The IMD Travel Future Readiness Indicator ranks 33 of the world’s largest travel companies, including online travel agencies (OTAs), hotels and hospitality companies, airlines, and cruise lines, in terms of their future readiness. Booking Holdings (the parent company of travel brands like Booking.com, Kayak, and Priceline), Airbnb, Delta Air Lines, and Marriott were identified as industry frontrunners.
“Future-ready travel companies demonstrate that strong cash flow provides the critical foundation for sustainable innovation, allowing these companies to invest in technologies that have matured beyond initial hype to deliver tangible competitive advantages.”
Howard Yu, LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation and Director of the IMD Center for Future Readiness
Also published today is Travel’s AI Revolution: Balancing Tech and Touch, an in-depth report providing an analysis of the sectors featured (airlines, online travel agencies, hotels, hospitality, and cruise lines), which offers insights into what the industry leaders are doing to be on top. Noteworthy findings of the report include:
- The travel industry in 2025 is shaped by key trends including AI technology, personalized experiences, responsible tourism, and ‘bleisure’ – the blending of business with leisure. Companies must adapt by adopting eco-friendly practices, deploying AI at scale for personalization, offering unique experiences, providing wellness services, and catering to solo travelers.
- AI agents, like OpenAI’s Operator and China’s Manu, are revolutionizing travel booking, potentially disrupting traditional travel agencies by enabling autonomous trip planning.
For in-depth analytics and interactive comparative graphs, or to download the report, please visit: Future-ready travel companies balance tech with touch.
