A new PwC Middle East report, ' AI at the heart of tourism and hospitality: powering personalisation, efficiency and growth', reveals that while 91% of regional industry leaders are already piloting or using AI technologies, only 3% have achieved full-scale implementation.

The study, based on a survey of regional C-suite and senior leaders from leading hospitality organisations across the region, shows that AI adoption is advancing but uneven with uneven, with significant room for growth as the sector races toward 2030.

Across the Middle East, countries are rapidly deploying AI and smart digital technologies to elevate visitor experiences and strengthen tourism's contribution to national economic transformation agendas.

In Saudi Arabia, AI is central to Vision 2030's ambition of welcoming 150 million annual visitors and increasing tourism's share of GDP from 3% to 10%.

Similarly, the UAE is positioning itself as a global leader in AI-powered hospitality, using data and digital tools to enhance guest experiences, support secure data exchange, provide real-time insights for the tourism sector, and strengthen sustainable smart city practices.

The report examines AI’s impact across four critical areas of the tourism and hospitality ecosystem:

Guest experience: Enhancing personalisation and anticipating traveller needs through real-time data and predictive insights.

Operations and data infrastructure: Connecting fragmented systems, automating processes, and enabling intelligent, data-driven management.

Human resources: Empowering employees with AI-driven training, adaptive learning, and workforce analytics to build a future-ready workforce.

Channel management: Optimising pricing, visibility, and reputation across digital platforms through smarter, AI-enabled decision-making.

According to Moussa Beidas, Partner, Ideation lead at PwC Middle East: “To unlock AI's full potential in tourism and hospitality, industry leaders must move from pilots to scale, delivering personalised, predictive, and seamless guest experiences. Success will depend on embedding AI fluency across teams, strengthening data and reputation management, and expanding proven solutions that demonstrate real impact. Together, these actions will turn experimentation into enterprise-wide transformation. A future that is tech-powered and human-led will define the next era of hospitality excellence.”

Jonathan Worsley Chairman & CEO, The Bench - Organisers of the Future Hospitality Summit said: “The opportunity with AI isn’t 'code' for replacing people, but in empowering them with intelligence that deepens human connection, anticipating guest needs, optimising what already works, and building more resilient, sustainable solutions. The industry’s evolution will depend on how effectively we align technology with purpose, data with empathy, and innovation with authenticity. Furthermore, as operations become smarter and more efficient, hotel investment will strengthen in both financial sustainability and long-term value creation; a dialogue that continues to shape our conversations across FHS.”

The report calls for a balanced approach to AI implementation one that starts small with high-impact, low-hanging opportunities using high-quality data, then reinvests the gains to scale what works.

Rather than replacing legacy systems entirely.

the study also emphasises connecting existing infrastructure intelligently to drive measurable results also highlighting the critical need for continuous learning models, internal talent development and clear data governance frameworks that protect travellers while enabling innovation.

As the travel and tourism sector heads toward 2030, AI stands at the core of its evolution, making journeys smarter, experiences richer and destinations more competitive.

The integration of AI is set to transform rather than replace the workforce, with 77% of respondents expecting it to create new roles within five years.

 This shift toward human machine collaboration will see employees increasingly focused on managing and optimising AI systems to enhance accuracy and guest experiences, blending automation with authenticity to deliver more meaningful, memorable experiences. -TradeArabia News Service