Artificial intelligence and biometrics are changing tourism: travel in 2026 is becoming faster, more personal and more strictly regulated
Tourism in 2026 is entering a phase in which digital technology is no longer just an add-on to booking a flight, a hotel app or an online city guide. Artificial intelligence and biometric identification are becoming an integral part of travel, from planning holidays and setting prices to crossing borders, boarding aircraft and communicating with service providers. The change is happening at a time when international tourism has again approached record levels: according to UN Tourism data, around 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals were recorded in 2025, approximately 60 million more than the year before. Such a volume of travel increases pressure on airports, hotels, destinations and border systems, so digitalisation is increasingly presented as a necessary response to growing demand, labour shortages and travellers’ expectation that they can complete most procedures quickly and without repeating the same data.
At the centre of this change are two technologies that complement each other. Artificial intelligence processes large amounts of data, forecasts demand, personalises offers, automates customer support and helps destinations manage crowds. Biometrics, primarily facial recognition and fingerprints, is used to confirm travellers’ identities at borders and transport hubs. Together they create travel that can be faster and simpler, but at the same time raises questions of privacy, surveillance, cybersecurity, discrimination and accountability when algorithms make or propose decisions that directly affect travellers.
Digital identity is moving from experiment to everyday practice
The most visible change is taking place in air transport. The International Air Transport Association, IATA, announced in April 2026 that recent proofs of concept had shown that digital identity for international travel can function safely and efficiently in real aviation environments. According to IATA, a traveller can share in advance only the data needed for the trip, with his or her own consent, and then be verified biometrically at individual points in the airport instead of repeatedly showing a passport or boarding pass. Such a model, often described as contactless travel, should reduce manual document checks and speed up passage through baggage drop, security screening, immigration checks and boarding.
IATA emphasises that digital identity does not mean merely storing a passport in a mobile wallet, but building a system in which airlines, airports and state authorities can verify credentials among themselves. In practice, this requires harmonised legal and technical standards, acceptance of digital travel credentials and clear rules on who may see which data and at what moment. While the industry sees this as a solution to queues and operating costs, user trust will depend on transparency: travellers must understand when their biometric data is used, how long it is kept and whether they can travel without such a digital model.
Europe’s EES shows how complex the biometric shift is
The biometric transformation of tourism is particularly visible in Europe. The European Commission announced that the Entry/Exit System, known as EES, began gradual operation on 12 October 2025 in 29 European countries, and that from 10 April 2026 it became fully operational. The system replaces manual passport stamping with digital recording of entries, exits and refusals of entry of third-country nationals coming for a short stay. According to the European Commission, the system records a facial image, fingerprints and personal data from the travel document, with the aim of making it easier to detect overstays, identity fraud and security risks.
For the tourism industry, this is one of the most important changes at European borders in recent years. Travellers entering the Schengen area for the first time may be held longer than before because they must create a digital record, while faster checks are expected on subsequent trips thanks to already existing data. In its guidance for travellers, the British government states that registration in the EES does not require prior application or payment of a fee, but warns that the procedure may take longer, especially during busy periods. Such warnings are also important for airports, bus and railway terminals, ports and travel organisers because operational delays at the border quickly affect transport schedules, hotel arrivals and planned tours.
At the same time, the European Commission highlights the security results of the system’s early introduction. According to its announcement from March 2026, during the gradual operation more than 45 million border crossings were registered, more than 24,000 people were refused entry for various reasons, and more than 600 people who represented a security risk were recorded in the system. The Commission also cites an example from Romania, where biometric verification detected a person using two different identities. These data show why states are investing in biometrics, but for tourism it is equally important whether the security benefit will be achieved without creating unpredictable queues and a feeling that travel is becoming more administratively demanding.
AI is taking over planning, sales and customer support
While biometrics is most often seen at the border or in the airport, artificial intelligence is increasingly present long before the start of the journey. Tourism platforms, carriers, hotels and destination organisations use AI for itinerary recommendations, translation, automated responses, demand forecasting and dynamic pricing. For the traveller, this means that search is no longer limited to entering dates and a destination. Systems can offer a combination of flight, accommodation, local transport and activities based on budget, interests, previous searches, language, seasonality and real-time availability.
At the end of 2025, UN Tourism announced a stronger orientation of the sector towards artificial intelligence, and World Tourism Day 2026 is linked to the theme of the digital agenda and artificial intelligence. This means AI is not viewed only as a tool of large platforms, but as a matter of public policy, competitiveness and inclusive development of destinations. For smaller service providers, for example family hotels, local guides and restaurants, AI can facilitate translations, preparation of offer descriptions, analysis of reviews and communication with guests. At the same time, there is a danger that market visibility will become even more concentrated among platforms that control data, advertising and algorithmic recommendations.
WTTC and Trip.com Group, in a report published in 2025, highlighted 16 technologies expected to change travel and tourism, including artificial intelligence, 5G and sustainable mobility solutions. According to that report, technology is no longer used only to increase sales, but also for better operational efficiency and traveller experience. In the hotel industry, this includes forecasting occupancy, optimising prices and employee schedules, while destinations can analyse arrival patterns in order to better manage traffic, visits to attractions and pressure on sensitive urban or natural zones.
Personalisation brings comfort, but also the risk of invisible decisions
The greatest promise of artificial intelligence in tourism is personalisation. A traveller looking for a weekend trip, a family holiday or a business visit can receive recommendations that are more relevant than classic catalogues. AI can recognise that someone wants quieter accommodation, a shorter transfer, access to public transport or activities suitable for a particular age group. Ideally, less time is spent searching and more on the actual experience of the destination.
