Purpose This paper aims to investigate how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools influence tourists' decision-making processes throughout the travel journey, examining cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses and the resulting value co-creation or co-destruction. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a multi-method qualitative design combining multiple case studies of three GenAI-enabled travel platforms with netnographic analysis of over 4,000 Reddit posts and comments. The data were systematically triangulated across multiple sources to enhance the validity and rigour of the study. Findings The study reveals that GenAI significantly affects travel decisions, acting as a co-creator of conversational value rather than merely providing information. Before the trip, it functions as a virtual advisor, reducing information overload through personalised itineraries and shaping emotions with vivid descriptions that can inspire but also frustrate when unclear. During the trip, it becomes a real-time co-pilot for navigation, translation, and adaptive advice, though only a few tools provide direct access via messaging. After the trip, users re-evaluate GenAI's reliability and develop new usage practices, sometimes creating customised applications. Originality/value This paper is among the first to examine GenAI-assisted travel decision-making across the full consumer journey, moving beyond the planning-stage focus of prior research. It integrates cognitive, affective, and behavioural perspectives with value co-creation theory to explain traveller-AI dynamics and proposes a conceptual framework spanning the pre-travel, during-travel, and post-travel stages. The findings provide practical guidance for tourism managers on designing trustworthy, emotionally aligned, and user-centred AI systems while mitigating risks such as misinformation and loss of human agency.
Ragione et al. (Sun,) studied this question.