85% of APAC travellers still don’t trust AI recommendations at face value.
Here’s a funny paradox. 94% of APAC travellers use AI to plan trips, yet 85% don’t trust what it tells them, according to Klook. So they do what any savvy traveller would do – ask AI for ideas, then check them against TikTok, Instagram and creators. It’s a habit that runs deep with younger travellers. As outlined in our latest report, Online Travel Tracker: The Social Stack In Asia, in Malaysia, 62% have booked a trip influenced by social media trends. In Japan, 60% of 18-24 year olds have done the same. And the content that actually converts isn’t the glossy stuff. Detailed guides and tips drive 38% of bookings, while cinematic visuals trail at just 17%. Even more telling, more than a third of travellers would book on a micro creator’s recommendation, second only to family and friends. So, what does “practical beats pretty” mean for your content strategy?
Then there’s China, where social commerce in travel grew up. Douyin only launched hotel booking in early 2023, yet its hotel and travel GMV was estimated at around 60 billion RMB that year, nearly a quarter of Meituan’s. Over on Xiaohongshu, outbound travellers run 100+ searches and read 300+ posts just to plan a single eight-hour-flight trip. Meanwhile, WeChat is turning chats into checkouts, and in June 2026 it opened up an AI agent ecosystem that can book flights from inside the app. OTAs aren’t sitting still either. Fliggy saw livestream GMV jump 130% in a single summer campaign. What are the OTAs doing to keep up, and what can brands outside China learn from them?
China now requires livestream ads to be labelled, and AI-generated content must carry visible tags. In September 2026, regulators summoned six major players, including Douyin and Trip.com, to put social commerce under the same anti-monopoly rules as the OTAs. Meanwhile, livestreams are booming across Southeast Asia, with over 75% of travellers in Thailand, Indonesia and India tuning in. Which markets are ready for the same leap? And how do you stay on the right side of regulation while riding the wave? Download the full report here.
