From Search to AI: Why Your DMO's Content Strategy Needs to Evolve for 2026

The way travelers plan trips has shifted dramatically, and traditional SEO strategies no longer cut it. In 2026, AI tools dominate travel planning, with 67% of U.S. travelers using them to research destinations and 56% relying on AI for activity planning. Google’s AI-generated answers now handle 60% of travel-related searches, leaving static content like blog posts and "Top 10" lists behind.

To stay visible, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) must focus on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) by creating AI-ready content. This means using structured data, answering detailed queries, and delivering personalized, real-time trip-planning experiences. Visitors from AI-driven searches are 4.5x more engaged, making this shift critical to attracting high-value travelers.

Key takeaways:

• Static content is outdated: AI prioritizes specific, structured, and query-focused information.

• AI-ready content: Use schema markup, detailed FAQs, and niche pages to meet AI requirements.

• Personalized planning: Tools like Drifter AI create tailored itineraries and boost engagement.

• Measure success differently: Track AI citations, referral engagement, and conversion rates.

DMOs that fail to adapt risk losing visibility, while those who embrace AI can become trusted sources for both travelers and AI platforms.

How AI Changes the Travel Decision Process

Traditional vs AI-Ready Content Strategy for DMOs

The way travelers make decisions is undergoing a massive shift. Traditional search funnels are becoming a thing of the past as AI tools step in to synthesize information from countless sources instantly. These tools deliver personalized recommendations without the need for clicks, changing how travel content needs to be created and shared.

Why Search-Based Content Is Losing Relevance

Static blog posts and generic "Top 10" lists were once the go-to for travelers typing simple keywords like "Sedona hiking" into Google. But those days are slipping away. Travelers now ask highly specific questions like "family-friendly trails near Sedona with red rock views that are less crowded on weekends" and expect immediate, detailed answers.

The problem? Static content isn’t designed to handle these layered, multi-part queries. For example, a blog post titled "Best Sedona Hikes" might perform well in search rankings, but if it doesn’t address variables like trail difficulty, scenic elements, or weekend crowd levels, AI tools will bypass it in favor of better-structured, more authoritative sources.

The data backs this up: AI engines respond to 66% of ten-word queries, compared to just 5.6% for single-word searches. At the same time, organic click-through rates have dropped by roughly 30% since the introduction of AI-driven Overviews. This means static itineraries and generic attraction pages are not just underperforming - they’re being overlooked entirely in the AI age.

How AI-Driven Search Is Different

Today’s travelers rely on AI as their personal travel assistant, blending insights from platforms like ChatGPT, TikTok, and Reddit into a single decision-making session. This shift means your content needs to work seamlessly across multiple platforms, not just your website.

Here’s the game-changer: AI-driven search doesn’t give users a list of links to sift through. Instead, it delivers a single, tailored summary that directly answers their query. For instance, if someone asks about anniversary getaways in your area, the AI doesn’t just list romantic hotels. It factors in preferences, budget hints from the query, seasonal trends, and even real-time availability if that data is accessible.

"The familiar ten blue links are fading in prominence as AI interfaces deliver comprehensive summaries that selectively cite authoritative sources." - William Crozer, Associate Director of Internal Marketing, Noble Studios

"The familiar ten blue links are fading in prominence as AI interfaces deliver comprehensive summaries that selectively cite authoritative sources." - William Crozer, Associate Director of Internal Marketing, Noble Studios

Because AI has already filtered out irrelevant options, travelers arriving through these tools are often more focused and ready to act. They know what they want, and they’re looking for confirmation or final details.

What Makes Content AI-Ready?

To stay relevant, your content needs to evolve. AI-ready content is structured in a way that machines can easily read and extract. This involves using tools like structured data and schema markup. Presenting destination details in these formats ensures AI platforms can access and trust your information.

