AEO: How DMOs Can Start Winning in the AI-Driven Search Revolution

In just six months, AI referral traffic to websites has skyrocketed an astonishing 123%, according to a recent Search Engine Land study. This isn’t a predicted trend. It’s happening right now, and travel websites are receiving the highest proportion of these AI referrals among all industries. ChatGPT alone accounts for 84% of all AI traffic to travel websites, with 12.56% of searches related to travel serving AI Overviews within the results, signaling the most significant transformation in destination discovery since the rise of online booking platforms.

While organic traffic still dominates, the rapid growth trajectory of AI-driven discovery creates both urgent challenges and unprecedented opportunities for destination marketers. The familiar ten blue links are fading in prominence as AI interfaces deliver comprehensive summaries that selectively cite authoritative sources.

Pro Tip: Verify your current AI traffic in GA4 under Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition. Change to Session Source/Medium and filter for “chat” – you’ll find these visits under “source/referral” or “(not set)”.

Why This Matters for DMOs

The travel planning experience is ripe for conversational search behaviors and valuable personalized experiences. Consider a traveler planning a trip to your destination who seeks nuanced recommendations tailored to their unique travel needs. Instead of typing “best hiking trails Sedona” and clicking through multiple results, they might ask ChatGPT: “What are the best family-friendly hiking trails near Sedona with red rock views that are less crowded on weekends and suitable for a 6-year-old?”

Traditional search struggles with this complexity, but AI excels at it. Google’s “query fan-out” technique simultaneously searches for trails, difficulty levels, crowd patterns, family appropriateness, and scenic views—then synthesizes this information into one comprehensive answer. With Google’s AI Overviews now reaching over a billion users and their experimental AI Mode designed specifically for these nuanced queries, the shift is accelerating.

For DMOs, success now depends on becoming the definitive source that AI engines reference. A Visit Sedona page that thoroughly addresses trail difficulty, family-friendliness, viewpoints and seasonal crowd patterns is more likely to be cited than one that simply lists trail names and locations. This represents the fundamental shift from SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), transitioning from ranking for keywords to optimizing for conversational behavior that becomes the authoritative answer.

Recent research from both the SMB website study and Google’s AI announcements reveals critical patterns that DMOs must understand. The SMB study shows 123% growth in ChatGPT referrals over six months, while Google reports AI Overviews now reach over a billion users. This confirms AI search is becoming a significant traffic channel that DMOs can’t ignore. AI overviews represent a shift in how users interact with search results, offering both opportunities to improve visibility and challenges to navigate. These insights help explain not just what’s happening with AI search but also six key strategies destination marketers should implement to ensure they remain visible and influential in travelers’ decision-making processes. 

Six Key Strategic Moves Destination Marketers Should Take: 

1. Optimize for AI-Generated Summaries and Featured Snippets

AI-generated overviews in search results pull their content from high-authority, well-structured sources. Destination marketers must place additional focus on optimizing elements like structured data, FAQ content and schema markup to increase their chances of being featured in AI overviews. Create concise, authoritative and well-cited content that answers common traveler questions about your destination. 

2. Leverage Conversational Queries

AI-driven search results are moving towards more conversational, intent-based queries rather than simple keyword searches. Google’s AI Mode specifically targets “nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches,” which aligns perfectly with travel planning (e.g., “What’s the best time to visit X while avoiding crowds but still experiencing local festivals?”). As travelers become more accustomed to interacting with ChatGPT, queries are increasing in length and becoming more nuanced. Develop content that addresses complex travel questions using 6+ words. AI engines trigger responses for 66% of ten-word queries compared to just 5.6% of single-word searches Consider sourcing intelligence to inform these questions from social listening and forum listening, where prospective travelers are seeking inspiration and advice from other travelers, and optimize your content for natural language by addressing these questions that travelers may ask AI chatbots. 

3. Tap into AI-Powered Personalization & User Engagement

AI models provide trustworthy sources, which means reputation and authority are more important than ever. Destination marketers should integrate AI into their own digital properties, including Chatbots, dynamic website content and personalized email campaigns. This will match evolving search behaviors and progressively profile your audience so content becomes more relevant over time.

4. Multi-Platform Optimization Is Essential

While ChatGPT currently dominates referral traffic (84% market share), Google’s aggressive expansion of AI Overviews and new AI Mode suggests a more competitive landscape is emerging. AI models prioritize trustworthy sources, which means reputation and authority optimization matter more than ever. Destination marketers should build strong E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) signals by optimizing for multiple platforms. Not only does this help DMOs maintain visibility, but it also ensures their destination’s digital footprint includes high-quality referral links, UGC and authoritative partnerships. Simultaneously prepare for Google’s AI Mode expansion by incorporating rich multimedia content. 

5. Enhance Local Discovery Signals

Maintaining local listing accuracy has always been an important local SEO signal, but AI engines rely heavily on structured data and local listings (e.g. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, TripAdvisor) to generate reliable destination information for travelers. Beyond maintaining current, accurate location data, operating hours and event information, encourage travelers to leave reviews, upload photos and tag locations. AI recommendations prioritize and are more likely to recommend a hotel or attraction with recent positive reviews and UGC over one with outdated or incomplete information. 

6. Adopt Multi-Channel Measurement

AI-generated overviews’ influence over travel decisions presents significant opportunities for destination marketers to leverage expanded methods for tracking, analyzing and optimizing SEO performance. Establish new KPIs that acknowledge AI as a distinct discovery channel with metrics different from traditional search. Set up dedicated analytics segments for ChatGPT and other AI platforms, and don’t discount the value of an impression as zero-click searches become increasingly normative. Additionally, early data shows these visitors have higher engagement rates (72% for ChatGPT referrals) than traditional traffic sources, so pay attention to the engagement rate of this traffic in order to demonstrate your content is resonating. This balanced approach ensures resources align with emerging traffic patterns as well as shifting audience behaviors. 

The Future of Destination Discovery

We’re witnessing the evolution from traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), where the goal shifts from ranking in results to becoming the definitive answer AI platforms reference. While traditional search strategies remain important, AI-driven discovery is rapidly creating a parallel pathway that connects travelers with destinations in more conversational, nuanced and personalized ways.

AI-driven search connects travelers with real-time, hyper-local insights. DMOs that embrace this shift by optimizing for AI visibility will not only protect their traffic but potentially gain significant competitive advantages as these platforms continue to evolve. The data clearly shows that travelers are already using AI for destination research, so the question is whether your destination will be part of their AI-assisted discovery journey.

Need help implementing these AI optimization strategies? Noble Studios specializes in helping DMOs navigate the rapidly evolving search landscape. Contact our team today to develop a customized Answer Engine Optimization strategy for your destination.