Human interaction will remain key even as AI grows

In a world where artificial intelligence is increasingly coming to the fore, it is always good to have reminders of the value of human interaction and service.

The Travel Weekly offices were abuzz last week as we put the finishing touches to this year’s Agent Achievement Awards ceremony in London and the night itself was a fantastic reminder of the incredible individuals and companies that are the bedrock of the travel trade.

As if that wasn’t enough, entries are now open to find the 12 brilliant agents who will be our Travel Weekly Cover Stars next year, as the competition returns in partnership with Jet2holidays.

The 2026 edition of our flagship competition will shine a light on the people at the heart of the trade and will have special resonance because it will include our 150th Cover Star – a landmark we will be particularly proud of given our commitment to positioning agents at the centre of everything we do.

All companies will be looking at how they can harness the power of AI to improve efficiency, but as Barrhead Travel president Jacqueline Dobson wrote in these pages a couple of weeks ago, no technology can truly replace the empathy and personal service of a human being.

As always, Travel Weekly is now entering its fortnightly summer publishing schedule, so you’ll receive your next print edition on July 31. But don’t worry, you can still keep up to speed on the latest news from the industry at travelweekly.co.uk and on our social media channels.

Comment originally from Travel Weekly, July 17 edition