Banks are taking on the role of personal travel agents.
The Russian tourism services market is undergoing a shift in consumption model: travelers are increasingly abandoning classic tour packages in favor of independent booking. According to aggregators, by 2025, the share of direct online sales of airline tickets, hotels, and tours in Russia exceeded 65%, and the online travel market reached 1.2 trillion rubles. Banks are rapidly entering this niche, transforming financial applications into full-fledged digital lifestyle consultants. A vivid example is VTB's announcement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026 about the launch of a generative AI travel agent.
What VTB announced
Olga Skorobogatova, the First Deputy President and Chairman of VTB, stated that the bank is preparing to launch a personal travel assistant based on generative AI. The agent will analyze the client's transaction history, bonus programs, and vacation seasonality to proactively offer personalized options for flights, accommodations, and tours. The system takes into account not only explicit requests in the chat but also a sustained interest in certain destinations—and initiates dialogue at the right moment. For example, noticing the approach of the annual travel period, the digital assistant will find tickets at low prices, tours with cashback, or special offers from the bank's partners. This option will also be available for clients of Post Bank.
The new service will be part of a broader strategy by the bank to create AI advisors for everyday tasks, covering investments, purchases, and other life scenarios. Currently, the bank already has two directions for AI agents: for employees—speeding up the processing of requests, and client-facing—helping to form an investment portfolio according to risk profiles. The travel assistant will be the next step in the concept of "finance as a tool, life as true value."
Why banks are entering travel
The market for independent travel in Russia is growing at double-digit rates. According to ATOR, in 2025, 73% of domestic tourists booked accommodations independently through online platforms, while for international trips, this figure approached 60%. Meanwhile, NAIF surveys show a high but currently unmet demand for automated AI assistants: 41% of respondents would like to receive personalized travel recommendations, but only 12% have used such services. The main barriers are distrust in the quality of selections and the complexity of integration with financial instruments.
This is where banks have a unique advantage. Transactional data allows them to see real consumer patterns, not just stated preferences, experts believe. The credit institution knows how much a client typically spends on a hotel, in which month they buy tickets, and whether they use business lounges and taxis during trips. Generative AI can turn this data into unobtrusive, advantageous offers tied to banking products—cards with miles, cashback, and installment plans.
Expert opinions: trust and competition
Experts agree that the emergence of banking AI agents will change the competitive landscape but will not eliminate the classic tourism business. Complex routes, corporate trips, and niche tours will still require human expertise for a long time. However, standard package offers and simple flights with hotels may largely fall under the management of AI assistants.
The main challenge for banks is the flawless performance of algorithms. An error in selecting a flight or losing a connection can affect trust in the travel service. Therefore, VTB and other players are betting on "delicate" suggestions, leaving the final decision to the human. In the future, such assistants could become not just showcases for partner offers but full-fledged marketplaces where airline, hotel, and tour operator prices compete, with the bank acting as a guarantor of reliability.
Trend: proactive finance in everyday life
AI agents are no longer passive responders to questions; they are beginning to anticipate needs: reminding about the need to extend insurance, suggesting a restaurant in the business trip city, booking transfers. Travel is becoming the first high-margin category where such a model can be quickly scaled. For the client, this means lower prices due to automated selection, and for the bank—growth in commission income and loyalty.
Thus, a digital travel assistant based on generative AI is not just another technological novelty but a marker of a paradigm shift in banking services. The bank is transforming from a transactional center into a trusted advisor for key life events, with vacations being just the first stop on this journey.
More news about the event:
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
The Russian tourism services market is undergoing a shift in consumption model: travelers are increasingly abandoning classic tour packages in favor of independent booking. 18:24 03.06.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan
A new domestic AI assistant for travel planning will be launched this year
News service Author of the article
Photo: press service of PJSC VTB
A digital assistant for organizing travel based on generative AI will be launched this year. 17:08 03.06.2026 ProKazan.Ru - Kazan
News from neighboring regions on the topic:
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 19:26 03.06.2026 Info-Rm.Com - Saransk
VTB announced the launch of a digital travel assistant based on AI
At the SPIEF-2026, the First Deputy President-Chairman of VTB Olga Skorobogatova announced the bank's plans to develop AI-based services. 19:25 03.06.2026 Neva.Today - St. Petersburg
Banks will replace tour operators
Photo: PJSC "VTB" VTB announced the upcoming launch of a generative AI agent that will take over the selection of tickets, hotels, and tours
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, 19:07 03.06.2026 Astrakhan 24 - Astrakhan
Banks will replace tour operators
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 19:01 03.06.2026 Internet newspaper Steppe News - Elista
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
They are trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Photo: Alexander VOLOZHANIN. 18:38 03.06.2026 Komsomolskaya Pravda - Nizhny Novgorod
Banks are becoming travel agents
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 17:57 03.06.2026 IA MediaRyazan - Ryazan
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 17:47 03.06.2026 Nizhny Novgorod Truth - Nizhny Novgorod
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents.
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 17:45 03.06.2026 NTA-Privolzhye - Nizhny Novgorod
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Photo: Anastasia Nazarova
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 17:33 03.06.2026 NIA Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Photo provided by VTB
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 17:05 03.06.2026 ProGorodNN.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod
A new AI assistant for travel planning will be launched this year
A digital assistant for organizing travel based on generative AI will be launched this year. 16:36 03.06.2026 Observer.Vrn - Voronezh
In 2026, a domestic AI assistant for travel planning will appear
A digital assistant for organizing travel based on generative AI will be launched this year. 16:27 03.06.2026 Dagestan Truth - Makhachkala
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 16:27 03.06.2026 Kirov.Online - Kirov
Banks will replace tour operators
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 16:04 03.06.2026 Network publication Watermelon - Astrakhan
Banks are trying on the role of personal travel agents
Russian banks are actively mastering the niche of personal travel assistants, trying to take a place between tour operators and aggregators. 16:04 03.06.2026 Time N - Nizhny Novgorod
Banks are entering the market of personal travel assistants
Photo: press service of VTB
A digital assistant for organizing travel based on generative AI will be launched this year. 15:54 03.06.2026 PRO City Vladimir - Vladimir
VTB launches a digital assistant for travel
Representatives of the bank announced this at the SPIEF Photo: Roman Pimenov/"St. Petersburg Diary"
VTB aims to develop AI advisors that allow clients to maximize
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Banks are taking on the role of personal travel agents.
The Russian tourism services market is undergoing a change in consumption model: travelers are increasingly rejecting classic tour packages in favor of independent booking. 03.06.2026. IA Tatar-inform. Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan.