The Quarter Café: Where 2026 Travel Trends Meet the AI Inflection Point
At the opening day of our London Trends Hub alongside WTM, The Quarter Café, on 4 November 2025, we explored insights on traveller behaviour shifts and the AI transformation reshaping the landscape of destination management and marketing.
At the opening day of our London Trends Hub alongside WTM, The Quarter Café, on 4 November 2025, we explored insights on traveller behaviour shifts and the AI transformation reshaping the landscape of destination management and marketing. Drawing on Skyscanner's Horizons 2026 report, delivered by Zeynep Mutlu, Head of Advertising, Destination Marketing at Skyscanner, alongside analysis on where AI is heading next, from Nick Hall, Founder and CEO of Digital Tourism Think Tank, we presented the vital trends informing 2026 marketing strategies for visitor engagement and experiences.
2026 Spending Trends and Tourism's Strong Growth
Travel performance in 2025 is tracking positively and the sector continues to demonstrate strong resilience and growth. Skyscanner's global search data, drawn from over 160 million unique monthly users, reveals a 10% year-on-year increase in search volumes and 11% rise in redirects, signalling strong consumer intent and active booking behaviour. Spending on travel also continues to be a priority, with 84% of travellers planning to travel the same amount or more in 2026 versus 2025, with 39% intending to increase their trips.
This trend is especially pronounced among Gen Z (56%) and Millennials (48%), who view travel as an increasingly important priority. Budgets on flights are seeing a rise because of this with 71% of travellers expected to spend the same or more on flights and 37% planning to increase the amount they are spending. Among younger travellers, this figure rises to 48% for Gen Z and 44% for Millennials. Accommodation is also seeing the same pattern. with 70% of visitors expecting to spend the same and 31 planning to increase their spend, with this figure rising up to 37% for Gen Z and Millennials.
When it comes to destination choice, flight costs remain the dominant factor at 58%, followed closely by accommodation costs at 57%. Food and drink costs rank third at 37%, with tourist attractions fourth at 33%. Regional performance also varies significantly, with the Middle East and Africa leading globally at 22% year-on-year growth, followed by Latin America at 18%, Europe at 10%, Asia Pacific at 9% and North America showing softer growth at +3%. India is emerging as one of the strongest growth markets. International visitor numbers reached 20 million in 2024, surpassing 2019 levels by 2.3 million, which underscores the country's growing appeal as a global destination.
Destination Choice and Tourism Dispersion: A Shift in Behaviour
Travellers are becoming more aware of the impact of overtourism, with 32% reporting it has negatively impacted their holiday quality. The awareness of overtourism is driving behavioural shifts in destination choices, with 34% of travellers now actively seek quieter destinations. Additionally, 31% intend to visit popular destinations only in shoulder seasons when crowds are lighter.
Skyscanner's search data reveals these shifting patterns, with early signs of travellers moving away from traditional peak periods. Looking at June to September travel, there's a slight shift towards June in APAC and Europe, whilst LATAM shows a more pronounced move into June and July. August sees a dip across all markets except MEA, which records a marginal gain, with LATAM experiencing the steepest decline. Meanwhile in APAC, October travel share is growing, signalling a shift away from the conventional July to September peak.
Technology plays a crucial role in encouraging more sustainable tourism patterns. VisitScotland's partnership with Skyscanner demonstrates this approach in action, leveraging strategic insights and targeted engagement to attract travellers outside peak periods. By combining destination data with Skyscanner's search intelligence, the collaboration created a relationship built on shared insights and connecting users with destinations in in Scotland, whilst encouraging new visitors to enjoy longer visits during quieter shoulder seasons.
