This insights post is a summary of the blog post published by Padilla. View the full insight at: AI is Changing How Consumers Discover and Plan Travel. PR Holds the Key to Helping Destinations Keep Up.
As AI use grows, it has been shifting customer interactions for businesses in the travel, tourism and hospitality space. This shift can’t be ignored. According to Phocuswright Research, nearly 56% of travelers are turning to AI-powered platforms. They user these tools to research travel destinations, compare experiences and build itineraries.
The shift means that instead of scrolling through pages of search results, AI tools can provide a compiled response to basic question such as, “What’s the best East Coast destination for a family vacation in October?” or “Which European cities are ideal for food lovers on a budget?”
Businesses and destinations that haven’t thought about how (or if) they are showing up in the answers these platforms provide, quite frankly, will be losing out on a lot of potential travelers.
AI Transformed the Tourism Discovery Funnel
Despite having strong traditional digital presences, research by PhocusWire found that many hotels are essentially becoming invisible in AI-generated travel recommendations. The shift is not reserved only for AI. Skift has reported that Google is evolving travel search from a keyword-driven experience to one increasingly influenced by conversational intent, reviews, imagery and contextual information.
To a travel or hospitality business, it must seem like so many of the tools this industry relied on for discovery over the years have just lost visibility. Fortunately, if the key to discoverability is context and storytelling, PR is perfectly poised to help right the ship.
Earned Media Continues to Contribute Authority
In addition to the role of Public Relations working to influence human audiences, it has always been a way to help establish authority with mentions and linking. The concept is supercharged in the AI area. This means that a feature story in a respected publication may now influence not only readers but it also has the potential to be included in future AI-generated recommendations.
As a result, PR teams should now evaluate media opportunities through two lenses:
- Audience Reach and Engagement: Long-term discoverability within AI-powered search and answer engines
- Authority Matters More Than Volume: prioritize credibility, consistency and authority over sheer content volume.
For destinations, this reinforces the importance of securing coverage in trusted publications, contributing expert perspectives, maintaining accurate destination information and cultivating strong relationships with journalists who specialize in travel as well as the related verticals that align best with their destination. These could include things like sustainability, food and dining, culture and outdoor recreation.
Rather than focusing exclusively on the number of placements generated, communications teams should ask:
- Are we cited by authoritative publications?
- Is our messaging appearing consistently across trusted sources?
- Are journalists quoting our subject matter experts?
- Are key destination or business attributes reinforced by third parties?
As communications professionals, now more than ever, we’ll need to be prepared to counsel clients and C-suite leaders on why the right media placement might not be the one generating the largest number of impressions.
Destination Narratives Need Greater Specificity
In the travel landscape, it’s been easy for marketers to fall back on “we have something for everyone” messaging in hopes of attracting the largest number of potential visitors. But as GEO increasingly rewards precision, discoverability will come through specific, well-defined terms, not generic, broad language.
When thinking about how your PR strategy will inform GEO results, always begin by thinking about what sort of questions would a potential traveler be asking. GEO creates an opportunity for PR teams to move beyond broad destination storytelling and develop media strategies around niche traveler interests, seasonal experiences and emerging tourism trends.
To get more details and insights on GEO for travel and tourism, read the full article at: AI is Changing How Consumers
Discover and Plan Travel. PR Holds the Key to Helping Destinations Keep Up.