But the same technology can lead to non-transparent differences in prices and availability. If a system estimates that a user is willing to pay more, it may show different offers or emphasise more expensive options. If an algorithm relies on historical data that already contains social or market biases, certain travellers, languages, regions or smaller service providers may be pushed down in search results. That is why in 2026 the issue of responsible application of artificial intelligence will be as important as the technological innovation itself. Tourism companies using AI will have to explain ever more clearly when a user is interacting with an automated system, how recommendations are created and whom the user can contact when a decision is not accurate or fair.
Destinations use data to manage crowds
The growth of international arrivals has again opened the issue of pressure on popular destinations. UN Tourism records that global tourism returned to record levels in 2025, and Europe remains the world’s largest destination region. In such conditions, AI is increasingly used to plan visitor flows, especially in cities, national parks, museums and transport hubs. By analysing bookings, mobility, weather conditions, events and seasonal patterns, it is possible to predict when crowds will form and which parts of a destination need to be relieved.
Such systems can help direct visitors towards less crowded locations, adjust the working hours of attractions and improve the organisation of public transport. For the local population, this can mean less pressure on traffic, housing and everyday services, provided that the technology is used as part of a broader destination management policy, and not merely as a means of attracting an even larger number of guests. Otherwise, AI can become a tool for even more efficient commercialisation of space that is already overloaded.
Privacy and security are becoming the key to trust
Biometric data are among the most sensitive personal data because a person cannot simply change them like a password or card number. For this reason, trust is the most important prerequisite for the acceptance of biometric travel. Travellers must know whether a facial image is used only for a one-time check, whether it is stored in a central database, whether it is shared with other institutions and how long it remains available. In the European Union, an additional framework is provided by the General Data Protection Regulation, which treats biometric data for the unique identification of a person as a special category of personal data, with stricter processing conditions.
For tourism companies, this means that a technological advantage can quickly become a reputational risk. A hotel, airport or app introducing facial recognition must clearly explain the purpose, legal basis, retention periods and security measures. It is equally important to ensure an alternative for travellers who cannot or do not want to use biometric systems. If biometrics becomes the only realistically fast way to pass through a service, formal consent may lose its meaning because the traveller in fact has no equal choice.
Jobs are changing, not disappearing equally in all parts of the sector
Automation in tourism is most often presented through self-service kiosks, chatbots and automated identity checks, but its impact on work is much broader. AI can take over routine queries about bookings, baggage rules, check-in times or room availability, while employees take on more complex situations, complaints, individual requests and work with guests who need additional assistance. In hotels, algorithms are used to plan room cleaning, forecast consumption and schedule staff, and in airports to monitor passenger flow and adapt resources.
This does not mean that human work will disappear from tourism. The sector is still based on hospitality, trust, local knowledge and the ability to solve unforeseen situations. But the profile of required skills is changing. Workers will increasingly have to understand digital tools, check the accuracy of automated recommendations and intervene when the system makes a mistake. For small companies, the challenge will be investing in training and technology, while large companies will more easily introduce advanced systems, but will also be more exposed to public scrutiny.
What travellers can expect during 2026
For travellers, 2026 will probably be a year of transition, not a complete break with the old way of travelling. Passports and boarding passes will not disappear overnight, but digital credentials, biometric checks and automated customer channels will be used more and more often. At European borders, third-country nationals must count on the EES and the possibility of longer first registration. In airports, more and more terminals will offer biometric passage, but rules may differ depending on the country, carrier and infrastructure.
The practical consequence for travellers is the need for greater preparation. They should check official guidance before departure, allow more time for border crossing, carefully read notices about digital registrations and avoid unauthorised websites charging for services related to travel authorisations. The British government, for example, warns that the European ETIAS is expected from autumn 2026 and that travellers do not need to take any action before the official announcement of the launch date, while it describes websites already selling ETIAS applications as fraudulent. Such guidance shows that digitalisation does not remove the need to verify sources, but makes it even more important.
Tourism is becoming more efficient, but also more sensitive to system errors
Artificial intelligence and biometrics can reduce queues, speed up checks, simplify planning and help destinations better manage large numbers of visitors. But the more processes rely on digital systems, the greater the consequences that failures, incorrect data or cyberattacks can have. If a biometric kiosk does not work, an algorithm wrongly flags an identity or a booking system changes a price without a clear explanation, the traveller may find himself or herself in a situation in which it is difficult to quickly prove the right to a service.
That is why the transformation of tourism in 2026 cannot be reduced to the question of whether travel will be faster. The real question is whether it will be more reliable, fairer and clearer for travellers. Technology can improve the sector only if it is accompanied by understandable rules, oversight, security measures and the possibility of human intervention. Otherwise, systems designed to remove friction from travel can create a new kind of uncertainty: one in which the traveller is not only waiting in a queue, but trying to understand a decision made by a system he or she cannot see.
Sources:
- UN Tourism – data from the World Tourism Barometer on international tourist arrivals in 2025. (link)
- IATA – announcement on proofs of concept for digital identity and contactless travel, April 2026. (link)
- IATA – digital identity programme and description of the use of biometrics in the passenger process. (link)
- European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs – announcement on the full operation of the Entry/Exit System from 10 April 2026. (link)
- European Union, Travel Europe – official information on the Entry/Exit System. (link)
- GOV.UK – guidance for travellers on the EU Entry/Exit System and announcement of ETIAS. (link)
- EU Tourism Platform / WTTC and Trip.com Group – report on transformative technologies in travel and tourism. (link)