Accenture just launched this Pulse of Change 2025 survey on the sidelines of World Economic Forum. The survey of 3,450 C-suite leaders in 20 countries across nearly 22 industries provides a timely snapshot of many industry leaders’ views on AI adoption, investments, preparedness, and evolving workforce dynamics.

Travel-Specific Insights

What’s currently on the minds of travel C-suite leaders? The insights below are specifically from executives in the travel, airlines, and transport industries:

1. Anticipated Change and Investment:

   • 74% of travel industry leaders expect a higher level of change in 2025.
   • 87% plan to increase their investments in generative AI, with 21% aiming for substantial increases of 20% or more.

2. Primary Drivers of Investment in Generative AI:

   • Travel industry leaders are three times more likely to increase investment in generative AI to capitalize on technological advancements (25%) than to enhance workforce skills (8%).
   • 25% of respondents are driven by technological advancements; 21% seek to maintain a competitive edge.

3. Challenges and Preparedness:

   • The most significant challenge for travel C-suite leaders is limitations in data or technology infrastructure (31%).
   • Nonetheless, 82% see greater business impact potential from their generative AI experiences over the past year.

4. Workforce Readiness:

   • 94% of surveyed travel leaders have revised their talent strategies to adapt to the AI economy, especially generative AI.
   • 95% believe their workforce has the foundational training needed to effectively use these technologies, which includes training in key concepts, risk management, and AI tool usage.

5. Deployment and Impact:

   • By 2025, 57% of travel organizations expect to have generative AI solutions in production and fully operational at scale, focusing investments in IT (55%), engineering, manufacturing, and production (33%), customer service (29%), and sustainability (34%).