NewzARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) has been cast by many as a job killer and an existential threat, fuelling fears of a future in which machines increasingly dictate how humans live and work. But for Sandals Corporate University Senior Manager Andre Campbell, the future of tourism looks considerably less frightening as he described a seamless interaction between travellers, AI and resorts as “a perfect world”. Speaking on Monday during a panel discussion on ‘Agentic Commerce & the AI Booking Journey’ at Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) 2026, Campbell argued that AI could take much of the friction out of planning and booking a holiday while giving tourism workers more room to concentrate on the personal service that defines the Jamaican experience.
Rather than viewing AI simply as a substitute for people, he suggested that its greater value may lie in handling routine processes and using information supplied by travellers to help tourism businesses anticipate their needs. The idea, he said, is to make the journey from inspiration to booking as effortless as possible. “I think if an agent is able to make the process frictionless, seamless, effortless, I think it’s a plus… If I can prompt that I need a luxury vacation in the sexy south coast [and] I would love an overwater bungalow with a butler, and it pops up Sandals South Coast, I believe it’s a perfect world,” he said.
Campbell argued that the technology could ultimately create a clearer division between what machines do well and what people do best. “I think if the agent allows us to book that vacation just exactly how we want it, it then allows the persons on the ground to create those exceptional moments that are going to blow us away, not only at the resort, but in Jamaica on a whole... it would be perfect work for me,” he said.
From left: Dr Carey Wallace, executive director, Tourism Enhancement Fund; Andre Campbell, senior manager of learning programmes & innovation, Sandals Corporate University; Dean Challis, managing director/head of media and innovation, Accenture Song; Kristopher DaCosta, marketing manager, Jamaica Tourist Board; and Paul Salmon, chairman and chief executive officer, Rockhouse, participate in a JAPEX 2026 panel discussion on ‘Agentic Commerce & the AI Booking Journey’ at Moon Palace Ocho Rios in St Ann on Monday. (Photo: Aceion Cunningham) But the growing use of AI also means that tour…
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