September 28, 2026 TnH Global

AI can personalise tourism, reshape destination management: Panelists at KTM 2026

Artificial Intelligence could be leveraged to personalise travel experiences, explore lesser-known places, destination management and tourism marketing, noted speakers at a panel discussion on “Digital Agenda and AI to Redesign Tourism” at Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2026 here today.

The seminar, held as part of the World Tourism Day, was moderated by Sumit Kumar Thakur, MD, KTDC and ADG, Kerala Tourism.

Leading the session on the concluding day of the three-day event, Shri APM Mohammed Haneesh, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, said tour operators need to reinvent their offerings in line with the global market trends at a time when travellers are increasingly seeking unique and personalised experiences.

APM Mohammed Haneesh, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, speaking at panel discussion on ‘Digital Agenda and AI to redesign tourism’ at Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2026 in Kochi on Sunday. Also seen are: Sumit Kumar Thakur, MD, KTDC and ADG, Kerala Tourism; Anish Kumar, CEO, The Travel Planners; Soorajith Radhakrishnan, Secretary, Wayanad Tourism Organisation; and Digital Evangelist Sarath V. Raj.

At the same time, it is important to maintain a clear distinction between personalisation and privacy, Shri Haneesh noted, cautioning against the unnecessary sharing of sensitive personal information.

Shri Anish Kumar, CEO of The Travel Planners, said that tourism businesses should optimise their content and digital presence for large language models (LLMs), while also leveraging AI tools and social media for marketing.

He also pointed to potential applications of AI in destination management, including crowd management during peak tourist seasons in destinations such as Munnar and Wayanad in Kerala.

Shri Soorajith Radhakrishnan, Secretary, Wayanad Tourism Organisation, however, cautioned that it should be ensured that AI does not dominate the tourism experience. AI could nevertheless play an important role in destination management and heritage conservation, including helping regulate visitor access to museums housing rare artefacts to minimise the risk of damage, he said.

Digital evangelist Shri Sarath V. Raj said AI was transforming the way businesses operate and described the current phase as an “agentic AI era”, requiring the tourism industry to adapt and optimise for emerging AI-driven systems.

He said the application of AI in tourism needs to be addressed at the policy level, while highlighting its potential to enable mass personalisation of travel experiences.

KTM President Shri Jose Pradeep, immediate past president Shri Baby Mathew, and past presidents Shri Abraham George and Shri E. M. Najeeb presented mementos to the panellists.

A seminar on “Muziris as a World Tourism Heritage Destination” was also held.