How AI Is Changing Tour Operators' and Agencies' Work: Takeaways from the “Dikorosy” Forum in Novosibirsk

Forum “Dikorosy” and the AI focus

On July 10 in Novosibirsk, at the Domina hotel, a dedicated session on AI in tourism took place. Organisers brought together representatives from large companies – from railways to online agencies – to talk about how the technology is moving from theory to a real work tool.

Who was in the spotlight

In the discussion sat executives from Travel IT World, S7 TechLab, Best Trip, “My Agent”, and specialists from the digital unit of Russian Railways. They shared one goal: cut manual labour and raise decision accuracy amid growing competition.

What AI already does for travel agencies

• Automating routine tasks. Systems can accept bookings, draft preliminary offers and refresh content without a human hand. That frees staff for the harder stuff – sales, consulting, crafting unique itineraries.
• Routing requests. AI distributes incoming inquiries among managers, taking their workload and expertise into account, which speeds up the client reply.
• Communication support. Chatbots and voice assistants handle common questions, gather traveller preferences and pass the data to a specialist for further work.
• Real‑time data updates. When prices, hotel availability or flight schedules change, AI instantly amends the catalogs, eliminating the risk of selling outdated information.

How tour operators use AI’s analytical muscle

For companies that build tour products, handling massive data sets is crucial. AI helps:

1. Tracking demand. Using historic bookings and current trends, the system forecasts which destinations will be hot in the coming weeks.
2. Analyzing client behaviour. Platforms collect what services travellers pick, how much they spend and what reviews they leave. That lets operators fine‑tune their packages.
3. Optimising prices. Algorithms weigh occupancy, competition and seasonality, proposing dynamic rates that lift revenue without killing demand.
4. Evaluating sales‑channel efficiency. AI compares the performance of different partners, ad campaigns and online platforms, guiding budget reallocation.

Digital platforms as the foundation for AI

Technology alone is cheap without data and integrations. The session highlighted three pillars:

• Booking systems (GDS, online agencies) that store flight, hotel and package data.
• B2B platforms and CRM that enable information exchange between tour operators, agencies and suppliers.
• National tourism portals that gather statistics on flows and traveller interests.

Only when these tools are linked can AI take part in the full cycle – from search and selection to payment, support and repeat sales.

Personalisation without replacing the expert

Today's traveller increasingly expects a tailor‑made offer, not a cookie‑cutter tour. AI speeds up the creation of personalised options, taking past requests, budget and trip purpose into account. The human expert stays at the centre: they verify recommendations, assess risks and add the final touches. Automation is just the “skeleton”, the human instinct the “soft” part of the service.

Limits and questions of automation

Participants were frank that AI cannot fully replace a professional. The technology can gather and crunch data, but the decision about which route to suggest, which services to bundle, stays with the person who understands the client’s nuances. Moreover, without reliable data sources any forecast loses accuracy.

What to expect from the industry in the coming years

• Faster response to client inquiries thanks to automated processes.
• Higher data quality – companies will invest in cleaning and completing their information bases.
• Widespread analytics adoption for demand planning and pricing.
• Stronger role for platforms as the glue between AI and business processes.
• Ongoing dialogue between tech providers and tour operators to find the sweet spots of cooperation.

For anyone working in tourism – from small agencies to large operators – the “Dikorosy” forum proved to be a place where AI stopped being a buzzword and became a practical assistant that speeds up work, sharpens decision‑making and lets people focus on what truly matters to the traveller.

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.