World Tourism Day 2026 : AI Can Personalise Travel but Cannot Replace Human Hospitality, Experts Warn at Tourism Forum in RJS Webinar.
NEW DELHI.
While artificial intelligence and digital systems are rapidly streamlining ticketing, border clearance, and itinerary planning, the technology cannot substitute the human warmth central to hospitality and carries mounting risks of sophisticated cyber fraud, veteran tourism administrators and industry leaders warned at a national symposium on the occasion of World Tourism Day2026, 27 September.
Hon. Co-host of the program and Keynote Speaker Sunil Kumar Singh, former director at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and former diplomat, emphasized the intersection of digital adoption and cultural preservation. He observed that mobile applications, virtual reality tours, and unified digital payment platforms like UPI have significantly eased travel logistics for foreign and domestic visitors alike.
Drawing on his diplomatic postings in Guyana and Mauritius, Singh observed that international interest in India's spiritual and cultural roots remains profound, from the monuments established by early indentured Indian arrivals to sacred pilgrimage circuits. He urged outbound Indian travelers to independently verify travel arrangements and always maintain official contact with Indian diplomatic missions abroad to mitigate unforeseen travel hazards.
Speaking ahead of World Tourism Day theme " Digital Agenda and Artificial intelligence to Redesign Tourism" at the AKSBU- 655th session on 25th September organised by Uday Manna,Founder- National Convener of the RJS PBH -RJS Positive Media movement said that,the former senior officials from the civil aviation, external affairs, and tourism ministries, alongside cybersecurity specialists, debated the dual-edged impact of emerging technologies on global and domestic travel.
Dr. Subhash Goyal, founder and chairman of STIC Travel Group of Companies, cautioned travelers against blind dependence on automated algorithms, citing a surge in counterfeit travel websites, ticket scamming, and voice-cloning fraud. Goyal observed that while digital tools such as Google Maps and automated translation ease foreign travel, criminal networks are increasingly exploiting the same digital infrastructure.
Recalling the fallout during the pandemic when thousands of passengers were stranded by automated airline chatbots that failed to process cancellations and refunds, Goyal emphasized that travelers must double-check digital offerings against accredited tour operators and official government channels. Artificial intelligence can process data and manage routine queries, but it cannot express empathy, welcome a guest, or resolve a crisis on the ground, he said, pointing out that an over-digitised system risks eliminating the human connection that defines the concept of Atithi Devo Bhava.
Discussing the sector's recovery from the pandemic, Goyal stated that the travel industry survived without direct monetary bailouts largely due to personal financial resilience, asset liquidation, and a fundamental shift in consumer psychology. People realized that life is unpredictable, creating an unprecedented wave of domestic and international leisure travel that has stretched existing flight and hospitality capacity, he noted, adding that passport services had also improved markedly through automated processing handled by Tata Consultancy Services.
Outlining a systemic approach to technology, Gurmukh Singh Bawa, former general manager of the Airports Authority of India and secretary general of the Air Travellers Association, presented a four-pillar framework to redesign tourism through artificial intelligence: improving access, managing destinations, skilling small businesses, and targeted promotion.
Bawa argued that artificial intelligence should be leveraged to eliminate logistical bottlenecks through e-visas, chip-embedded passports, Digi Yatra contactless facial recognition, and real-time multilingual translation for travelers. At destinations, he proposed using predictive analytics and dynamic ticketing to prevent overcrowding and structural damage at sensitive heritage and pilgrimage sites, citing crowd control mechanisms at shrines like Vaishno Devi.
He stressed that small enterprises and homestays form the backbone of Indian tourism and should be empowered through single-window digital clearances and sensor-based infrastructure monitoring. Bawa framed the transition around people, planet, and prosperity, stating that future success lies not merely in higher tourist numbers, but in higher quality, sustainable tourism.
Addressing the technical implementation, Nikhilesh Mishra, senior IT consultant with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and former government IT officer, explained how artificial intelligence is shifting the sector from rigid mass tour packages to hyper-personalized itineraries. By assessing individual budgets, duration, and preferences for heritage, local cuisine, or photography, algorithms can assemble custom plans within minutes, he said.
Mishra highlighted the technology's capacity to serve as an interactive, multilingual digital guide at monuments, allowing visitors to access historical narratives in regional languages tailored even to children. Furthermore, he noted that search pattern analysis helps uncover lesser-known rural craft hubs and historic towns, spreading economic benefits beyond saturated tourist destinations. However, he maintained that technology remains merely an enabler and depends entirely on the judgment of the professionals deploying it.
Mrituanjay Mishra, former assistant director in the Ministry of Tourism, Govt.of India argued that no digital strategy can succeed without adequate physical infrastructure and clean, safe public environments. Modernization must not come at the cost of neglecting ancient heritage, he said, calling for closer collaboration among government bodies, private enterprises, and host communities.
During the interactive discussion, Sweety Paul, former senior manager at the India Trade Promotion Organisation, raised concerns regarding deceptive digital travel offerings and fake booking portals, asking how ordinary consumers can safeguard themselves. In response, Goyal advised travelers to verify all credentials against recognized bodies such as the International Air Transport Association and national tourism ministry rosters rather than clicking unverified promotional links.
In the World Tourism Day 2026 program, from the team for the Republic Day and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Samman Samaroh 2027, RJS PBH Observer Deep Mathur, Co-founder RJS Binda Manna, Honorary In-charge of RJS Positive Branch Noida Uday Shankar Singh Kushwaha Ji, TRD27 members Sweety Paul, Neeti Arora, Brijnandan Prasad, Rajendra Singh Kushwaha, Mayank Raj, Sandeep Sahu, Akanksha, Dr. Munni Kumari, and along with them Vivek Kumar Singh, Sarika Arora etc. also joined the webinar.
Addressing another question raised by participant Neeti Arora regarding the environmental footprint, cybercrime risks, and employment disruption associated with rapid artificial intelligence adoption, Bawa countered that the Union government is actively examining regulatory guardrails at the highest levels to prevent digital misuse while preserving technological advantages. Mrituanjay Mishra added that while technology will continue to advance, human language and emotional understanding can never be fully captured by machine algorithms.
Uday Manna, founder of the RJS Positive Media movement, which hosted the virtual gathering, said the discussions would be documented across digital and print formats as part of an ongoing national public participation initiative leading up to an international cultural fortnight scheduled for January 2027.
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