The WiT Singapore conference brought together travel industry leaders to assess the rapid rise of AI-powered travel agents, a shift some participants described as an “agentic race.” Three potential outcomes were examined: the dominance of generic, all-purpose AI tools; the emergence of specialized travel-focused agents; and the creation of a collaborative industry-wide platform. Each approach presented distinct challenges and opportunities.
General-Purpose and Travel-Specific AI Tools
While Meta has developed an internal agent, its status and capabilities remain unspecified. Meanwhile, Instinct, developed by entrepreneur Noah Shinn, represents another major entry. Shinn has stated publicly that Instinct has processed approximately $1 billion in transactions, with roughly half of those involving travel bookings. When pressed for non-U.S. transaction details, Instinct’s team confirmed Shinn’s involvement but declined to provide specific figures, instead directing inquiries to their public reports.
Alongside these general AI systems, dedicated travel agents are also gaining traction. Lola, revived by Booking Holdings from its earlier iteration with KAYAK co-founder Paul English and supported by co-founder Steve Hafner, now focuses exclusively on airline and hotel reservations. Booking Holdings has also launched Vayo, which CEO Mike Fridgen has positioned as distinct from conventional planning tools or chatbots. Unlike other agents, Vayo constructs itineraries from email confirmations, tracks price fluctuations, and even attempts to secure difficult-to-obtain dinner reservations. The project is backed by a planned $100 million investment from Booking Holdings and remains in an invite-only beta phase.
Among newer ventures, Odysseus is a Greek name meaning “wanderer,” referencing the legendary hero of Homer’s Odyssey. The name may evoke themes of journey and exploration, which align with travel technology. Odessia, a startup backed by Sequoia Capital, markets itself as a rapid trip-planning solution, comparing its efficiency to transporting Odysseus home within a weekend. Its founder, Francis Davidson, previously created Sonder at age 19, a short-term rental platform that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025 before its brand was acquired by TravelAI in July 2026.
Related Post: Travel Agents Hold Key to Sustainable Majorca
Industry Perspectives on AI Agents
During a panel discussion, Agoda’s CEO Omri Morgenshtern and CTO Idan Zalzberg rejected the idea of a unified industry-built agent, calling it overly complex and unlikely to achieve broad agreement. Morgenshtern suggested that niche agents would eventually consolidate, much like early mobile applications. Zalzberg emphasized that travel’s complexity required dedicated solutions, warning that overreach—such as an agent autonomously managing meetings—would damage user trust.
Rajnish Kumar of ixigo agreed, arguing that highly specialized agents trained on proprietary data would outperform generic tools. He predicted this shift would create new job roles to support agent development and oversight. Meanwhile, Clarence Chua, founder of The Sundowner Nature Experience Centre, drew a parallel between bee colonies and efficient AI systems. Each bee, he noted, performs a specific task that benefits the whole, suggesting that tightly focused AI agents could operate more effectively in collaboration than as a single platform.
Uncertainty Over the Collective Agent and Competitive Outcomes
The host announced that the Agentic race is officially underway and admitted losing track of the agents arriving. They presented a major question and outlined three scenarios to Agoda’s CEO Omri Morgenshtern and CTO Idan Zalzberg during a stage interview.
Trust and Specialization as Key Factors
User trust emerged as a central concern in the debate. The author shared their own experience with Instinct, noting how it crossed the line from useful to annoying when it started organizing their schedule and meetings without being asked. This highlighted a broader risk: agents that overstep their intended role risk losing credibility entirely.