Podcasts · Travel Trends with Dan Christian

The Rise of Agentic AI Part 2

13 May 2026 · 1 h 18 min

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Filters, dropdowns, and endless tabs are starting to feel like the old internet, and travel is right at the center of that shift. In the second episode of our Agentic AI Series, Dan speaks with Ben Manzi, Co-founder and COO of Maya, Michelle Denogean, CMO of Mindtrip, and Brianna MacNeil, Director of AI Products and Personalization, TravelAI, to unpack what “agentic AI” really means for both travel companies and travelers, especially now that AI agents can do far more than chat. They can pull real-time pricing, generate quotes, draft emails, build itineraries, and increasingly help solve the hardest part of travel, making decisions.

We get concrete on where the value shows up first, eliminating repetitive, low judgment work across email and messaging, accelerating internal workflows, and helping smaller travel brands punch above their weight. We also dig into what needs to go right for trust, including grounding agents in real data, cleaning up outdated content, and selecting the right models so costs and latency stay under control. For destinations and marketers, we explore the emergence of a new “listening layer” within conversational planning, and why AI SEO and generative engine optimization now depend on answering real traveler questions, not just publishing evergreen content.

Looking ahead, we discuss persistent travel memory and why the long term winners may be the brands that truly understand the traveler across contexts, not those that simply layer on a chatbot. We close with what must remain human, taste, community validation, and the on the ground moments that make travel meaningful.

Thanks to Maya for sponsoring this series!

👉 Listen to The Rise of Agentic AI Part 2 Now

🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 7 Title Sponsors for their Support: Bokun, Civitatis, Intrepid, Kaptio, Propellic and Protect Group

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Links in the notes 8

• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2172036/fan_mail/new
• https://www.mayatravel.ai/
• https://www.bokun.io/?utm_source=partnerships&utm_medium=travel_trends_podcast&utm_campaign=logo_sponsor&utm_content=link
• https://www.civitatis.com/en
• https://www.intrepidtravel.com/
• https://www.kaptio.com/?utm_source=travel_trends_podcast&utm_medium=media_partner&utm_campaign=travel_trends_partnership
• https://www.propellic.com/trends
• https://protect.group/traveltrends