How AI Is Changing the Future of Travel Marketing

As AI technology evolves rapidly, travel organizations are racing to catch up — and to get ahead of the curve, if possible. At the inaugural Travel Marketing AI Summit, held on March 24 at Convene 237 Park in New York City, more than 200 industry executives from 16 countries gathered to network and exchange ideas about what is and isn't working in the world of AI.

Hosted by Northstar Travel Group's Phocuswright brand, the summit included speakers from Brand USA, NYC Tourism + Conventions, Marriott, Tripadvisor, Hotels.com and more. The daylong event with more than a dozen educational sessions allowed speakers to share strategies, research, and real-world examples of how to adapt and thrive in an era where AI has completely transformed how people research, book and engage with travel brands.

"There's certainly no shortage right now of headlines, hype and big claims around AI, but there does seem to be a shortage of practical, honest discussions about what is actually changing, what is still uncertain and what you can be doing today," said Mitra Sorrells, Phocuswright's SVP of content. "That is why this event exists. We know it's a strange moment. There's excitement. There's curiosity. There's confusion. There's some real anxiety. There's all those emotions at once on many days. The pace of change is fast and it can be really hard to tell what matters and what's just noise."

Following are key takeaways from the summit, along with an exclusive interview with the planning team behind the event. All of the educational sessions are available on-demand for free.

NMG's senior editor Elise Schoening sits down with Catherine Plummer, Phocuswright's VP of events, and Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Northstar Travel Group's EVP of global events, to discuss the 2026 Travel Marketing AI Summit and what their plans are for next year's event.

AI adoption is rising

According to new research from Phocuswright, 56 percent of U.S. travelers are using AI in some capacity for travel. This number has increased significantly in a short time — up from 33 percent in the first half of 2025 and 43 percent in the latter half of the year. It is expected to keep growing, as 53 percent of respondents plan to increase their use of AI for travel over the next year. Among those who didn't use AI during the past year, 25 percent expect their use to increase in the months ahead.

"I can safely say this is the fastest consumer behavior shift that we've tracked in a very long time," said Mike Coletta, Phocuswright's senior manager of research and innovation, who shared the findings during a session at the summit. "The headline is that travel planning really is changing faster than most travel organizations are adapting."

In a Phocuswright survey of B2B travel executives, only 12 percent said they feel prepared to implement generative AI today. The top-five barriers to implementation are data-security concerns, lack of expertise or training, ROI concerns, initial investment cost/funding, and lack of available time.

Executives plan to ramp up usage down the line. But while 68 percent said AI was among their top-five tech investment priorities for the next 12 to 18 months, only 28 percent said it was their No. 1 priority.

New approaches to search and social strategies

A popular topic of discussion at the summit was the shift from SEO (search engine optimization) to AEO (answer engine optimization) and GEO (generative engine optimization). In the past, brands have focused heavily on SEO and ranking highly in Google searches. Now, they want to appear in the featured snippet at the top of a search page (AEO) or as the answer to a question asked directly in ChatGPT, Gemini or other generative AI platform (GEO).

"The goal of SEO has always been how do you get to the top of the page," said Rahul Todkar, VP, head of data and AI for Tripadvisor, in a panel discussion. "Now the goal is to drive visibility and be part of the answer set. It's not about blue links anymore. It's how do you get from links to answers?"

Top strategies shared by the panelists include becoming a trusted authority in your area of expertise, creating unique content and optimizing your website for AI search.

"If you create content that the LLMs can create themselves, don't publish it. It's useless," said Mario Gavira Etzel, chief marketing officer for the travel-tech company Travelier. Instead, he suggested that brands focus on original insights and first-party data, which is "a gold mine you can leverage and will make you irreplaceable in the eyes of the LLMs."

While brands are embracing AI to boost visibility in search, the opposite trend is gaining traction on social media. According to Michelle Vincent, CEO of the full-service content agency Magnet Media, consumers want to see more authentic, human voices in their social feeds. This means moving away from influencers and AI-generated content.

"In order to cut through the noise and the amount of content, we're seeing more brand leaders put their own people in front of the camera," said Vincent, noting that attention spans are shrinking and organizations only have 1.7 seconds before a user decides whether to engage with mobile content or keep scrolling. "The people who are waving your brand flag as they show up to work every single day — that is the most authentic voice you can find." 

Vincent urged travel companies to experiment with employee- and executive-generated content, stressing that it doesn't have to be perfect or polished — and it shouldn't be a sales pitch. The best content is authentic and educational.

"Especially with the younger generation, if you're trying to capture their hearts and minds, they can see immediately if something is commercial or sponsored," she said. "It is those authentic connections inside of the company and those trusted partners that are causing people to stop and carry on after that 1.7 seconds."

CVBs rethink their roles

The sprawling impacts of AI extend to convention and visitor bureaus, which are being forced to reevaluate their operations and services. In a panel discussion, industry leaders shared some of the positive ways that AI is enabling them to meet the needs of both visitors and their local communities better.

Chatbots are a prime example. When integrated into a CVB website, they can offer direct insight into what kinds of information visitors are searching for and can help ensure the responses they receive are accurate and up-to-date.

"Not only are you giving consumers a tool so they can ask questions about your destination and build their trips, but on the back end, you actually get to see the questions they are asking," said Michelle Denogean, chief marketing officer for Mindtrip, an AI trip-planning platform.

Another benefit is that chatbots can help CVBs identify and address gaps in their content. For example, Mindtrip recently partnered with Visit Anaheim to add a chatbot into the California city's website that can answer questions, suggest experiences and generate custom itineraries for visitors. 

According to Denogean, the top takeaway after reviewing the initial chat conversations is that people had a lot of questions… about parking. 

"I looked at like 100 chats and everybody was asking about parking," she said. "There was no content about parking on the destination website."

In addition to providing insights into what information is missing from the CVB website, Denogean said chatbots can help surface outdated content that should be removed or refreshed.

"A lot of destinations are feeding the bots misinformation. What I mean by that is for years as marketers, we were told that if a piece of content performs, keep it up as long as possible," she said. "But we have onboarded a lot of destinations where in the QA process, they're like 'Why is that business showing up? It's closed.' It turns out the business is listed on their website in an article we indexed."

NYC Tourism + Conventions has a dedicated team that monitors the two chatbots that were launched on their website last year. One chatbot is geared toward meeting planners, while the other serves leisure travelers. The team regularly checks and corrects both bots. Meanwhile, the organization as a whole is rethinking its content strategy to shift from traditional queries to more personalized conversations.

"We're getting great data. It's like a live focus group," said Nancy Mammana, chief marketing officer for the Big Apple's CVB. "It's completely changed our content and programming strategy. We don't have any shortage of content on our site. We're just reorganizing it and making the things that we know people are most interested in easier to find, and nudging them where we want them to go."

It's no surprise then that AI chatbots can help disperse visitors and reduce overtourism — an issue that is increasingly common among major cities. NYC officials in particular are excited about the opportunity to guide travelers to different neighborhoods and experiences.

"Dispersal is core to our mission," said Mammana, noting that chatbot conversations are more engaging than a traditional itinerary and can be customized easily to someone's interests in a matter of seconds. For example, foodies can be nudged to explore the culinary scene in Queens, with detailed recommendations and transportation options personalized to their needs. "We have an abundance of riches here in the five boroughs. Our job is to help people understand where to go and to entice them to get there."