A traveler sits on the couch with a weekend in mind and a phone in hand. Instead of typing into Google, they ask ChatGPT for a few ideas, scroll TikTok for places that look inviting, and open Reddit to see what people actually say about them. Each step feels natural, yet none of it touches the traditional search results that once shaped every itinerary.
This quiet change is rewriting the rules of visibility for travel and tourism marketing. The familiar flow of search has splintered across platforms, and the question is no longer how to climb a ranking, but how to appear wherever travelers go looking.
Many destination marketing organizations (DMOs) that once depended on steady organic traffic are seeing their numbers decline and asking both why and how to respond. The search landscape is evolving quickly as artificial intelligence becomes a new gateway for information.
AI-generated answers now appear in more than half of all Google searches for travel-related topics, a number that has increased sharply over the past 18 months. These summaries pull concise facts and insights from across the web, often giving travelers what they need without visiting a website. People are using a growing range of tools and platforms to plan trips and find ideas that feel personal and relevant.
Change is happening fast, and it’s only speeding up.
For decades, technology followed Moore’s Law, which said computing power doubled about every two years. AI is evolving 50 times faster, and that acceleration is reshaping how people discover destinations and make travel buying decisions.
DMOs and their stakeholders/industry partners, visibility now goes far beyond ranking in Google. They need to lead the charge in helping partners understand where travelers are searching for their information, and the importance of keeping that content accurate and engaging. The businesses that adjust early will stay visible and earn trust when travelers are ready to book.
Five Search Trends DMOs Must Communicate to Stakeholders
Travel search doesn’t look like it used to. The phrase “let me Google it” means less every year as travelers mix tools and platforms to plan their trips. For DMOs and local businesses, that means being visible wherever people are researching, not just in one search box.
Here are five major shifts shaping how travelers discover destinations in 2025.
Trend 1: Search Is Everywhere
Travelers aren’t only searching on Google anymore. They’re using TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, ChatGPT and YouTube, each for a different reason. TikTok sparks ideas, Reddit gives real perspectives, and ChatGPT helps organize it all.
Traditional search engines still lead with about 20.4 billion daily searches, but social platforms aren’t far behind at 19.1 billion. For Gen Z, the order is flipped. Many start with TikTok before they ever open Google. And, although AI only sees 1 billion daily searches, ChatGPT reached the 1 billion milestone 5.5x quicker than Google did.
The takeaway for DMOs is simple. It’s no longer about ranking high in one place. More than ever, DMOs must audit the dimensionality of their brand presence across platforms like Reddit, TikTok, creator-generated content, and review sites, in addition to their owned channels.
Trend 2: AI Overviews Are Now the Norm
AI-generated results are now a regular part of Google search. In 2025, AI Overviews jumped from 10–15 percent of search results to nearly 60 percent. These summaries typically appear at the top of the page, pulling key information from multiple sites and answering the traveler’s question before a single click.
That kind of visibility can work in your favor, but only if your content is accurate and trustworthy enough to be cited. The goal now isn’t only to earn clicks, it’s to be featured in the results travelers read first. Because AI favors consistent, authentic brand narratives across formats, not only is optimizing your web content for AI friendliness key, but DMOs should also consider how they are scaling and optimizing their content across sources AI engines use, like Wikipedia and YouTube.
Trend 3: The Zero-Click Reality
AI results have changed how people use search. Without an AI Overview, about 34 percent of searches end without a click. With an AI Overview, that number jumps to 43 percent, and in AI Mode, it climbs to 93 percent.
It’s easy to see why organic click-through rates have dropped by roughly 30 percent since AI rolled out. People are getting what they need before leaving the results page. For DMOs, the focus should be on visibility and mentions, not just visits. Being cited, accurately and positively, inside an AI Overview still counts as a win.
Trend 4: Fewer Clicks, Higher Value
Across the industry, DMOs are seeing organic traffic fall by 20 to 40 percent year over year. That decline doesn’t mean performance is slipping. It shows that travelers are finding answers faster in AI-powered results.
