The digital funnel has never been linear: why, in the era of AI, demographic data is dead

For too many years, destination marketing has operated under the illusion of a linear "funnel": a reassuring, almost mechanical journey guiding travellers from discovery to booking through predictable stages. But over the past decade, that model hasn’t just cracked, it has fundamentally broken down. 

Today, we find ourselves immersed in an ecosystem where the line between inspiration and transaction is increasingly blurred, and where, for the first time, the key decision-makers are not just people, but algorithms.

In the era of agentic artificial intelligence, your next prospective visitor may not even be a person actively browsing travel content, but an intelligent bot tasked with synthesising and aggregating options and recommending destinations based on complex inputs. As these systems play a greater role in shaping decisions, the outcome is incredibly determined by the data we provide the machine. 

This shifts our role as marketers. It’s no longer just about inspiring travellers—it’s about ensuring the algorithms guiding them are informed by the right signals. 

The era of responsibility: beyond brand awareness

We have entered a new phase of accountability for DMOs. According to Sojern’s State of Destination Marketing 2026 report, 72% of stakeholders now expect clear evidence of economic impact and return on investment (ROI). It’s no longer enough to say "we generated millions of views this week." The expectation is to demonstrate how that engagement translates into real revenue for destinations. 

The pressure is only intensifying. With 31% of DMOs reporting that their funding is at risk, proving that every euro spent drives tangible outcomes, whether overnight stays or in-destination spend, is becoming critical for survival. And yet, despite this shift toward performance, many organisations are still informing their campaigns – and ultimately the AI – with outdated inputs. The same report shows that a huge 74% of DMOs continue to depend primarily on demographic data for targeting.

Why demographic data is leading us astray

Segmenting audiences by age, gender, sex, or location is a legacy of traditional marketing. While useful for building broad personas, it falls short amongst the complexities of today’s dynamic, AI-driven environment. 

Travelers don’t choose destinations because they fall into a "35-45 age bracket". They travel based on shared values, motivations, and emotion-driven factors that make them feel part of a community — whether that’s wellness, adventure, sustainability, or cultural discovery. A cycling enthusiast interested in travel has far more in common with someone sharing that passion across the world than with a neighbour who prefers luxury tourism. 

If destinations want to remain competitive and prove the effectiveness of their marketing, they must have the courage to move beyond static assumptions and embrace behavioural data and real-time intent signals. 

To influence both the traveller and the algorithm, we need to shift focus: from who people are to what they are actively doing. 

The 7% paradox: the urgency of "real-time"

Here lies one of the biggest contradictions in our industry. Data is widely trusted, but rarely used at the moment it matters most. DMOs report that data delivers the most value during planning (45%) and post-campaign analysis (44%). Yet only a marginal 7% say it plays a key role during campaign execution. 

This is a huge missed opportunity. Using data only to understand past performance is like driving a car while looking in the rearview mirror. The real advantage lies in real-time optimisation: understanding what travellers are searching for as they search, and adapting messaging accordingly. 

This is where AI becomes truly powerful: not just as a content tool (used by 66% of DMOs), but as a driver of predictive insights. Our research showed that adoption of AI for analytics and forecasting has already jumped from 28% to 51% in just one year. 

Geopolitics of Marketing: Europe and the psychographic challenge

Looking at regional trends, different approaches are emerging. In North America, performance marketing dominates, with 51% of DMOs focusing on conversion. In Europe, long-term brand building still plays a significant role, as cited by 51% of organisations. However, growing financial pressure is pushing European DMOs toward more measurable outcomes. 

At the same time, many still rely heavily on footfall data and geolocated audiences. While this marks progress, it lags behind more advanced strategies seen in AMEA (Asia, Middle East, and Africa), where 78% of DMOs use behavioral insights and 56% incorporate psychographic data to personalise campaigns. Psychographic data – which captures attitudes, interests, and motivations – is the true key to communicating in an AI-driven landscape. It allows destinations to connect with why people travel, not just who they are.

Conclusions: toward a new vision

The message for DMOs is clear: the market is rewarding those who have the courage to be specific, delivering exactly what travellers are looking for at the moment they are ready to act. Traditional display advertising is losing ground (declining from 75% to 45%), while channels that better support performance and video-led inspiration, such as YouTube (rising to 55%), are becoming increasingly central. Connected TV (CTV) is also emerging as a "critical" channel for 58% of marketers, signalling the end of the distinction between television and digital advertising.

At the same time, we must actively prepare for the rise of AI-driven search (with 51% of global DMOs already doing so) and ensure that official destination websites evolve into authoritative, data-rich sources that can power the answers generated by algorithms. 

Ultimately, the traditional funnel is no longer fit for purpose. In its place is a dynamic, circular ecosystem shaped by communities, values, and real-time signals. To succeed, and to influence both travellers and the technologies guiding them, we must shift our focus: away from static profiles and toward real intent.

The future of destination marketing is not demographic. It is human, it is behavioural — and it is already here.

You can read the original Italian version of this article in L’Agenzia di Viaggi Magazine here.

Luca Romozzi, Commercial Director Europe at Sojern, manages the European Commercial team and is responsible for partnerships across Destinations (DMOs), Corporate Clients, and Media Agencies. Born in Macerata, Italy, Luca is recognized as one of the leading experts in digital marketing for tourism destinations.

He has over 17 years of experience in the world of tourism, digital technology, and destination marketing. Before joining Sojern in 2016, he worked almost 10 years during the Expedia Media Solutions team's expansion across EMEA. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan and completed a Master in Tourism Economics and Management from Ciset Ca' Foscari in Venice.