Top Trending Destinations and the Rise of Secondary Cities
Most Popular Destinations for EMEA Travellers:
Major urban hubs, such as London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Amsterdam, continue to be at the top popular choices for short-haul city breaks with their strength rooted in seamless connectivity and established cultural draw. Spain dominates the chart with multiple cities in the rankings, benefiting from its cultural diversity and low-cost carrier capacity that makes intra-European travel accessible. Beyond Europe, Bangkok leads long-haul demand to Southeast Asia with average 12-night stays and extended booking windows, whilst Istanbul maintains its dual role as gateway hub and standalone destination, recording stable +3% year-on-year growth that underscores its importance across both leisure and regional connectivity.
This shift towards off-peak travel is reshaping where people choose to go. Lanzarote continues to draw winter sun seekers, part of Spain and the Canary Islands' sustained strong performance, but there's a growing curiosity driving travellers towards lesser-known areas like Santiago del Monte in northern Spain. The same pattern of strategic destination development is unfolding in Saudi Arabia, where AlUla's rising demand reflects how Vision 2030's sustained promotional efforts are successfully redirecting travellers to new experiences.
The overarching theme for 2026 is clear: travel won't be an escape from real life but a way to feel more connected to it. Travellers are curating trips that align with their identities, interests and values, which has inspired the emergence of seven distinct trends that illustrate the shift toward personal expression through travel.
Glowmads represents the intersection of beauty and travel. With 60% of Gen Z spending more of their disposable income on beauty, skincare routines and beauty rituals are increasingly shaping travel behaviour. This is seen in elaborate in-flight skincare routines to detours at cult-favourite retailers like Sephora or French pharmacies and destination-based beauty treatments.
Shelf Discovery is the trend that is transforming gastronomy tourism, with 73% of travellers always or often visit local supermarkets abroad, seeking to "eat like a local" through exploring the snack aisle rather than just restaurants. For example, 7-Eleven in the U.S. and Canada, which offers travellers an affordable and convenient experience that allows them to explore trendy snacks, making them feel like a local.
Altitude Shift reflects the surge in mountain travel, which move beyond traditional skiing adventures. Travellers are seeking clean air and serenity in alpine destinations, with 71% of travellers considering or planning a mountain escape for summer or autumn 2026, representing a move toward off-peak peace and connection with nature rather than just for winter sports.
Bookbound is the trends reshaping literary tourism, with 49% having booked or would consider a trip inspired by literature. Travellers are planning trips around books, visiting locations mentioned in novels, staying in accommodations featured in literature and attending reading retreats.
Family Miles addresses the rise of multi-generational travel. Rising costs and intergenerational living arrangements are driving families to travel together not just to share expenses but to reclaim time together and create lasting memories between parents, children and grandparents, with 59% seeing it as a way to make memories together.
Catching Flights and Feelings reflects a shift in how people approach human connection whilst travelling, with 44% of travellers feeling more open to meeting others during trips. Moving away from swipe-based dating apps, travellers are seeking authentic human connections on the road. From meeting fellow travellers to long-distance dating experiences, travel creates a sense of freedom and openness that encourages real-world connections.
Destination Check-in elevates hotels from accommodation to destination. Travellers are increasingly choosing where to go based on where they want to stay, with hotels becoming the primary draw rather than just a place to sleep. For example, 61% of Gen Z want to stay at specific properties, drawn by unique architecture, transportive design or overall atmosphere.
The Rise of AI in Travel Planning
As travel planning evolves, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in how travellers research and book trips. The Horizons report suggests that 54% of travellers feel confident using AI for travel planning in 2026, up from 47% in 2024. This confidence is especially strong among Gen Z (70%) and Millennials (66%), indicating a generational shift in planning behaviour that will only accelerate. Travellers are using AI across multiple stages of the journey, with 38% using it for destination research, 33% for itinerary creation and 32% for destination inspiration.
However, despite rising adoption, trust remains critical, with 49% of global respondents having a concern about the accuracy of information from AI tools and 22% feel there aren't enough meaningful options. These concerns highlight that whilst AI usage is growing, travellers still seek trusted sources for final booking decisions. Understanding this tension between AI-enabled discovery and trusted destination ambassadors is crucial for DMOs and travel businesses navigating this transformation.
