Adi Azoulay and Itai Green. Photo: Sivan Farag The greatest arrogance of success is to think that what we did yesterday will be enough for tomorrow. This arrogance is the tourism industry's greatest enemy. Innovation is no longer a nice word thrown around in management meetings, but a necessary condition for survival.
According to BCG, about 83% of corporations prioritize innovation. This statistic matters in the world of experiences, flights, and hospitality, where modern travelers demand digital availability, full transparency, and the ability to customize vacations without relying on slow, traditional intermediaries. The pace of technological change is far beyond what any travel company can produce independently.
Artificial intelligence enables airlines, hotel chains, and travel agencies to completely change the rules. With smart demand-forecasting algorithms, machine-learning-based recommendation systems that tailor the perfect vacation to each traveler before they even choose a destination, and virtual assistants that provide 24/7 availability, AI has shifted from futuristic technology to the “co-pilot” of the entire travel industry.
The high cost of refusing to innovate is illustrated by the painful example of Thomas Cook, one of the world's oldest travel companies, founded in the 19th century and collapsed in 2019.
For decades, the company dominated the “all-inclusive” vacation market and maintained a giant network of physical travel agencies and aircraft. While the world moved rapidly into the digital era, with platforms for price comparison, direct online bookings, and apartment rental sites like Airbnb, the company’s management clung to its outdated model and refused to invest in true innovation.
Thomas Cook’s sudden collapse is exactly what awaits organizations that do not adopt AI today. A travel company that fails to embrace AI now is like a 2019 travel company focused on physical agencies: outdated and inefficient, likely to tread water briefly before gradually or suddenly collapsing.
The world moves too fast for the industry to rely solely on internal developments or ideas, outdated reports, and pre-digital-age experience. Tourism organizations must understand that, no matter how brilliant their employees are, most smart and successful people will always be outside the company walls.
The challenge is to leverage them to become more innovative, profitable, and successful and provide a better, more personalized customer experience. The best way to keep pace with technology is to collaborate with AI startups and implement their technology within industry companies.
This cooperation is the only way to advance at the fastest speed and most efficiently in a world where technological change moves several times faster than industry decision-making. Do not try to develop within the corporation; it is destined to fail.
This is especially true today, during a crisis. Historically, any crisis serves as a powerful catalyst that accelerates change, requiring organizations to act immediately before it's too late.
A crisis forces airlines, hotel chains, and travel agencies to shed outdated work patterns, quickly adapt to changing customer needs, and prove practically that they remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.
The era of artificial intelligence should be seen as an opportunity. The industry faces many challenges, and adopting technology is essential to addressing them.
This July, the Ministry of Tourism launched the Travel Innovation IL community. Among the participants are hundreds of senior figures from the travel and technology industries, travel tech entrepreneurs, investors, and representatives from government and academia.
The community serves as a platform for learning and direct collaboration between the industry and talented entrepreneurs, who are critical partners in ensuring the industry's prosperity.
“Innovation is not just a nice word thrown around in board meetings; it is a condition for survival.”
Itai Green is an innovation expert, a sought-after lecturer worldwide, and a leading strategic advisor in organizational transformation, AI implementation, and innovation. Green helps international organizations navigate rapid technological change and build long-term competitive advantage. He is the author of the book “Elimination or Innovation,” recently published in the USA.
During the Passport Group's Person of the Year 2026 event, Green received a special award for his contribution to innovation, artificial intelligence, and organizational transformation, and for launching the Travel Innovation IL community.
The Final Boarding Call for Old Tourism – Page 102
The Final Boarding Call for Old Tourism – Page 103