AI in Tourism and the Slow Death of Customer Service
Why Direct Booking Still Matters More Than Ever
At My XO Adventures, we’ve always believed travel is an act of connection. From our private Black Hills tours to immersive Badlands National Park tours, every journey begins with a conversation and ends with shared memories that last a lifetime. But today, a growing maze of AI-driven chatbots and giant online travel agencies (OTAs) threatens to break that bond before it even starts.
Travel has always been personal for me. It is part hospitality, part adventure, and part human connection. It is the exchange of stories, the quiet moments before a tour begins, and the way people light up when they discover something new. That sense of connection is what keeps me in this industry year after year.
Yet over time, I have watched something shift. The travel world has become louder, busier, and oddly more distant. The rise of Online Travel Agencies created a path that looks convenient at first glance, but behind the curtain, there is a growing frustration that both travelers and tour operators feel in equal measure. Add the spread of AI and automated systems into the mix, and we have entered a strange era where the relationship that once defined travel is being replaced with chat windows and templated responses.
I believe we are losing something important, not because of technology itself, but because of how we are choosing to use it.
When Customer Service Starts to Feel Like Troubleshooting a Locked Account
One of the clearest signals that something is wrong shows up long before a guest arrives. It happens the moment they try to ask a simple question about their booking. Instead of a warm response from someone who knows the area, they get bounced between automated menus.
I hear stories from travelers practically every week. Someone will call me after booking through an OTA and say something like, “I just have one question, but I can’t get a response from anyone.” At that point, they have already spent more time navigating support than researching the destination. The excitement of the upcoming trip has faded into irritation.
I once had a guest who booked through an OTA and then spent four days trying to reach a human about a minor time adjustment. Four days. By the time they reached me directly, I could hear the exhaustion in their voice. When I gave them a clear answer in under a minute, they actually laughed in relief. That is when it hit me just how far things have drifted. Customer service in tourism now feels similar to trying to get help from a major social media platform. Endless forms, endless waiting, and an overwhelming sense that no one is listening.
How We Arrived at This Point
Online Travel Agencies changed the landscape with promises of convenience. They said they would save travelers money and increase visibility for small businesses. On paper, it sounded like a win for everyone.
In reality, the system now looks something like this:
- Travelers are paying higher prices than they realize
- Operators are handing over large commissions just to show up in the search results
- Customer service is outsourced to people who have never set foot in the region
- Communication becomes slow, cold, and scripted
There is no passion in it. No local knowledge. No connection.
Travelers book thinking they are choosing ease. Operators participate thinking they are choosing growth. Yet both sides often walk away feeling drained.
What Travelers Are Actually Experiencing
Search engines are full of phrases like “Why is customer service so bad now?” and “How to contact an agent at (Any OTA).” That should tell us everything.
Travelers want:
- Honest guidance from someone who knows the destination
- Clear expectations
- Help when they need it
- Real human interaction
What they often receive instead is a maze of generic messages. I have seen guests show up with wildly inaccurate information because an outsourced agent told them things that simply are not true. Once, a guest expected to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park because the support person helping them had confused South Dakota with North Dakota. It sounds unbelievable, but it happens when support teams are half a world away with no context.
When you remove a traveler’s ability to ask questions, you remove their sense of trust. When you remove their trust, you take away the very essence of what makes a trip enjoyable. They might still take the tour, but part of the experience has already been lost.
What Tour Operators Are Dealing With Behind the Scenes
This frustration is not one-sided. Operators spend long days in the field, planning experiences, managing safety, and welcoming guests. After all that, trying to communicate with an OTA feels like shouting through a thick wall.
I once tried to resolve a billing issue that should have taken ten minutes. Instead, I sat on hold, filled out forms, and spoke with four different people, each of whom told me something different. By the time it was fixed, I had spent nearly three hours on a problem that should not have existed in the first place.
For many operators, the commissions alone cut into the funds we need to maintain gear, vehicles, and staff. Yet we remain dependent on platforms that reduce us to a line item. The people shaping the guest experience are the ones least supported by the system.
AI in Tourism: The Opportunity and the Danger
AI is sweeping into tourism faster than most people realize. Used wisely, AI can help small operators automate repetitive tasks, send reminders, improve communication, and even build better routes or schedules. It can be a tool that supports the human connection rather than replacing it.
But when companies use AI to put up more barriers between travelers and operators, frustration only grows. Travelers cannot get answers because AI is blocking the path to a real person. Operators cannot get help because AI is set up to protect the OTAs’ support teams, not the businesses they rely on.
AI is not the villain. The problem is the choice to replace service instead of improving it.
The True Cost of Outsourcing in Tourism
Every year, more travelers book through platforms that keep them at a distance from the people they are paying to meet. This distance chips away at the richness of their experience.
When a guest books directly with a local operator, their trip begins the moment they reach out. They get:
- Personal recommendations that only locals can give
- A clear understanding of what to expect
- A sense of belonging before the tour even begins
- Guidance on restaurants, small businesses, routes, and sights they would never find on a giant platform
This is the part travelers do not realize they are missing. This is the magic that OTAs cannot replicate.
Why Direct Booking Brings Back the Magic of Travel
If there is one message I want people to take away, it is this:
When you book directly with a local operator, you are choosing a better experience for yourself.
You are supporting the community that welcomes you. You are ensuring your money goes to the people who create your memories, not to a corporation that has never visited the destination. You open the door to honest service, genuine care, and authentic connection.
Tourism has always been a relationship between traveler and guide. Direct booking brings that relationship back to life. It tells the industry that service still matters. It tells local businesses that they are valued. And it gives travelers something priceless. A trip that feels personal from the very beginning.
Check out our private Black Hills & Badlands tour today and experience travel that truly connects. Book now. A real human will call you!