AI's Strategic Contribution to Tourism
AI is reshaping what's possible in the sector and its value lies in how these capabilities build upon one another. At its foundation, AI drives efficiency, streamlining operations across every business function. This operational strength then enables automation at scale, ensuring consistent service delivery even when resources are stretched thin. With these efficiencies in place, organisations can move faster by using real-time, data-driven insights to make better-informed decisions. Most importantly, AI is finally delivering on the industry's long-standing promise of personalisation. The tailored experiences that the market has talked about for years, but struggled to achieve at scale, are now within reach.
AI is also responsible for shifts in search behaviour, which has been transformed from keyword-based to conversational. Previously, travellers searched with simple terms like "hotels in London" and manually filtered list-based results. Today, they use context-rich queries and in return receive personalised and tailored recommendations, which is transformation the traditional discovery funnel. This means that discoverability may become harder to trace, however rather than retreating from AI, destinations must double down on creating rich and nuanced content that is more strategic in order to position themselves effectively for AI tools. The focus must shift from driving traffic to providing value that AI systems want to reference, meaning destinations should think more about Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) rather than solely traditional SEO.
Source: Nick's Keynote
Strategic AI Implementation for Personalisation and Competitive Advantage
Nearly half of Gen Z travellers (44%) point to lack of personalisation as their biggest frustration, whilst 52% actively want customisation integrated into their travel experience. What was once a competitive advantage has become an expected baseline and destinations are working to catch up.
Brand USA has recognised and addressed this by creating something called "chat pills" , which is a system that offers curated, written prompts that open AI interfaces to build personalised itineraries. This approach curates and leads visitors to interesting content whilst giving them flexibility to modify based on specific needs. It addresses a real problem: not all users know how to phrase questions in ways that provide useful answers. By providing starting points, Brand USA both educates users and maintains some control over the discovery narrative.
Switzerland Tourism has developed an AI-based search tool that integrates native content results for a blended experience. The key insight driving their approach is that AI interfaces must feel native and integrated rather than just generic chatbots. If destinations simply bolt on a basic chat interface, users gain nothing they couldn't get from going directly to ChatGPT or other consumer AI tools. The value lies in creating something that feels uniquely suited to the destination whilst leveraging AI's personalisation capabilities.
What both examples reveal is a shift in how destinations need to think about their digital presence. The future isn't about providing information; it's about creating conversational guest experiences that feel native and intuitive. Travellers expect deeply personalised, fully customised answers that meet them exactly where they are, but delivered in a way that maintains each destination's unique positioning and brand identity.
Strategic AI Frameworks and a Need for Investment
Most destinations are using AI in a tactical way by focusing on the quick wins, but the real opportunity lies in thinking three to five years ahead and investing strategically to become early adopters rather than constantly playing catch-up. Destinations that remain tactical will find themselves increasingly unable to compete as AI fundamentally reshapes how tourism works.
The challenge becomes even more urgent when we look at who's being left behind. Small and medium enterprises are adopting AI at rates 30% lower than multinational companies and research consistently shows they're struggling in the dark when it comes to effective implementation. Many are experimenting with AI tools without clear objectives or strategic frameworks, hoping something will stick. For destinations, this creates a serious problem and the solution is to actively provide capacity building, structured support and shared infrastructure that lets everyone compete.
Building that capability requires working from the ground up. It starts with data foundations, ensuring AI systems can actually read and access the information they need. From there, it means training both people and AI solutions on destination-specific knowledge so the technology understands local context. Conversational interfaces need to be implemented consistently across every visitor touchpoint, delivering the personalised experiences travellers now expect. Product data must be standardised, structured and accessible across the tourism ecosystem. And perhaps most importantly, destinations should invest in shared infrastructure like open platforms and collective intelligence that lift the entire ecosystem rather than just individual operators.
An emerging technical frontier is the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open technology model allowing developers to build clear instructions for AI to pinpoint where to find certain information. This technology underpins integrations like apps in ChatGPT or Claude. For destinations, understanding and investing in MCP-compatible systems represents a strategic opportunity to ensure AI tools can effectively surface destination content and product information.
