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For years, destination marketers operated under the assumption that travelers moved through a relatively predictable funnel: awareness, consideration, planning, and booking. But that model has fundamentally broken down. Today’s traveler journey is fragmented, dynamic, and increasingly influenced by algorithms. Discovery happens across social media, creators, reviews, maps, video platforms, and AI-powered experiences. Travelers move in and out of consideration constantly, influenced by dozens of touchpoints before they ever book a trip. Generative AI is accelerating that shift.
Today, we are navigating a chaotic “messy middle,” where the line between discovery and booking is blurred. More importantly, the decision-makers navigating this space are changing. We are entering the era of agentic AI, where your next prospective visitor may not be a human at all, but an intelligent bot tasked with synthesizing options, comparing destinations, and even managing bookings autonomously.
According to Sojern’s State of Destination Marketing 2026 report, 51% of global destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are currently concerned about or actively developing a strategy to respond to generative AI. At the same time, 39% of consumers have already used AI search in the past 12 months.
What started as a change in search behavior is quickly reshaping the entire path to purchase. AI-powered tools are helping travelers discover destinations, compare options, build itineraries, and narrow decisions before they ever click through to a website. As travelers rely more heavily on conversational AI and recommendation engines, destination marketers face a new reality: your next visitor might not be human. It might be an algorithm deciding whether your destination appears in the answer at all.
Historically, discoverability was mostly about ranking on search engine results pages. Today it’s becoming far more complex. Destinations must now compete across multiple layers of discovery:
This shift is forcing destination marketers to rethink the role of their websites and content strategies. The goal is no longer just to drive clicks, but to become a trusted source that AI systems can understand, summarize, and cite. The days of optimizing solely to rank as a blue link on a search engine results page are over. Conversational AI tools and zero-click environments mean search engines now answer questions directly on the page, often without sending traffic to your DMO’s website.
To remain visible, destination marketers must evolve from traditional SEO to AI Engine Optimization (AEO). The new goal is to become the definitive “source of truth” that AI platforms trust to build their answers. Structured, current, question-answering content is becoming essential. AI does not just read words, it ingests machine-readable facts. Many DMOs are already adapting. Sojern’s research shows that 64% of destination marketers are already creating structured, question-answering content specifically designed to improve AI visibility.
As Travel Manitoba’s VP of Marketing, Cody Chomiak, said in the research:
“It’s about shifting your mindset. Your next guest isn’t just a visitor, it’s an algorithm. You have to be open to your content being sliced, diced, and served up by large language models. The website of the future may not even be built for visitors in the traditional sense… If we’re still measuring success solely by website traffic, we’re heading toward a cliff dive of irrelevance.”
The rise of AI-driven discovery also changes how marketers need to use data. Today, destination marketers primarily see the biggest value in using data for planning campaigns and reporting performance. But in fragmented, AI-influenced traveler journeys, static campaigns are no longer enough. Travelers now shift consideration in real time across multiple touchpoints and platforms. Campaigns must continuously adapt as traveler behavior changes and should use data to optimize in real time. The destinations that succeed will be the ones using data operationally, not just strategically and analytically.
Behavioral signals and real-time travel intent data are becoming far more valuable than static demographic targeting alone, yet many DMOs still rely heavily on demographic data for campaign targeting, with 74% saying they still primarily use demographic data.
Because the digital funnel is no longer linear and AI makes discovery increasingly unpredictable, DMOs must implement a robust measurement framework that tracks the entire traveler journey. This means moving beyond basic web traffic and integrating comprehensive measurement tools. Destinations should combine:
Importantly, this also allows destinations to redefine ROI. Success no longer simply means driving more tourists. Instead, it means attracting the right visitors who align with a destination’s long-term strategy, sustainability goals, and community well-being.
Visibility still matters as AI reshapes organic discovery. Organic traffic alone is becoming less reliable as AI summaries, recommendation engines, and zero-click experiences mediate traveler discovery. Waiting for algorithms to “find” your destination is becoming a risky strategy.
Paid media and multichannel presence remain essential because they influence human discoverability and tap into the emotional side of inspiring travelers. Paid media also ensures consistency in messaging and control over how a destination brand is portrayed. Search, social, video, display, connected TV, and programmatic media all contribute to reinforcing awareness and consideration throughout the traveler journey, making a multichannel strategy critical.
At the same time, the traditional models of public-private interaction must evolve. While 80% of DMOs globally run co-op campaigns, many still use them primarily as transactional cost-sharing models for media. DMOs must shift toward true co-investment models, where public-sector vision combines with private-sector agility, technology capabilities, financial accountability, and real-time behavioral data. Winning in an algorithmic environment requires collaboration across the destination ecosystem.
AI will absolutely change the mechanics of travel discovery and destination marketing, but it will not replace the emotional drivers behind why people travel in the first place. Travel decisions remain deeply human. People still seek inspiration, connection, and memorable experiences. In a digital landscape becoming increasingly mediated by machines, human emotion and strong brand identity become even more important.
Success in the AI era will depend on a destination’s ability to balance discoverability with authentic storytelling and strong brand identity. Destinations still need to be visible across AI-driven and algorithmic environments, but they also need to create emotional connections and memorable experiences that resonate with travelers. The destinations that win will not simply be the most technically optimized, but the brands that combine discoverability with authentic storytelling and emotional resonance.
The rise of AI in destination marketing is forcing the industry to rethink long-standing assumptions about discoverability, performance, and traveler behavior. In fact, 98% of DMOs agree that AI is causing a shift in how they define success, according to Sojern’s 2026 State of Destination Marketing report. It is no longer enough to reason in silos or rely on static campaigns and legacy funnel models. The future belongs to destination brands that can organize their data and content for algorithms while still creating experiences and stories that humans genuinely want to explore.
Ready to see how leading DMOs are adapting? Download the State of Destination Marketing 2026 report for the full research, or contact us to talk through what it means for your destination strategy.
AEO is the practice of structuring content so AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini can understand, summarize, and cite it in their responses. As conversational AI increasingly mediates how travelers discover destinations — often without clicking through to a website—DMOs that optimize only for traditional search rankings risk being invisible to a growing share of travelers. According to Sojern's State of Destination Marketing 2026 report, 64% of destination marketers are already creating structured, question-answering content to improve AI visibility.
DMOs need a full-funnel measurement framework that goes beyond web traffic. That means combining top-of-funnel brand lift studies, mid-funnel travel intent tracking, and footfall or location data to prove actual in-destination impact. This approach also lets destinations redefine ROI — shifting focus from raw visitor volume to attracting the right travelers who align with long-term strategy and sustainability goals.
Yes, organic discovery is becoming less reliable as AI summaries and zero-click environments reduce direct website traffic. Paid media across search, social, video, display, and connected TV keeps destinations visible throughout the traveler journey and ensures control over brand messaging. It also influences the emotional side of travel inspiration that algorithms alone can't replicate.
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