As we look back on 2025 observations and ahead towards 2026 predictions, the travel planning landscape is clearly evolving and feels unsettled. AI is moving fast, traffic patterns are shifting and many familiar intent signals are starting to feel less relevant across travel and tourism marketing.
Destination marketers are trying to determine whether these changes are the start of a new baseline. To get a clearer read, we brought together Noble’s service line leads and subject matter experts for an honest conversation about what they are seeing across the field. The group compared notes from client work, creative strategy, media performance, analytics trends and on-the-ground conversations with DMO teams.
They talked through what they are hearing most often, where the biggest blind spots are forming and which shifts feel meaningful as the industry heads toward 2026.
What came out of that discussion was not necessarily a prediction. It was a pulse check around where destinations are aligned with broader market movement and where they may need to reassess their focus.
These are the trends that surfaced most clearly and the signals DMOs should be watching as they refine their plans for the year ahead.
Trend 1: DMOs Are Racing Against an AI Clock
Across destinations, there is a clear tension between the urgency to adapt to (and adopt) AI and the pace at which many DMOs are able to move.
Agencies can adopt new tools more quickly, but publicly funded organizations face strict compliance and security requirements that limit access to emerging platforms. In many cases, teams must wait for IT approval before experimenting with new tools, which slows adoption and contributes to a sense of falling behind. Leaders across the industry recognize this gap as AI reshapes more of the travel planning landscape.
The pressure shows up clearly in recent website RFPs. Requirements for AI-readiness, such as structured content and schema, are being included, but often appear as last-minute additions rather than fully formed plans. DMOs know they need future-ready sites, yet many are still defining what that means beyond a shared need for structured, searchable content that AI systems can interpret accurately.
This shift carries an emotional weight that is hard to miss, largely because AI has changed the signals and metrics DMOs rely on to understand demand. Markets that are usually steady feel softer on paper as top-funnel metrics decline. Other destinations see high visitation tied to major events, yet still feel unsure about what comes next.
AI has disrupted the familiar patterns DMOs used to read, and leaders are trying to make sense of that mix of pressure and possibility while working with tools and capabilities that are still limited.
Trend 2: The DMO Website Is Quietly Getting More Powerful
Lower top-funnel traffic has not reduced the importance of the DMO website. It has sharpened it. As more of the dreaming phase shifts to AI platforms, the visitors who reach official destination sites arrive with clearer intent and a better sense of what they want to confirm. That change has redefined the website’s role.
DMOs are increasingly treating the site as a content hub that supplies accurate, authoritative and official structured information to AI tools and answer engines. Core destination information elements, including itineraries, amenities, accessibility, lists and other destination facts, can and should originate from the DMO and influence how recommendations surface across platforms. This has made website elements like machine readability and mobile performance that much more valuable than decorative design.
In-market planning is emerging as a renewed strength. Travelers often encounter repeated suggestions from AI models, which eventually sends them back to the DMO site to verify details or refine plans. That return visit signals a need for an authoritative source that resolves uncertainty rather than amplifying it.
These patterns point to a clear evolution. The influence of the DMO website now comes from its position as the destination’s single source of truth within a fragmented, AI-led planning environment.
Trend 3: What You Measure Next Will Matter Most
Traditional reporting is struggling to keep up with how people now plan trips. Many DMOs are seeing drops in users, sessions, referrals and other traditional metrics because travelers now follow an even less linear digital path than ever before. They gather information across fragmented social channels, video platforms, blogs, and AI tools, often before touching the DMO site.
The influence is still there. The metrics just do not capture it.
As a result, a new reporting mindset is taking shape. Instead of tying success to referrals or conversions, DMOs are looking at how travelers move through stages of intent and whether they ultimately choose the destination. The booking path matters less when the goal is selection.
This shift brings its own pressures. Leadership teams still expect ROI and attribution tied to simple trackable actions, which places weight on outdated metrics. Numbers like partner referrals are becoming obsolete. DMOs need reporting that reflects their genuine influence over the planning journey and present it in a way that stakeholders can trust.
Trend 4: Signature Events Create Signature Destinations
Events continue to be one of the strongest drivers of travel demand.
Large gatherings such as citywide conventions, music festivals and major sports competitions create reliable visitation patterns and keep destinations top of mind. The strategy around events, however, is evolving.
More DMOs are investing in signature events that highlight what makes a destination distinctive. Events like SXSW, Charleston Wine and Food and the Portland Rose Festival show how a single moment can anchor a destination’s story and draw visitors back year after year. These events build long-term brand value and identity.
“DMOs are investing in signature events that highlight what makes a destination distinctive.”
Low-quality event listings have the opposite effect. Scraped tools tend to surface outdated festivals, duplicate entries pulled from different sources or events from neighboring towns that do not reflect the destination. Instead of helping travelers plan, these seemingly robust, self-populating events calendars instead signal that the DMO is not curating its own experience, which weakens trust and dilutes authority.