DTTT Take:
The convergence of shifting traveller behaviours, generational spending patterns and AI transformation presents destinations with many opportunities for innovation in both technology and destination marketing. Success in 2026 will depend on strategic repositioning of digital infrastructure, content ecosystems and stakeholder engagement frameworks to remain discoverable and relevant as traditional search gives way to conversational discovery. Destinations that treat AI as just another marketing channel will find themselves increasingly invisible, whilst those investing now in data foundations, rich contextual content and personalisation will establish competitive advantages in this evolving landscape.
Shift stakeholder metrics from traffic to influence: Websites no longer guarantee visitor touchpoints, requiring destinations to redefine success through AI platform visibility, recommendation frequency and conversational engagement rather than traditional traffic KPIs. Destinations must actively manage stakeholder expectations about what constitutes meaningful performance in an AI-mediated discovery environment.
Build data infrastructure as strategic foundation: AI systems require structured, accessible information to surface destination content effectively. Destinations must audit current data frameworks, implement open APIs, standardise product information and ensure content is technically readable by AI tools.
Invest in GEO over traditional SEO: Content strategy must evolve toward rich, nuanced and practical information that establishes destinations as authoritative sources for AI systems to draw references from. This means creating a system of detailed, contextual and knowledge based content that can suppor both AI discoverability and quality of AI responses.
Elevate shoulder season strategy: Search data reveals traveller shifts away from peak periods aligning with growing overtourism awareness. This represents a strategic advantage for destinations that can authentically position off-peak experiences as premium.
Provide SME support: Destinations must actively invest in shared infrastructure, structured training programmes and collective intelligence platforms that ensure connectivity improvements and AI capabilities benefit all operators, not just well-resourced market leaders.
Develop native AI experiences that maintain brand identity: Generic chatbot implementations provide no advantage over consumer AI tools. Destinations must create conversational interfaces that feel uniquely suited to their positioning, delivering personalisation whilst maintaining distinctive brand voice and strategic narrative control.
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At the opening day of our London Trends Hub alongside WTM, The Quarter Café, on 4 November 2025, we explored insights on traveller behaviour shifts and the AI transformation reshaping the landscape of destination management and marketing. Drawing on Skyscanner's Horizons 2026 report, delivered by Zeynep Mutlu, Head of Advertising, Destination Marketing at Skyscanner, alongside analysis on where AI is heading next, from Nick Hall, Founder and CEO of Digital Tourism Think Tank, we presented the vital trends informing 2026 marketing strategies for visitor engagement and experiences.
2026 Spending Trends and Tourism's Strong Growth
Travel performance in 2025 is tracking positively and the sector continues to demonstrate strong resilience and growth. Skyscanner's global search data, drawn from over 160 million unique monthly users, reveals a 10% year-on-year increase in search volumes and 11% rise in redirects, signalling strong consumer intent and active booking behaviour. Spending on travel also continues to be a priority, with 84% of travellers planning to travel the same amount or more in 2026 versus 2025, with 39% intending to increase their trips.
This trend is especially pronounced among Gen Z (56%) and Millennials (48%), who view travel as an increasingly important priority. Budgets on flights are seeing a rise because of this with 71% of travellers expected to spend the same or more on flights and 37% planning to increase the amount they are spending. Among younger travellers, this figure rises to 48% for Gen Z and 44% for Millennials. Accommodation is also seeing the same pattern. with 70% of visitors expecting to spend the same and 31 planning to increase their spend, with this figure rising up to 37% for Gen Z and Millennials.
When it comes to destination choice, flight costs remain the dominant factor at 58%, followed closely by accommodation costs at 57%. Food and drink costs rank third at 37%, with tourist attractions fourth at 33%. Regional performance also varies significantly, with the Middle East and Africa leading globally at 22% year-on-year growth, followed by Latin America at 18%, Europe at 10%, Asia Pacific at 9% and North America showing softer growth at +3%. India is emerging as one of the strongest growth markets. International visitor numbers reached 20 million in 2024, surpassing 2019 levels by 2.3 million, which underscores the country's growing appeal as a global destination.
