worries, and the rapid evolution of data governance in a technology-driven era.