We’ve just got back from the World Travel Market at the ExCel Centre in London. It was big (huge actually), busy, and full of talk around the future of the industry. The key themes for the day, which came up again and again, were: (1) experience as the new destination and (2) trust.
Travel is on the rise again, with bookings up this year by 24% over pre-COVID levels. Despite inflation and cost-of-living challenges, people see travel as essential and not a luxury.
But as people are saving all year for their holiday, it’s now more important than ever for customers to feel that they are making the right booking choice.
When seeking reassurance about what the right choice is, trust is key. As Jean-Yves (VP for mid-scale brands at Accor, one of the world’s largest hotel groups) put it, “The way people trust things is changing. People believe brands less than word of mouth – hence the rise of influencers.”
But even that landscape is shifting again. The next big influencer might not be a person at all – it might be your AI assistant.
The rise of the algorithmic confidant
AI isn’t just reshaping how we search; it’s changing how we make decisions. The shift from traditional search to asking your AI a detailed question changes everything. Whereas before, Google made us compare, ChatGPT now gives us answers and recommendations.
And as Jean-Yves pointed out, “Google offers a very different way of finding the answer – you have to choose. ChatGPT knows you and is your buddy.”
That shift – from information to intimacy – is what makes AI the most powerful opinion-former the travel industry has ever seen.
Trust is becoming conversational
What is particularly interesting is how travel decisions are being made. Over 60% of younger travellers say social and word of mouth – both digital and in-person – are the main factors influencing where they go.
You might think social is the answer, and it is certainly part of where people are turning. The problem is that social feeds are messy and can be overwhelming. AI feels like the antidote: calm, personal, decisive. It’s not telling you what’s trending; it’s telling you what’s right for you.
That’s why Jean-Yves believes tools like ChatGPT could become “the new key opinion influencer”.
From destination to motivation
Several speakers at WTM made the point that travellers are no longer chasing destinations but instead are chasing motivations. People aren’t booking their travel based on where they want to go, but what they want to see and do whilst they are there. .
As the Head of the Italian Tourist Board said, “There is no July and August anymore – Rome is full in September due to cultural events taking place during that month.”
For smaller or lesser-known destinations, this could be transformational. As Jean-Yves noted, “ChatGPT is a positive for travel, particularly for less well-known destinations and brands.”
What this means for travel (and other) brands
If AI is becoming the new word-of-mouth channel, the priority for brands is increasingly how to be included in the answer.
This is where Earned Visibility (EV) comes in. EV is our priority approach for brand discoverability in the world of AI. EV looks at how to be included in the answer by ensuring that the wider marketing mix – and signals that AI looks to – are all sending the right message.
For travel, value still matters (price sensitivity was flagged as a major factor in the WTM data), but experience is now equally non-negotiable.
For brands, this means two things:
- Telling your story to your audience matters: Gone are the days when generic travel advice about what to pack or top tips for finding a good restaurant will get you surfaced. Today, it’s about really, truly understanding your target customer and producing content that talks to them. Being targeted and useful will make you more likely to be included in the answer to your users’ questions.
- Trust signals: How you are talked about, and what you are seen to be talking about, across media beyond your site, is critical. AI tools look at trusted sources like media coverage, and consider ‘who’ is being talked about, ‘what’ is being said by them and what the ‘context’ of this content is. Basically, are you being cited as the expert, in a positive light, with something useful to add to the conversation?
The new trust economy
If ChatGPT really is the new travel influencer, brands can’t just rely on reach — they need relevance.
Earned Visibility is about being part of the answer when people (or AI) go looking. It’s not about shouting louder; it’s about building the kind of trust, clarity and authority that gets you surfaced naturally — by algorithms, audiences and everything in between.