Destination Choice and Tourism Dispersion: A Shift in Behaviour
Travellers are becoming more aware of the impact of overtourism, with 32% reporting it has negatively impacted their holiday quality. The awareness of overtourism is driving behavioural shifts in destination choices, with 34% of travellers now actively seek quieter destinations. Additionally, 31% intend to visit popular destinations only in shoulder seasons when crowds are lighter.
Skyscanner's search data reveals these shifting patterns, with early signs of travellers moving away from traditional peak periods. Looking at June to September travel, there's a slight shift towards June in APAC and Europe, whilst LATAM shows a more pronounced move into June and July. August sees a dip across all markets except MEA, which records a marginal gain, with LATAM experiencing the steepest decline. Meanwhile in APAC, October travel share is growing, signalling a shift away from the conventional July to September peak.
Technology plays a crucial role in encouraging more sustainable tourism patterns. VisitScotland's partnership with Skyscanner demonstrates this approach in action, leveraging strategic insights and targeted engagement to attract travellers outside peak periods. By combining destination data with Skyscanner's search intelligence, the collaboration created a relationship built on shared insights and connecting users with destinations in in Scotland, whilst encouraging new visitors to enjoy longer visits during quieter shoulder seasons.
Top Trending Destinations and the Rise of Secondary Cities
Most Popular Destinations for EMEA Travellers:
Major urban hubs, such as London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Amsterdam, continue to be at the top popular choices for short-haul city breaks with their strength rooted in seamless connectivity and established cultural draw. Spain dominates the chart with multiple cities in the rankings, benefiting from its cultural diversity and low-cost carrier capacity that makes intra-European travel accessible. Beyond Europe, Bangkok leads long-haul demand to Southeast Asia with average 12-night stays and extended booking windows, whilst Istanbul maintains its dual role as gateway hub and standalone destination, recording stable +3% year-on-year growth that underscores its importance across both leisure and regional connectivity.
This shift towards off-peak travel is reshaping where people choose to go. Lanzarote continues to draw winter sun seekers, part of Spain and the Canary Islands' sustained strong performance, but there's a growing curiosity driving travellers towards lesser-known areas like Santiago del Monte in northern Spain. The same pattern of strategic destination development is unfolding in Saudi Arabia, where AlUla's rising demand reflects how Vision 2030's sustained promotional efforts are successfully redirecting travellers to new experiences.
The overarching theme for 2026 is clear: travel won't be an escape from real life but a way to feel more connected to it. Travellers are curating trips that align with their identities, interests and values, which has inspired the emergence of seven distinct trends that illustrate the shift toward personal expression through travel.
Glowmads represents the intersection of beauty and travel. With 60% of Gen Z spending more of their disposable income on beauty, skincare routines and beauty rituals are increasingly shaping travel behaviour. This is seen in elaborate in-flight skincare routines to detours at cult-favourite retailers like Sephora or French pharmacies and destination-based beauty treatments.
Shelf Discovery is the trend that is transforming gastronomy tourism, with 73% of travellers always or often visit local supermarkets abroad, seeking to "eat like a local" through exploring the snack aisle rather than just restaurants. For example, 7-Eleven in the U.S. and Canada, which offers travellers an affordable and convenient experience that allows them to explore trendy snacks, making them feel like a local.
Altitude Shift reflects the surge in mountain travel, which move beyond traditional skiing adventures. Travellers are seeking clean air and serenity in alpine destinations, with 71% of travellers considering or planning a mountain escape for summer or autumn 2026, representing a move toward off-peak peace and connection with nature rather than just for winter sports.
