The battle for the future of travel search is no longer being fought on booking engines, comparison websites or even Google’s familiar list of blue links. Increasingly, it is being fought inside artificial intelligence.

That reality lies at the heart of a growing debate in Washington, where lawmakers are once again attempting to curb the power of the world’s largest technology platforms by reintroducing the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA).

While the legislation may sound like another piece of regulatory housekeeping, travel technology leaders argue the stakes could hardly be higher.

As AI-powered discovery tools, recommendation engines, and virtual assistants increasingly influence how travellers research, compare and book trips, concerns are mounting that dominant platforms could effectively become both referee and player in the same game.

The legislation seeks to prevent the largest digital gatekeepers from favouring their own products and services over competitors. Importantly, the bill would apply only to a few major platforms that generate at least US$175 billion in annual revenue and command significant reach across the United States. Enforcement would rest with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

For travel technology companies, the issue is simple: if one company controls what consumers see first, it may also control what consumers ultimately buy.

The debate mirrors ongoing discussions in Europe surrounding the European Union Digital Markets Act, particularly Article 6.5, which aims to limit self-preferencing by dominant platforms. That provision has sparked fierce debate among major technology companies and industry groups, many of whom argue similar restrictions are now emerging through AICOA in the United States.

Against this backdrop, the Travel Technology Association has thrown its support firmly behind the legislation.

Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of the Travel Technology Association, said:

“The Travel Technology Association applauds the introduction of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Travelers deserve a marketplace where the best products and services succeed on their merits – not because a dominant platform has the ability to steer consumers toward its own offerings. As travel search increasingly shifts from traditional websites to AI-powered assistants and recommendation engines, preserving fair and unbiased competition becomes even more important.”

Her comments reflect growing unease across the travel sector as AI transforms the customer journey.

For decades, travel businesses focused on improving their search rankings, refining their websites, and competing on price, service, and product differentiation. Today, however, travellers are increasingly turning to AI tools that deliver curated recommendations rather than traditional search results.

That shift could fundamentally alter the competitive landscape.

Aaron Fessler, CEO and founder of TripWorks, believes smaller operators could face significant disadvantages if dominant platforms are allowed to prioritise their own offerings.

“AI is transforming how travelers discover and book experiences, and the stakes for smaller operators are rising fast. When any dominant platform has the ability to elevate its own services ahead of others, independent travel companies are effectively competing in a marketplace where the rules are not the same for everyone. That’s not sustainable for innovation or for travelers.”

Fessler argues that independent operators remain responsible for much of the creativity, local expertise and customer experience that make travel memorable.

His concern is that AI-driven discovery tools could unintentionally narrow consumer choice if visibility becomes concentrated among a handful of platform-owned products.

The issue becomes even more pronounced when considering the rapid evolution of generative AI.

John Lyotier, CEO and founder of TravelAI, believes the industry has already crossed an important threshold.

“AI is reshaping how travellers discover options and the biggest platforms now control both the discovery layer and the distribution layer. When search becomes an intelligent assistant that curates and decides, smaller travel brands can disappear from the journey long before a traveler ever reaches their site.”

That observation strikes at the centre of a broader industry concern.

Traditional search engines largely served as gateways, presenting consumers with multiple options. AI assistants, by contrast, increasingly interpret, filter and recommend options on behalf of users.

In other words, the machine is no longer merely opening the door—it may be choosing which doors travellers are allowed to see.

Lyotier pointed directly to recent developments in AI-powered search experiences.

“Google’s latest AI updates showed the direction of travel. Search is no longer a list of links; it’s now acting more like an agent. If brands are not integrated into these new AI ecosystems, they’ll simply not be seen.”

For travel businesses, particularly smaller operators, that prospect raises obvious concerns.

After all, even the finest boutique tour, hotel or travel experience cannot be booked if a traveller never discovers it.

And therein lies the challenge lawmakers are now attempting to address.

Supporters of AICOA argue the legislation is not about punishing success. Rather, it is about ensuring that innovation, competition and consumer choice continue to flourish as digital discovery enters a new AI-driven era.

As Lyotier concluded:

“AICOA is acknowledging what everyone in digital travel already knows: If you control what people see first, you control everything. Ensuring that all travel companies can be displayed fairly, rather than buried beneath a platform’s own products, is essential for competition and for traveler trust. The future of AI powered travel should be built on transparency and fair access.”

For the travel industry, the message is becoming increasingly clear. The next great battle for bookings may not be fought on a search results page at all. It may be fought inside an AI assistant’s recommendation engine—and that makes the question of fair competition more important than ever.

By Anne Keam – © 2026.

Read Time: 4 minutes.

About the Author.

Anne Keam’s story begins in Queensland, on a grain farm in the state’s wide western reaches, where the days were long and the lessons simple: work hard, look after your own, and don’t make a fuss. Those early years left their mark.

She later studied Arts at the University of Queensland, before doing what felt natural at the time, heading back home to the family property. But the world was calling. Anne packed a backpack and went looking, spending years on the road and finding herself most alive in South America. She wrote everything down along the way. Those notebooks, full of dust, colour, and curiosity, eventually became her blog, a quiet, personal record of seeing the world and learning from it.

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