DataDome, a specialist in bot and agent trust management, released last March The AI Traffic Report: High Volume, Low Visibility, and a Growing Risk, an analysis of the scale, composition, and risks of AI agent traffic in early 2026.
In 2026, the use of AI assistants throughout the purchase journey is becoming firmly established.
According to a Botify report, 78% of consumers now rely on generative AI for online shopping. DataDome explains that the travel sector is especially impacted. Flight searches, accommodation comparisons, and itinerary planning are increasingly handled by automated agents. While this shift accelerates conversions and streamlines the customer journey for travel brands, it also fuels new risks including fraud, ticket scalping, and price manipulation.
Agentic commerce: a new security paradigm
Traditional bot-detection systems, long used by e-commerce players, are no longer sufficient. Until now, the goal was to distinguish human traffic from automated visits and block the latter. With the rise of AI agents, the challenge has evolved: companies must now verify visitor identity and assess intent in real time.
Businesses need to differentiate between three types of agents: legitimate AI agents acting on behalf of real consumers; malicious bots designed to scrape pricing data; and compromised or impersonated agents that misuse legitimate systems by hijacking real user identities. The focus is no longer just on bot detection, but on building a trust model based on intent.
Travel booking relies on complex processes and constantly changing data such as dynamic pricing, fluctuating availability, and coordination across multiple services. Faced with this complexity, more consumers are turning to AI agents to save time and optimize decisions. However, this trend also increases exposure to attacks. More than 90% of travel sites are reportedly not fully protected against even basic automated threats, according to DataDome.
Key threats facing the industry
- Agent takeover and account fraud
Fraudsters can compromise an agent’s credentials or hijack a session to make unauthorized bookings, steal loyalty points, and access sensitive data such as passports and payment details. Malicious bots can carry out seemingly legitimate transactions, bypassing traditional systems designed to flag unusual human behavior. - Inventory security and price manipulation
AI agents can extract large-scale data on pricing, availability, and inventory. Some competitors use this intelligence to adjust pricing in real time, while malicious actors may attempt to disrupt the market by blocking inventory or creating artificial demand. - Loyalty program fraud
Travel loyalty programs, valued at $328.02 billion in 2024 according to Market Research Future (MRFR), are prime targets for automated fraud. Bots use stolen credentials to perform credential stuffing, then redeem points for flights or hotels, or resell them on the dark web. Beyond financial losses, this erodes trust, increases customer service costs, and drives attrition among high-value travelers.
Why travel brands must become “AI-friendly”
By enabling secure access to their platforms -capable of distinguishing legitimate from malicious agents in real time, travel companies can boost visibility, reliability, and competitiveness:
- Greater visibility: facilitate access for legitimate AI agents to strengthen presence in search and recommendations
- Improved customer experience: streamline journeys and protect conversions by reducing friction for real users
- Protected margins: block price scraping and inventory hoarding to maintain competitiveness
- Stronger partnerships: ensure clean traffic and secure systems to sustain ecosystem trust
- Safeguarded reputation: protect loyalty accounts and prevent fraudulent bookings to maintain traveler confidence
For DataDome, travel brands that successfully adapt will be well positioned to capitalize on agentic commerce, while safeguarding their infrastructure and customer trust.
