Summary
Travel companies have long focused on SEO to show up in Google search results, but now a new challenge is emerging: showing up in AI assistant answers, a trend being called GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). More travellers are turning to AI chatbots instead of Google to plan trips, describing their needs in one conversation rather than running multiple searches. The next big step is “agentic AI” assistants that can not only recommend options but also book flights and hotels directly, with research showing around 40% of US travellers and 28% of UK travellers already open to this. To stay visible, travel brands will need strong reviews, credible mentions across the web, and accurate information that AI systems can trust, alongside their usual SEO efforts. In short, businesses now need to be discoverable not just on Google, but inside AI conversations too, since that’s increasingly where travel decisions are being made.
September 16, 2026
The way people search for and book travel is about to change in a big way maybe the biggest shift since online booking first became normal.
For a long time, travel companies have put a lot of effort into SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) so they show up when people Google hotels, flights, or holiday packages. But now there’s a new kind of visibility brands need to think about: showing up in answers given by AI assistants. This is what people are starting to call GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation.
Instead of just worrying about where your website ranks on Google, GEO is about whether AI tools actually recognise your business as a good, trustworthy option when someone asks a question.
And this could matter a lot in the travel industry.
People Are Starting Their Trip Planning With AI, Not Google
More and more travellers are using AI chatbots to plan trips, and they’re doing it differently than they would with a regular search engine.
Instead of running five or six separate Google searches one for hotels, one for things to do, one for transport someone can just describe everything they want in one conversation. They might tell the AI they need a family-friendly hotel near the main attractions, within a certain budget, with good transport links and free cancellation. The AI can then take all of that and shortlist a few good options.
This changes things for travel brands. Just ranking well on Google isn’t enough anymore. Hotels, airlines, and travel agencies now also need to make sure AI tools actually understand what they offer and have enough good information to recommend them.
Next Up: AI That Can Actually Book Your Trip
AI helping people find travel options is really just the first step. The bigger shift coming is “agentic AI” AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but can actually do things for you.
In travel, that could mean an AI assistant researching destinations, comparing flights and hotels, checking what’s available, building a full itinerary, and even getting close to completing the booking all on its own.
There’s already real interest in this. Research from Phocuswright (shared by PhocusWire) found that about 40% of American travellers and 28% of British travellers said they’d be okay letting an AI assistant book flights and hotels for them.
We’re not fully there yet both the technology and people’s trust in it still need to grow but it’s clear which direction things are heading. AI is moving from just giving information to actually taking action.
Why GEO Isn’t the Same as SEO
Regular SEO is mostly about helping search engines understand and rank your web pages. GEO works differently.
When someone asks an AI a detailed travel question, the AI often breaks that question down into smaller parts before giving an answer. So if someone asks for the “best hotel in Paris,” the AI might actually be checking location, price, traveller type, reviews, amenities, neighbourhood all sorts of things.
That means just targeting the phrase “best hotel in Paris” in your content won’t cut it anymore. Brands need to clearly explain who they serve, what makes them different, and why they can be trusted.
Your Website Isn’t the Only Thing That Matters Anymore
AI doesn’t just look at your website. It also picks up information from reviews, travel blogs, directories, local listings, social media, and other trusted sources online.
This means your online reputation matters more than ever. You could have a great website, but if there isn’t much trustworthy information about your business anywhere else online, the AI simply won’t have much to go on when deciding whether to recommend you.
So for marketers, content, PR, reviews, and SEO all need to work together now more than ever.
Getting a Click Isn’t the Only Goal Anymore
Traditional marketing has always been measured through things like clicks, impressions, and conversions. But AI changes that.
Someone could discover your hotel through an AI chat and never even visit your website the AI’s recommendation itself becomes your visibility. That makes it harder to measure success the old way.
Marketers may soon need to start asking new questions: Is my brand showing up in AI answers? Is the AI describing my business accurately? Which competitors is it recommending instead? What sources is it pulling from? And is there enough good information about my brand out there for AI to find?
GEO Doesn’t Mean SEO Is Going Away
This doesn’t mean SEO is dead. Good SEO, solid content, and a trustworthy online presence still form the base that AI visibility is built on.
The real difference is that marketers now have to think about two places at once the traditional search engine, and the AI assistant that’s interpreting what someone needs and building its own shortlist of answers.
Travel Could Be Where Agentic AI Gets Tested First
Travel is a great test case because booking a trip is complicated flights, hotels, transfers, activities, insurance, restaurants, and personal preferences all mixed together. That’s exactly the kind of multi-step task AI agents are being built to handle.
But there are still challenges. People need to trust that the AI understands what they actually want, pricing and availability need to stay accurate in real time, and businesses need systems that can talk to AI tools properly.
Simple bookings might get automated fairly quickly. But big international trips with lots of moving parts will probably take a lot longer to fully hand over to AI.
What This Means for Marketing Going Forward
This isn’t just about travel it applies everywhere. If people start asking AI what to buy, who to hire, or where to stay, businesses can’t just focus on search rankings and ads anymore.
Going forward, marketing will likely need to work on three levels:
- SEO helping people find you through search engines
- GEO/AEO helping AI understand and recommend you
- Agentic readiness making sure your systems and information are ready for AI to actually take action on a customer’s behalf
At the end of the day, the goal hasn’t changed you want to be visible when customers are deciding. What’s changed is where those decisions are actually happening.
Google isn’t the only gateway anymore. AI assistants are becoming a whole new way people discover things and soon, they might be how people actually book things too.
So the real question for travel brands going forward is simple: when someone asks an AI where to stay or what to book, will your brand even be part of the answer?
