AI SEO for tourism: how destinations and attractions get recommended
Updated By Akkrev
Travellers now plan trips with ChatGPT and Gemini. How AI picks destinations, attractions and tours, and what tourism businesses can do about it.
Trip planning is one of the most common things people use AI assistants for. A January 2026 TakeUp survey of 300 US leisure travellers found that more than three quarters of those who used AI for trip planning had booked travel based mainly on an AI recommendation. It’s a small, vendor-run survey, but it matches what tourism businesses are seeing.
What AI recommends in tourism
- Destinations: “best weekend break from London in October”.
- Things to do: “what to do in Savannah with kids”.
- Tours and activities: “best whisky tour in Edinburgh”.
- Itineraries: “three days in the Lake District”.
What it draws on
Tourist board sites, travel guides, review sites (TripAdvisor especially), booking platforms for tours, and the businesses’ own sites.
What helps tourism businesses
- Clear facts: hours, prices, duration, age limits, accessibility, booking.
- Coverage on tourist board and destination sites.
- Being described for trip types: families, rainy days, couples, first-timers.
- Reviews that say what the experience is like.
See also: AI SEO for tour operators, attractions and destination marketing organisations.