AI for Travel:

Picture this: A traveler tells ChatGPT they want to spend 10 days in Italy. Within seconds, they’ve got a fully loaded itinerary tailored to their interests, budget and timeline. No branded website, no search engine, no ad click—just AI, doing what marketers used to fight tooth and nail to influence. 

This isn’t some far-off imaginary future. This is happening right now.  

Artificial intelligence is flipping the traditional travel journey on its head. From discovery to booking, travelers are relying on generative tools to make decisions, skipping the usual steps that once gave brands a chance to shine. 

So, where does that leave marketers? 

Right at a fork in the road. Either double down on outdated tactics and risk getting left out of the conversation or evolve your content strategy to work with AI, not against it. 

Let’s look at what’s changing and how to ensure your brand still shows up when it matters. 

 

The travelers' journey disrupted 

Travelers aren’t hunting for your brand; they’re letting AI tools decide what’s worth their time. And if your content isn’t optimized for how these tools identify and serve information, you’re invisible. 
 
AI has become the new travel agent. Visual search is gaining ground, too—people are taking screenshots of beach destinations or boutique hotels and asking their phones, “Where’s this?” And just like that, discovery bypasses traditional brand content. 

This isn’t a glitch in the system—it’s the new system, and destination marketers need to recalibrate fast. 

 

What this means for marketers 

If AI now guides the travel journey, then your role goes beyond inspiring travelers. It requires you to be found by the machines creating inspiration. 

Traditional SEO tactics like cranking out keyword-heavy blogs and relying on organic traffic aren’t enough. AI pulls from structured, high-value content that answers questions clearly and thoroughly. It doesn’t care if your blog looks pretty. It cares if your content is valuable, scannable and semantically rich. 

To stay in play, marketers need to shift how they think about visibility: 

• Evergreen content is your best asset. Well-organized, timeless guides are more likely to be sourced by AI tools. 
• Clarity over cleverness. Use headings, bullets and schema to make your content digestible by humans and machines. 
• Depth builds trust. Cover topics thoroughly to establish authority in your niche, not just to check boxes. 

And here’s the kicker: AI won’t source your content just because it exists. It’ll source it because it’s better, faster and more useful than the next guy’s. So, if your content isn’t ready to be scraped and summarized, you’re risking your relevance. 

 

New strategies for destination marketers in an AI-first world 

The goal isn’t to ditch your marketing instincts for machine logic. It’s to blend the two. Utilize AI tools to scale your output, personalize content at the micro level, and structure it to resonate with people and platforms. 

Here’s where to start: 

• Itinerary builders powered by AI: Tools like Layla use AI to generate custom travel itineraries based on user preferences, budget and travel style. Consider integrating these into your website to keep travelers planning with you. 
• Conversational AI for smarter service: Platforms like Ada and  ai12z allow you to build automated support and discovery flows. Our teammate, Kesley Burke, says, “As travelers turn to AI to plan their journeys end-to-end, tools like ai12z help travel brands stay part of that conversation, offering real-time answers, tailored recommendations, and a seamless experience that feels personal at scale. It’s about being present where decisions are made, not just where they used to be."  Whether it’s “What’s the best time to visit?” or “Can I bring my dog?” AI chatbots can answer in real-time, freeing up your team while keeping customers engaged.
• AI copywriting for high-volume content: Tools like Jasper help your team churn out campaign copy, meta descriptions and email sequences without sacrificing quality or voice. Perfect for those last-minute deals or seasonal pivots.  

AI isn’t the enemy of creativity; when used responsibly and with clear intentions, it can let you focus on broader business goals without worrying about whether your audience will find you. The brands that win will be the ones that embrace the shift and use it to deepen connection, not just speed up production. 

 

Preparing for AI trends 

AI shows no signs of slowing down, so you must move quickly to keep your brand relevant. The most innovative travel marketers are building flexible systems to adapt to them. Here’s what’s coming and how to stay ahead of it: 
 

Trend: Search is getting generative

Action: Audit your top-performing content for structure and clarity. Break up long paragraphs, add clear headers and use schema markup so it’s easier for AI tools like Google SGE to surface in summaries. 
 

Trend: Voice-first planning is rising

Action: Start optimizing content for natural language and Q&A formats. Build a bank of conversational queries like “What’s the best time to visit the Grand Canyon?” or “Family-friendly resorts near San Diego” These perform well in both voice search and AI prompts. 
 

Trend: Personalization is becoming the expectation 

Action: Use tools that track behavior across your site or app and build segmented content journeys. Even simple steps, like recommending trips based on past searches, make your brand feel more relevant. Consider testing AI-powered personalization platforms to automate this. 
 

Trend: AI is influencing pricing and packaging

Action: If you’re involved in booking or tour sales, explore dynamic pricing models and AI-driven recommendations (like upsells or add-ons). Even small campaigns, such as showing different packages based on time of day or user type, can help you test the waters. 

 

It’s time to update your strategy to include AI 

The travel industry’s DNA is changing, and AI is the catalyst. Waiting to react isn't enough. Brands that act now are the ones that will stay relevant, visible and memorable. 
That means shifting your strategy today: 

• Create content that speaks to humans and algorithms 
• Build journeys that adapt to every traveler 
• Use AI to do more than automate—use it to connect 

With more than two decades of experience in the industry, we know how to evolve strategy without losing sight of what makes your brand unique. Check out some of our work.  

Whether you’re building from scratch, integrating AI into your site or overhauling a digital strategy that’s gone stale, we’re here to ensure your brand succeeds. Let’s build what’s next together!