AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Travel Agents?

Task-level automation exposure for Travel Agents: 8 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

59% weighted task index

8 of 8 tasks scored

Median Salary

$50,160 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

55,110 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+0.2% employment change

5,900 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$22,650 – $63,400

Highest medians

Nevada $63,400

District of Columbia $61,560

Montana $61,330

New Jersey $61,090

Connecticut $60,640

Lowest medians

Guam $22,650

Puerto Rico $22,960

South Carolina $34,560

Louisiana $35,970

Arkansas $36,600

State figures come from the 41-3041 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 59%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 0%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 13%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 38%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 14/100 Low

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

8 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 50%

4 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 26%

2 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 24%

2 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#737 · Core · 55% automatable

Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.

data analysis — Transaction processing software-driven; human handles exceptions

Process sales or other transactions.

#741 · Core · 32% automatable

Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.

interpersonal — Closing sales requires persuasion and accountability

Sell products or services.

#738 · Core · 50% automatable

Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.

interpersonal — Customer needs discovery needs live interaction

Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.

#739 · Core · 82% automatable

Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.

data analysis — Cost calculation from structured inputs

Calculate costs of goods or services.

#20900 · Core · 82% automatable

Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

text generation — Record travel operational details from provided info

Record operational details of travel.

#740 · Core · 65% automatable

Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.

text generation — Draft contracts; legal terms human-owned

Prepare sales or other contracts.

#743 · Core · 86% automatable

Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.

information retrieval — Retrieve info from electronic sources

Retrieve information from electronic sources.

#742 · Core · 15% automatable

Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.

physical manipulation — Physically distributing samples and literature

Distribute promotional literature or samples to customers.

Embed this calculator on your site ↓

Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.

<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="travel-agents"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script>

Community Sentiment

Do you agree?

Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?

Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market

Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.

Read Article ->