How AI is Reshaping Travel Discovery

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way travellers research, compare and choose where to visit. As AI-powered search becomes more sophisticated, destinations, hotels and tourism organisations are having to rethink how they present themselves online and ensure they remain visible in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

To explore what this means, we spoke with Jules Ugo, Founder of Palma & Partners, whose experience advising destinations, tourism boards and hospitality brands offers valuable insight into the changing landscape.

Today's travellers are asking AI more detailed, conversational questions rather than relying on simple keyword searches that serve up a list of links - they now expect curation and personalisation.

Instead of searching for "luxury hotels in Italy", they might ask:

"Whereabouts in Italy can I enjoy a luxury wellness escape with authentic food and cultural experiences?"

For destinations and hotels, this means creating content that reacts to the prompts given to AI, demonstrates expertise and builds trust. It's no longer just about appearing in search results - it's about becoming a credible source that AI platforms recognise and then critically recommend.

As Jules explains:

"AI isn't replacing inspiration - it's changing where that inspiration comes from. The organisations that understand this shift now will be far better positioned for the future."

Visibility is becoming recommendation

For luxury travel brands and destinations, visibility is no longer simply about ranking highly in search results. It's about becoming part of AI's recommendation set.

Generative AI doesn't think like a search engine. It synthesises information from thousands of trusted sources to form a view of which destinations, hotels, experiences and brands best answer a traveller's question or prompt.

If your brand is absent from those trusted sources, described inconsistently across different platforms, or associated with outdated information, AI has less confidence in recommending you.

That confidence gap has commercial consequences.

As AI becomes an increasingly influential layer in the customer journey, discoverability will depend less on keywords and more on authority, consistency and reputation.

Therefore PR has never been more important

There's a misconception that AI makes traditional communications less relevant.

In reality, the opposite is true.

Editorial in respected publications, expert commentary, thought leadership, strategic partnerships and high-quality content all help establish the signals AI uses to understand a brand.

In other words, the role of PR is evolving.

It is no longer solely about earning headlines or generating awareness. It is about helping shape the digital knowledge ecosystem that increasingly influences recommendation.

For luxury brands, whose value is built on reputation, trust and aspiration, this is particularly significant. Brands that communicate with clarity, demonstrate expertise and appear consistently across authoritative publications are far more likely to be recognised than those relying on fragmented messaging or sporadic campaigns.

This requires communications strategies that connect brand positioning, editorial storytelling, destination expertise and digital authority rather than treating them as separate disciplines.

A strategic opportunity

This is the thinking behind Palma & Partners, a strategic consultancy that helps travel, tourism and hospitality brands navigate an evolving marketplace. By combining strategic consultancy, communications, trade representation and consumer insight, the consultancy works with organisations to strengthen their brands and unlock long-term commercial opportunities. If your organisation is looking to better understand how AI and changing traveller behaviour could influence your strategy, you can contact Jules Ugo, Founder of Palma & Partners, at jules.ugo@palmapartners.group or on +44 (0)7957 133939 to continue the conversation.