Travel management companies (TMCs) face a new operational reality: AI-generated fake news and disinformation are compressing crisis decision timelines, forcing a fundamental rethink of how the travel industry verifies information under pressure. Suzanne Sangiovese, CEO of a travel risk intelligence firm, argues that traditional crisis models designed for slower information flows are no longer adequate.
Speaking to Travelmao, Sangiovese highlighted the Middle East crisis as a case study. As airspace closures, rerouting, and cancellations unfolded rapidly, social media was flooded with AI-generated images, recycled footage, and unverified claims. The greatest complication for TMCs was not simply identifying misleading content, but the effect misinformation had on the speed of decision-making. “Operational conditions changed rapidly due to airspace closures, rerouting, and cancellations. At the same time, social media was inundated with AI-generated images, recycled footage, and unverified claims,” she said.
This environment creates a paradox: travel decisions often cannot wait for complete certainty, yet verification processes become critical precisely when organisations need to act swiftly. Sangiovese noted that TMCs still need to advise clients, assess traveller exposure, and make routing decisions in real time. “The challenge is that misinformation hinders the verification process precisely when organisations need to act swiftly,” she added.
Verified Intelligence as a Duty of Care Imperative
The industry has shifted from a scarcity of information to information overload. During major events, organisations can access vast data but often struggle to quickly verify what is relevant, accurate, and operationally useful. Sangiovese emphasised that while operational responses remain essential, they are reactive. “Verified travel risk intelligence enables organisations to make well-informed decisions before issues escalate, as events unfold and immediately afterwards,” she said.
She pointed out that TMCs have worked tirelessly during crises, managing call volumes significantly above normal, rerouting passengers, and maintaining client communication around the clock. However, relying on unreliable intelligence for operational strength can be risky. “Decisions are made rapidly based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Today, the effectiveness of operational response increasingly depends on the quality of the intelligence it relies on,” Sangiovese explained.
This aligns with broader industry trends. For example, BWH Hotels Launches Six Detour Destinations to Combat Overtourism highlights how travel firms are proactively managing risk through destination diversification. Similarly, Indonesian Demand Fuels Malaysia's Medical Tourism Expansion shows how verified data drives strategic growth in adjacent sectors.
Pre-Crisis Verification Workflows Are Non-Negotiable
Verification processes cannot be improvised once a disruption begins. When clients require answers and operational teams are under pressure, there is no time to evaluate the credibility of sources from scratch. Sangiovese stressed that trusted sources, escalation pathways, and verification workflows must be established before a crisis starts and integrated into operational processes.
“The main challenge organisations face is how to quickly validate and corroborate information to take appropriate action. Those who effectively navigate the early hours of a crisis have already committed to reliable sources before the crisis hits, such as government advisories, credible human-verified intelligence providers, and direct communications from carriers,” she said.
An effective operational verification process is crucial. For instance, if an airspace closure occurs, best practice is to validate that information against communications from airlines and verified intelligence sources before making rerouting decisions. The same principle applies to security incidents that circulate on social media. “The operations team should refrain from acting on unverified reports until they can be corroborated through trusted channels. This ensures that organisations are making decisions based on verified information and can confidently support their actions in critical situations,” Sangiovese added.
Lessons from the First 72 Hours
One of the key lessons from the first 72 hours of the Middle East conflict was that many crisis management models were designed for a slower information environment than what the industry currently faces. Many organisations had quietly assumed that their existing crisis playbook would suffice. However, operational conditions and information flows were evolving much more rapidly than traditional response models could accommodate.
“Today, travel risk management operates in real-time. Situations can change while travel managers are still reviewing the initial reports. For instance, airspaces can close across a region with little notice. In this environment, many organisations end up making decisions based on the fastest information available rather than the most reliable,” Sangiovese noted.
Misinformation is just one aspect of the challenge. A broader lesson is that decision-making timelines have fundamentally compressed. Crisis operating models must now support verification, intelligence gathering, and operational response simultaneously, rather than as separate sequential steps. The organisations that performed best during the crisis were those that could filter out noise, efficiently validate developments, and translate complex situations into clear guidance for travellers and clients.
As AI-driven misinformation becomes more sophisticated, Sangiovese urged TMCs to rethink their crisis preparedness and intelligence infrastructure. The industry has made significant progress in transitioning from static risk frameworks to real-time intelligence, but the operating environment is evolving once again. Firms that invest in pre-crisis verification workflows and trusted intelligence sources will be better positioned to navigate the compressed decision timelines of tomorrow.
