As generative AI reshapes how travellers research and plan trips, one thing is becoming increasingly clear for travel brands: content has never mattered more.
While tools like ChatGPT are changing where travel discovery begins, they don’t replace the fundamentals of trust, reputation and rich storytelling. In fact, they amplify them.
“AI only knows what it has access to,” says Matthew Forzan, Founder at Yoghurt Digital, speaking with Travel Weekly. “If you leave it to its own devices, it will just pick what it thinks is best. The opportunity for brands is to influence that by giving it better, more relevant information.”
A simple example? Sunsets.
If hundreds of guest reviews mention spectacular sunset views from a hotel’s balconies, and that insight is reinforced through strong on-site content, ChatGPT can understand that sentiment and surface it when a traveller asks a question like: Where can I stay to see the best sunset?
“That’s where review strategy and content strategy intersect,” Forzan says. “AI can summarise sentiment at scale. If 300 out of 1,000 reviews talk about sunsets, and your website clearly explains where and how guests can experience them, that becomes a powerful signal.”
Discovery is shifting – not disappearing
Travel has always had a more complex customer journey than retail, involving multiple touchpoints before a booking is made. That hasn’t changed — but where the journey starts increasingly has.
“Historically, someone might see an ad, search on Google, read blogs, get retargeted on Instagram — all before booking,” Forzan explains. “That complexity is still there. The big shift is that a lot of early-stage planning is now happening inside ChatGPT.”
Travellers are using AI to ask questions that once required multiple searches: average costs, flight times, safety, how long to stay, and what kind of itinerary makes sense. It’s faster, more conversational and, critically, feels more trustworthy.
“Travel is emotional, visual and usually a higher-ticket purchase,” Forzan says. “People want reassurance. They want to ask follow-up questions. AI is very good at that.”
AI isn’t replacing Google – yet
Despite the hype, ChatGPT is not replacing Google as a primary traffic source – at least not for now.
“We’re seeing anywhere between 1 per cent and 5 per cent of traffic coming from ChatGPT referrals,” Forzan says. “That’s not insignificant, but it’s not replacing Google. It’s an additional source, and it’s likely to grow.”
The key difference is intent. AI tends to sit higher up the funnel, influencing inspiration, learning and early decision-making, rather than last-click conversion.
Commerce is coming – fast
That may not last forever.
Google has recently announced a new commerce protocol, initially rolling out in retail, which will allow users to purchase products directly within search results rather than clicking through to third-party sites.
“If that works in retail, I’d expect it to come to travel,” Forzan says. “Right now, Google shows prices and availability but sends you elsewhere to book. That could change.”
Similar shifts are already happening in AI. Expedia has integrated directly with ChatGPT, allowing users to research trips and then move seamlessly into a pre-filled booking flow. Virgin Australia has also begun embedding ChatGPT into its customer experience.
“I would absolutely expect booking functionality to come directly into ChatGPT at some point,” Forzan says.
What ads will – and won’t – do
Advertising is also entering the AI environment, though platforms are treading carefully.
“The ads won’t influence the answers themselves,” Forzan explains. “They sit as a layer on top — more like a banner — because trust is everything.”
For travel marketers, that creates a new opportunity: reaching customers at the precise moment they’ve finished researching and are emotionally ready to book.
“If someone has already decided they want to go to Peru, and a relevant hotel ad appears at that moment, that’s powerful,” Forzan says. “It’s just another channel — not steering the conversation, but showing up at the right time.”
What travel brands should be doing now
The brands best positioned for the AI era aren’t doing anything radically new – they’re doing the basics exceptionally well.
That includes:
- Maintaining authoritative, up-to-date websites that act as a clear source of truth
- Actively managing review quality and sentiment, not just volume
- Creating specific, experience-led content that reflects how travellers actually search and ask questions
- Ensuring outdated information — like old addresses or locations — is cleaned up across the web
“There’s a bit of ‘what’s old is new again’ here,” Forzan says. “Strong content, strong reputation, strong presence. AI just makes those signals more visible.”
For travel brands, the message is clear: in an AI-driven world, the brands that tell their stories best – and back them up with real guest experience – will be the ones AI chooses to recommend.