Bookbound is the trends reshaping literary tourism, with 49% having booked or would consider a trip inspired by literature. Travellers are planning trips around books, visiting locations mentioned in novels, staying in accommodations featured in literature and attending reading retreats.
Family Miles addresses the rise of multi-generational travel. Rising costs and intergenerational living arrangements are driving families to travel together not just to share expenses but to reclaim time together and create lasting memories between parents, children and grandparents, with 59% seeing it as a way to make memories together.
Catching Flights and Feelings reflects a shift in how people approach human connection whilst travelling, with 44% of travellers feeling more open to meeting others during trips. Moving away from swipe-based dating apps, travellers are seeking authentic human connections on the road. From meeting fellow travellers to long-distance dating experiences, travel creates a sense of freedom and openness that encourages real-world connections.
Destination Check-in elevates hotels from accommodation to destination. Travellers are increasingly choosing where to go based on where they want to stay, with hotels becoming the primary draw rather than just a place to sleep. For example, 61% of Gen Z want to stay at specific properties, drawn by unique architecture, transportive design or overall atmosphere.
The Rise of AI in Travel Planning
As travel planning evolves, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in how travellers research and book trips. The Horizons report suggests that 54% of travellers feel confident using AI for travel planning in 2026, up from 47% in 2024. This confidence is especially strong among Gen Z (70%) and Millennials (66%), indicating a generational shift in planning behaviour that will only accelerate. Travellers are using AI across multiple stages of the journey, with 38% using it for destination research, 33% for itinerary creation and 32% for destination inspiration.
However, despite rising adoption, trust remains critical, with 49% of global respondents having a concern about the accuracy of information from AI tools and 22% feel there aren't enough meaningful options. These concerns highlight that whilst AI usage is growing, travellers still seek trusted sources for final booking decisions. Understanding this tension between AI-enabled discovery and trusted destination ambassadors is crucial for DMOs and travel businesses navigating this transformation.
AI's Strategic Contribution to Tourism
AI is reshaping what's possible in the sector and its value lies in how these capabilities build upon one another. At its foundation, AI drives efficiency, streamlining operations across every business function. This operational strength then enables automation at scale, ensuring consistent service delivery even when resources are stretched thin. With these efficiencies in place, organisations can move faster by using real-time, data-driven insights to make better-informed decisions. Most importantly, AI is finally delivering on the industry's long-standing promise of personalisation. The tailored experiences that the market has talked about for years, but struggled to achieve at scale, are now within reach.
AI is also responsible for shifts in search behaviour, which has been transformed from keyword-based to conversational. Previously, travellers searched with simple terms like "hotels in London" and manually filtered list-based results. Today, they use context-rich queries and in return receive personalised and tailored recommendations, which is transformation the traditional discovery funnel. This means that discoverability may become harder to trace, however rather than retreating from AI, destinations must double down on creating rich and nuanced content that is more strategic in order to position themselves effectively for AI tools. The focus must shift from driving traffic to providing value that AI systems want to reference, meaning destinations should think more about Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) rather than solely traditional SEO.
Source: Nick's Keynote
Strategic AI Implementation for Personalisation and Competitive Advantage
Nearly half of Gen Z travellers (44%) point to lack of personalisation as their biggest frustration, whilst 52% actively want customisation integrated into their travel experience. What was once a competitive advantage has become an expected baseline and destinations are working to catch up.
Brand USA has recognised and addressed this by creating something called "chat pills" , which is a system that offers curated, written prompts that open AI interfaces to build personalised itineraries. This approach curates and leads visitors to interesting content whilst giving them flexibility to modify based on specific needs. It addresses a real problem: not all users know how to phrase questions in ways that provide useful answers. By providing starting points, Brand USA both educates users and maintains some control over the discovery narrative.
Switzerland Tourism has developed an AI-based search tool that integrates native content results for a blended experience. The key insight driving their approach is that AI interfaces must feel native and integrated rather than just generic chatbots. If destinations simply bolt on a basic chat interface, users gain nothing they couldn't get from going directly to ChatGPT or other consumer AI tools. The value lies in creating something that feels uniquely suited to the destination whilst leveraging AI's personalisation capabilities.
