Customer reviews powering two thirds of AI travel recommendations, Feefo finds

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly transforming how consumers plan their holidays, with a growing number using AI tools to discover and organize trips — especially to long-haul destinations.

By combining personalised AI recommendations with genuine customer reviews, travellers are able to make more informed and rewarding choices.

To explore how travellers are using AI in trip planning, Feefo  has conducted a new study examining the importance of reviews in influencing which brands AI platforms use to produce their results.

The study analysed data collected from 250 identical queries across 3 AI platforms, designed to reflect the typical research journey of a typical traveller seeking advice.

These same five queries, such as ‘Flights to Dubai’, ‘Best time to visit Hong Kong’ were replicated for 50 different destinations and tested across three major AI platforms: ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity.

71% of results used first-party reviews as a source of information

The study found that 71% of travel-based responses utilised first-party customer reviews to determine which results to show – subsequently providing consumers with more authentic, experience-driven advice that reflects real traveller insights.

However, there were clear differences amongst the AI platforms. Despite research showing that as of 2025, ChatGPT is the world’s most popular AI platform, almost half of its responses didn’t use reviews as a source of information.

In contrast, Perplexity delivered the highest rate of review-based sources, with reviews included every single time – evident thanks to its efficient ‘sources’ tool that directly links users to relevant sites.

How does query intent influence AI’s use of reviews?

To understand AI’s responses, Feefo’s researchers explored the intent behind consumer queries and analysed how that impacted the use of reviews. Researchers categorised queries into transactional (requiring payment), informational  (providing tips and travel-related inspiration) and commercial (relating to purchasing a product or service).

Across all three AI platforms analysed, reviews appeared in almost half (43%) of commercial queries and a third (33%) of informational queries – likely being based on personal recommendations.

Searches that require a payment, such as flights or hotel bookings, appeared in just 24% of responses despite positive reviews being likely to provide further reassurance before a financial commitment is made. This could illustrate how platforms like ChatGPT & Gemini believe users are more interested in price, rather than the quality of their flights and hotels.

Review platforms most frequent in AI-based search queries

As AI-powered search engines evolve, they are placing growing importance on first-party consumer reviews when determining which brands to showcase and recommend.

First-party reviews – collected directly by businesses and published on their own digital platforms -are increasingly being used as indicators of trust and credibility.

Feefo’s study uncovered clear evidence that first-party review data significantly influences brand visibility in AI-powered search results, with several prominent platforms consistently cited as trusted sources.

Commenting on the findings, Feefo’s CEO, Tony Wheble said: “Our study highlights that customer reviews play a vital part in whether or not your brand is visible when people are using AI as a search engine. They have proved to have a critical role in the customer journey, especially in travel, by providing trusted insights for informed decisions.

“As AI tools continue to become more influential in travel planning, authenticity will matter more than ever. These systems learn from the data they’re given – so if they rely on unverified reviews, they risk delivering unreliable results. Verified, trustworthy feedback will be key to ensuring AI-driven recommendations remain credible and valuable.”