Tempting as it may be for DMOs to hit the “easy button” and have their events calendar populate itself, travelers want event information that feels quality and relevant, not a generic feed pulled from scraping the internet. DMO-curated signature event landing pages, content and local editorial perspective sharpen a destination’s story.
Trend 5: One Message. Many Channels.
Travelers no longer rely on a single platform to plan. They bounce between videos, blogs, social conversations, influencer posts and AI tools as they build their understanding of a place. The order does not matter. The consistency of the message does.
This is pushing DMOs toward true omni-channel content strategy.
YouTube supports deeper storytelling. TikTok and Instagram reward quick visual cues. Reddit attracts candid conversations. Blogs hold depth. Each channel reaches a different mindset, and travelers often use several at once.
DMOs need content that can move across formats without losing its core message. Consistency across channels builds recognition long before travelers reach the website.
Trend 6: DMOs Need Storytellers
Trust has become a central factor in how travelers make decisions. With so many platforms available, and so much AI slop being pervasive, people look for voices and content that are real. This is driving a shift toward influencer partnerships that align closely with destination identity.
Younger travelers especially want to see genuine experiences. Long-term creator relationships help DMOs build that authenticity. Long-form storytelling is also gaining ground. Docuseries-style content creates a sense of connection that shorter pieces cannot match.
Together, these approaches help travelers filter through an information-heavy environment. They bring the destination to life in a way that feels grounded and believable.
Trend 7: The Platform-Tuned Video Era Has Arrived
Video remains one of the most persuasive tools in travel marketing, but the way travelers interpret production quality has become more fragmented. The divide is no longer between polished and unpolished content. It is between what feels appropriate for the platform and what feels out of place.
High-production pieces still anchor brand identity on platforms where viewers expect longer, more cinematic storytelling. YouTube is the clearest example. Audiences come there ready for depth, and a polished film can create an emotional connection that sets the tone for the destination.
User-generated video continues to thrive on short-form platforms because it feels unfiltered and honest. Travelers value the quick, in-the-moment perspective these clips provide and they trust the feeling that the creator captured something real.
The middle ground is where most of the tension sits. Some viewers distrust mid-production content on channels built around authenticity because it looks like marketing work dressed as personal storytelling. Others respond well to it when it comes from publishers or creators with established credibility. In those settings, mid-tier production feels more like editorial content and less like an ad.
DMOs are learning that video needs to align with the expectations of each platform. Aerial shots and generic B-roll are no longer enough. Viewers want clarity, point of view and a sense of narrative. The right level of production depends on the story being told and where it will live.
Variety is still valuable, but it has to be intentional. The most effective destinations match tone, length and production style to the audience they want to reach.
Trend 8: Value Is the New Travel Driver
Economic conditions continue to shape travel decisions in ways that DMOs cannot ignore. Travelers are looking more closely at what they spend, how long they stay and what kind of experience they can expect for the price. The idea of getting strong value out of each trip has become a deciding factor. Recent data reflects this shift: in a 2024–2025 national survey, cost rose to the number-one travel decision factor for 2025 at 52 percent, surpassing destination selection.
Affluent travelers have carried much of the domestic demand this year. Households above the 200k mark are taking more trips and helping stabilize the market even as budget travel slows. Deloitte’s latest holiday report found that 35 percent of higher-income travelers now plan three or more seasonal trips, a sharp rise from the prior year and a sign that this segment is sustaining overall volume. International visitation to the United States has softened, down six percent overall, with Canada showing a sharper decrease. Mexico remains one of the strongest inbound markets, offering a counterbalance to declines elsewhere.
Trip length is shifting as well. Travelers who once stayed abroad for two weeks are now planning itineraries closer to ten days. Rising costs for flights, accommodations and in-destination spending are pushing people to make more selective choices about where they go and how many days they can reasonably afford. Industry pricing research shows that airfare climbed roughly 10 percent year-over-year, and similar increases in lodging costs are prompting travelers to shorten or consolidate trips.
For DMOs, this environment reinforces the need to communicate clear value. Destinations that help travelers understand what they can experience within their budget and time constraints will be better positioned to convert interest into actual visitation.
Final Thought: The DMO’s Role Is Becoming Clearer, Not Smaller
Travel is shifting fast, yet the path forward for DMOs is actually becoming clearer.
AI may influence how people search and plan, but it cannot recreate the character and authenticity of a destination, or the assurance travelers feel when they hear directly from you, the real source.
DMOs still offer the genuinely human perspective that helps travelers understand a place and choose it with confidence. The trends shaping 2026 point toward a future grounded in trust and thoughtful storytelling, and DMOs are well-positioned to lean into both of those values.
If you are evolving and refining your marketing strategy and want a partner who understands where the industry is heading, Noble Studios is ready to help. Let’s build what comes next together.