Visitors arriving through AI-driven searches are about 4.5 times more valuable than those from traditional organic search. They’ve already compared options, refined their plans and arrive with stronger intent. AI referrals from tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are growing quickly and bringing in some of the most engaged visitors yet.
These travelers spend more time exploring content, viewing itineraries and clicking to partner sites. They convert at higher rates and generate stronger ROI. Every click represents a traveler who’s further along in the decision process, not just browsing for inspiration.
By 2028, AI search is expected to surpass traditional search entirely. Success will depend less on volume and more on qualified visibility. The goal is to appear in trusted AI results that lead to bookings and measurable partner impact.
For DMOs, that visibility reaches beyond the destination site. When travelers use AI to plan, they arrive at local partners more informed and more ready to spend.
Trend 5: AI as the Traveler’s Personal Assistant
AI is quickly becoming part of the travel planning process itself. More than 67 percent of U.S. travelers now use AI tools to research destinations. 56 percent use them to plan activities, 44 percent to book accommodations, and 43 percent to shortlist restaurants.
This shift is exciting, but it also raises the bar. AI is shaping which brands travelers see first. To stay visible, DMOs and their partners need to make sure the information AI pulls in is accurate, consistent, and positive. AI is the traveler’s new assistant, recommending based on what it can find. That makes reputation and content quality more important than ever.
Measuring Success in the New Age of AI
We used to measure success by how many people visited a website. That still matters, but now it tells only part of the story. Visibility, sentiment and authority are becoming just as important.
Travelers often find answers directly in AI results, which means fewer clicks to track. So instead of counting visits, start looking at how often your destination appears and how people describe it online.
What to Track
- Visibility in AI Search: Run the same searches a traveler might use and see if your destination or partners show up. If not, check which sources are being cited. That helps reveal what kind of content earns attention.
- Brand Sentiment: Pay attention to reviews and comments on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Reddit and social channels. Positive stories help AI understand your brand as trustworthy. Encourage partners to reply to feedback and highlight guest experiences that reflect who they are.
- Authority Signals: Mentions from respected travel sites, blogs or local media strengthen credibility. When other sources reference your destination, it reinforces trust for travelers and AI. Share earned coverage and local stories that show what makes your community distinct.
- On-Site Engagement: Traffic quality still counts. Track how long visitors stay, which pages they view and how often they complete actions like booking or sharing. Visitors arriving from AI-driven searches are often more engaged and more likely to convert.
- Channel Insights: See where visitors are coming from, such as AI search, organic listings, social media, or partner sites. Compare these sources to understand which channels drive the most valuable engagement.
- Digital Conversation Growth: Observe how people interact with your content across platforms. Track likes, shares, mentions, and new followers to measure how effectively your brand sparks online conversation.
How to Stay Informed
Use analytics to see where visitors come from and how they behave. Check visibility trends in Google Search Console. Review mentions in AI results to see if your content is being cited. Watch how people are talking about your destination in social and community spaces.
Each of these signals shows how visible and trusted your brand is across the full travel planning journey.
The goal isn’t to chase every number. It’s to see the bigger picture: how often travelers find you, how accurate that information is, and whether it inspires them to take the next step.
Search Isn’t a Channel, It’s a Choice
The future of search isn’t about outsmarting machines. It’s about understanding people. AI may shape how information is delivered, but it’s still powered by what humans create, share and trust.
When travelers plan a trip, they aren’t searching for data. They’re searching for confidence in a place, an experience or a story that feels right. That’s where destinations can stand out. Not by filling every keyword gap, but by showing up with meaning and accuracy when it matters most.
Search now reflects something bigger than visibility. It reflects connection. Every click, citation and mention is a signal of trust earned over time.
For DMOs and travel brands, the opportunity isn’t to keep up with AI, but to lead with humanity in how we use it.
At Noble Studios, we help destinations turn that understanding into action. If you’re ready to rethink how travelers discover you, get in touch.