What both examples reveal is a shift in how destinations need to think about their digital presence. The future isn't about providing information; it's about creating conversational guest experiences that feel native and intuitive. Travellers expect deeply personalised, fully customised answers that meet them exactly where they are, but delivered in a way that maintains each destination's unique positioning and brand identity.
Strategic AI Frameworks and a Need for Investment
Most destinations are using AI in a tactical way by focusing on the quick wins, but the real opportunity lies in thinking three to five years ahead and investing strategically to become early adopters rather than constantly playing catch-up. Destinations that remain tactical will find themselves increasingly unable to compete as AI fundamentally reshapes how tourism works.
The challenge becomes even more urgent when we look at who's being left behind. Small and medium enterprises are adopting AI at rates 30% lower than multinational companies and research consistently shows they're struggling in the dark when it comes to effective implementation. Many are experimenting with AI tools without clear objectives or strategic frameworks, hoping something will stick. For destinations, this creates a serious problem and the solution is to actively provide capacity building, structured support and shared infrastructure that lets everyone compete.
Building that capability requires working from the ground up. It starts with data foundations, ensuring AI systems can actually read and access the information they need. From there, it means training both people and AI solutions on destination-specific knowledge so the technology understands local context. Conversational interfaces need to be implemented consistently across every visitor touchpoint, delivering the personalised experiences travellers now expect. Product data must be standardised, structured and accessible across the tourism ecosystem. And perhaps most importantly, destinations should invest in shared infrastructure like open platforms and collective intelligence that lift the entire ecosystem rather than just individual operators.
An emerging technical frontier is the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open technology model allowing developers to build clear instructions for AI to pinpoint where to find certain information. This technology underpins integrations like apps in ChatGPT or Claude. For destinations, understanding and investing in MCP-compatible systems represents a strategic opportunity to ensure AI tools can effectively surface destination content and product information.
DTTT Take:
The convergence of shifting traveller behaviours, generational spending patterns and AI transformation presents destinations with many opportunities for innovation in both technology and destination marketing. Success in 2026 will depend on strategic repositioning of digital infrastructure, content ecosystems and stakeholder engagement frameworks to remain discoverable and relevant as traditional search gives way to conversational discovery. Destinations that treat AI as just another marketing channel will find themselves increasingly invisible, whilst those investing now in data foundations, rich contextual content and personalisation will establish competitive advantages in this evolving landscape.
Shift stakeholder metrics from traffic to influence: Websites no longer guarantee visitor touchpoints, requiring destinations to redefine success through AI platform visibility, recommendation frequency and conversational engagement rather than traditional traffic KPIs. Destinations must actively manage stakeholder expectations about what constitutes meaningful performance in an AI-mediated discovery environment.
Build data infrastructure as strategic foundation: AI systems require structured, accessible information to surface destination content effectively. Destinations must audit current data frameworks, implement open APIs, standardise product information and ensure content is technically readable by AI tools.
Invest in GEO over traditional SEO: Content strategy must evolve toward rich, nuanced and practical information that establishes destinations as authoritative sources for AI systems to draw references from. This means creating a system of detailed, contextual and knowledge based content that can suppor both AI discoverability and quality of AI responses.
Elevate shoulder season strategy: Search data reveals traveller shifts away from peak periods aligning with growing overtourism awareness. This represents a strategic advantage for destinations that can authentically position off-peak experiences as premium.
Provide SME support: Destinations must actively invest in shared infrastructure, structured training programmes and collective intelligence platforms that ensure connectivity improvements and AI capabilities benefit all operators, not just well-resourced market leaders.
Develop native AI experiences that maintain brand identity: Generic chatbot implementations provide no advantage over consumer AI tools. Destinations must create conversational interfaces that feel uniquely suited to their positioning, delivering personalisation whilst maintaining distinctive brand voice and strategic narrative control.
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