Now, when it has entered 2026, technology has become a familiar companion, from planning, traveling, experiencing to how people remember a trip. Not noisy but persistent, these changes are silently creating a new face for future tourism.
Barriers are getting further and further away
Looking back at the 1990s, tourism was once a rather "manual" journey. There were no online booking platforms, no GPS, no airplane entertainment system. Mobile phones were only used for calling. Using phones to find directions or translate foreign languages was almost a fantasy at that time.
3 decades later, technological advances have changed almost the entire experience. One of the latest milestones was in September 2025, when Apple introduced the AirPods generation capable of directly translating conversations. Combined with iPhones, these headphones can "hear" conversations, translate to the user's chosen language and replay instantly, even without the Internet. For many tourists, it is no different from bringing a personal interpreter in their pocket.
Previously, other translation devices appeared in many forms: Vasco's off-line translator headphones or Timekettle, the Google Translate application that allows bilingual phone conversations connected to the Internet. The big difference of the present lies in speed and accuracy, when artificial intelligence (AI) helps translation to be only counted in seconds. As wearable technology becomes increasingly popular, language barriers - a familiar worry of travelers - are gradually receding.
Not only language, travel procedures are also being simplified. 3D scanners at many airports in the UK help passengers not need to take liquid or laptops out of their luggage. Chip-mounted passports allow quick electronic gateway. At some Asian airports such as Changi (Singapore), facial recognition technology is even further advanced, allowing passengers to pass through security areas without having to present their passports, taking only about 10 seconds. For tourists, this means more convenience, fewer queues and more time for the journey ahead.
Artificial intelligence and "personalized" trips
Technology does not only appear at airports, but right from when the trip first sprouted in your mind. According to market research company MMGY Travel Intelligence, 48% of European tourists have used AI-assisted tools to plan their travel. Airlines use AI to manage customer service, while hotels rely on algorithms to adjust room rates according to actual needs.
In the stage of choosing destinations and accommodation, virtual reality (VR) is becoming a familiar tool allowing tourists to "preview" the trip, from room space to surrounding scenery. According to Amadeus Hospitality, 70% of tourists are willing to use VR or virtual tours to explore destinations before booking.
Lauren Ringel, advisor to travel company Fora X, said that VR is especially useful for customers who focus on space and service quality. “They can stand on the rooftop of a resort in the Maldives or look out at Paris Avenue from a hotel room, even before booking a room... Clear visualization helps eliminate a lot of concerns” - Ms. Lauren Ringel said.
In parallel with the trend of personalizing the experience, technology is also being adjusted to reduce fatigue for users. Instead of having to install a series of separate applications for travel, payment, and ticket booking, many platforms are aiming for a "multi-functional" model. Grab, from a ride-hailing application, has expanded to payment, shopping and trip planning. Uber is no longer just a taxi, but also provides train ticket booking services and many other utilities. The goal is for tourists to do more work with fewer operations.
In the near future, according to experts' forecasts, AI will take another step, when it can predict travel needs even before tourists realize it. Virtual assistants can propose schedules, adjust plans according to weather, habits and budgets, making trips so seamless that technology is almost "invisible".
The whole world through a small screen
No technology affects tourism as deeply as smartphones. A compact device now replaces maps, cameras, wallets and even travel guides. Tourists scan QR codes to order dishes, translate signs, store train tickets and credit cards in e-wallets.
Since then, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as an important trend. AR allows overlapping digital information on real images via phone cameras. In museums, this technology helps artifacts "live up". At the Smithsonian Institute (Washington, DC), visitors can rotate, zoom in on artifacts and read more information on the screen. Some Disney parks also combine AR with projection to create role-playing experiences. In 2022, Stirling City (Scotland) launched an AR map with 3D instructions, helping visitors both walk and explore urban history.
According to Business Research Company, the estimated AR market value in the tourism sector may increase from 29 billion USD in 2025 to 108 billion USD in 2034. AR is popular because it is easy to integrate, not too ostentatious and takes advantage of the equipment that tourists already have.
So that the trip is not overwhelmed by technology
However, the downside of technology is also increasingly clear. Social networks, while promoting tourism, are said to contribute to overloading destinations. Places that were once deserted such as Trolltunga (Norway) or Roy's Peak (New Zealand) became crowded after spreading online. Being engrossed in recording moments to post also makes some tourists less interact with locals, less "living" in real-life experiences.
Technology also reduces direct contact between people: From online booking, automated procedures at the airport to AI chatbots. In addition, there is the story of biometric data. From the end of 2025, the European Union will deploy the Entry/Exit System (EES), requiring fingerprints and photos to be collected upon entry. Procedures are faster, but questions about personal information security are still there.
In another direction, technology also opens up new accessibility. In Seattle, the public transportation system has deployed directional applications with 3D maps and audio signals, supporting visually impaired, hearing impaired or people with travel difficulties. Devices such as the outer skeleton that supports longer-distance pedestrians more easily, or self-driving taxis - which have served millions of trips in the US and are operating in China, UAE - show that tourism in the future can be more inclusive and flexible.
Technology has, is and will continue to change the way people travel. But as many experts believe, what tourists want is not more technology, but the right technology: Intelligent enough to support, sophisticated enough not to overshadow the experience. Stepping into 2026, perhaps the biggest trend of tourism is that technology silently and effectively supports people to fully enjoy the journey ahead.
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