Lifestyle
Visa Spending Study Shows How Americans Will Use AI to Plan, Book and Spend on Winter Sports
SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, 2026--Visa today released new U.S. insights from its multi-market Winter Sports Study, revealing a strong resurgence in winter travel interest ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics - and marking the first Winter Games where Gen AI is widely used by consumers for research and planning. The research shows that as interest in winter sports surges and domestic travel remains strong, AI is rapidly moving into the mainstream of how people discover destinations, plan trips and sh
About this update from Visa Inc.
[{"type":"image","alt":"","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"","credit":null,"className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":1920,"height":622,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/a53da45eb8702e038130aa33e26f8035"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/J4BTFOa0kRE_CF7.bgdMWw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTMxMTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/a53da45eb8702e038130aa33e26f8035","width":960,"height":311},"lightbox":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pVaCyGGsvV2PhJIwyY9heQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD03Nzg7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/a53da45eb8702e038130aa33e26f8035","width":1200,"height":389}},"lazy":false},{"type":"text","content":"New U.S. findings highlight the rise of Gen AI‑driven trip planning, strong domestic travel preferences, and growing excitement ahead of The Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026.","length":190,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visa today released new U.S. insights from its multi-market Winter Sports Study, revealing a strong resurgence in winter travel interest ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics - and marking the first Winter Games where Gen AI is widely used by consumers for research and planning. The research shows that as interest in winter sports surges and domestic travel remains strong, AI is rapidly moving into the mainstream of how people discover destinations, plan trips and shop for winter experiences.","length":543,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Simplified Winter Planning","length":26,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Milano Cortina 2026 will be the first Winter Games where Gen AI is widely integrated into consumer decision‑making. 55% of U.S. respondents say they are considering using AI to plan a winter vacation, while 40% have already used AI tools to plan or book their most recent winter trip. Travelers cite "saving time" (71%) as the biggest benefit, using AI to compare destinations, build itineraries and buy or rent equipment. Many are even using tools such as AI itinerary builders and smart gear‑rental recommendations, a shift that is moving AI-powered winter travel planning from a niche behavior to a new default.","length":624,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""The lead‑up to...