Remember when your tourism business’s online visibility and simply “being found” online meant ranking on page one of Google relied on keeping your website up to date and your OTA listing halfway decent? That’s now not enough because the world, and particularly tourism, is shifting fast.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly rewiring how people discover, compare and shortlist travel itinerary options, and most of it happens before they ever hit your website.
Customer search has changed in three critical ways;
- From keywords to questions with travellers now are typing (or speaking) full questions: “3‑day nature break with kids near Margaret River in July”. And, instead of scanning long lists of blue links to properties or experiences, they’re now expecting and getting summarised answers, often generated by AI in Google’s Search Generative Experience or tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.
- AI travel planners are being used as “digital concierges” with travellers asking AI to;
- build itineraries
- compare destinations
- suggest stays and experiences
- and compare prices
If your business doesn’t appear in the information (data) those AI tools draw on (your website, reviews, structured info, content), you may never even make the shortlist, and you’ll never know.
- Algorithms are now deciding who gets seen with OTAs, meta‑search sites and even social platforms using AI determining;
- Which properties appear first
- What price is shown
- Which “similar stays” or “you might also like” options get presented
Your visibility is increasingly shaped by data quality and performance metrics, not just listing age or ad spend.
What does this mean for your small tourism business?
Firstly, don’t freak out! The good news is you don’t need a data scientist. But you do need to be aware, informed and deliberate.
This is what you can do right now to meet these changes.
- Make your website AI‑friendly (not just SEO‑friendly)
- Write clear, natural‑language answers to the questions that your potential customers are likely to actually ask, “Do you have EV charging?”; “Are you pet‑friendly?”; “What’s the best time of year to visit?”
- Add a simple FAQ page and use headings that mirror those questions because
AI models love structured, conversational content.
- Clean up the “source of truth” information on your business. AI‑driven systems lean heavily on your:
- your own website
- Google Business Profile
- ATDW originated listings particularly bookable local destination websites
- OTA listings (Airbnb, Booking.com, Viator, Get Your Guide, etc.)
Make sure they all have
- Consistent name, address, phone, URL
- Accurate amenities (Wi‑Fi, parking, pets, accessibility, family‑friendly etc.)
- Up‑to‑date photos and descriptions
- Live rates and availability
- Invest in reviews and ensure your replies are displayed because AI systems increasingly take review volume, recency and sentiment into account. You should actively;
- Ask happy guests directly for reviews (email) and post them to your website.
- Reply to reviews in a considered empathetic human tone, not just “Thank you for your feedback” because your responses are also content AI can see.
- Use AI in reverse to bullet-proof your marketing. If you “think like a traveller”, you can then use AI to fill any gaps revealed. Simply open ChatGPT (or your preferred AI platform) and literally ask what you as a traveller might ask to ultimately be presented your business.
For example, “I’m travelling to Clare Valley with two kids, what are some good places to stay?”. If your business doesn’t show up, ask ChatGPT “What information would you need to confidently recommend [your business name]?”
Use the answers as a to‑do list for improving your content and information.
So, rest a bit easier! AI won’t kill search, but it is changing which businesses get presented, trusted and booked.
If you keep your information accurate current and ‘clean’, answer real customer questions in plain English, and actively manage reviews and listings, you’ll be ahead of most tourism operators and better positioned to be picked up by AI‑driven discovery.
In my next blog, I’ll explain how AI is reshaping booking behaviour.