Here’s how AI-ready content differs from traditional approaches:

Traditional Content | AI-Ready Content

Static blog posts with keyword optimization | Structured data with schema markup

Generic "Top 10" lists | FAQ-style content answering specific questions

Broad category pages (e.g., "Things to Do") | Niche pages (e.g., "Dog-Friendly Hiking Trails Under 3 Miles")

Success measured by clicks and sessions | Success measured by citations and brand mentions

The goal is to position your content as the definitive source AI tools turn to. This means transforming your website into a "single source of truth" for your destination, offering accurate, up-to-date, and authoritative information that stands out when AI scans the web.

To achieve this, reimagine how you organize your content. Create specific pages tailored to distinct traveler profiles. Each page should feature clear headings, directly address common questions, and include structured data that signals to AI why your content is reliable and relevant. By doing this, you ensure that when AI tools look for answers about your destination, your content is the one they trust.

How to Build an AI-Ready Content Strategy

Creating an AI-ready content strategy means adapting your approach to ensure your content is easily understood by machines. With the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the focus has shifted to becoming the go-to source that AI platforms rely on for information. For destination marketing organizations (DMOs), transitioning from traditional SEO to an AI-driven strategy is no longer optional - it's a necessity.

The good news? You likely already have valuable content. The challenge is restructuring it so AI systems can interpret it effectively. Here’s how to get started.

Converting Content into Structured Data

Start by auditing your website with AI tools to identify unstructured information, such as tour details, service descriptions, or listings. Pay close attention to key areas like pricing, availability, accessibility, or customer reviews - these details should be clearly defined.

To make your content machine-readable, implement schema markup. This structured data not only improves readability for AI systems but can also increase click-through rates by up to 25%. For example, instead of stating your business hours in plain text, use schema markup to tag them properly. Whether it’s a hotel price in USD or a trail rating, schema helps AI understand exactly what each piece of information represents.

Keep in mind that AI-generated summaries can impact traditional click-through rates, which have dropped from 1.41% to 0.64% year-over-year. To counter this, focus on creating highly specific FAQ sections that address detailed traveler questions. Instead of a generic "Things to Do" page, consider niche content like "Dog-Friendly Hiking Trails Under 3 Miles with Parking." Use clear headings, bulleted lists, and numbered lists to make your content easy to scan.

Finally, validate your schema markup using Google's Schema Validator to ensure everything is correctly implemented.

Using First-Party Data for Predictive Analysis

AI-ready content isn’t just about what you publish - it’s about understanding your audience and their behavior. Use first-party data from website analytics, CRM tools, and social media to gain insights into what travelers are engaging with. Analyze patterns like which itineraries are saved, which articles drive the most engagement, and what actions users take before booking.

Predictive analytics can help you identify trends, plan for peak seasons, and allocate resources more effectively. For example, AI can use historical data to personalize recommendations, turning generic suggestions into tailored itineraries based on past searches.

"Data is the new currency of destination marketing. Advanced analytics offer visibility into traveler behavior - what content they're engaging with, what itineraries they're saving, how often they return, and what actions they take." - ITI Digital

"Data is the new currency of destination marketing. Advanced analytics offer visibility into traveler behavior - what content they're engaging with, what itineraries they're saving, how often they return, and what actions they take." - ITI Digital

Before uploading customer data into AI systems, anonymize it to ensure privacy and compliance. Store key documents like marketing plans and operational procedures in a centralized cloud system with clear headings and consistent file naming for easy machine readability.

Once you’ve established a solid foundation of data insights, focus on training your team to maximize these tools.

Training Your Team on AI Basics

Your team’s expertise is just as important as the technology itself. To fully embrace an AI-driven strategy, your staff needs to understand how AI works and how to implement it effectively. Start by training them on structured data. Everyone - from content creators to marketers and leadership - should understand schema markup and how AI engines interpret content.

Next, shift the focus to conversational content. AI thrives on intent-based queries, often six words or longer. For instance, 66% of ten-word queries trigger AI responses, compared to only 5.6% for single-word searches. Equip your team to create content that addresses these nuanced queries, moving beyond basic keyword strategies.

Encourage your team to prioritize "information gain" by producing content that includes unique statistics, expert quotes, and firsthand data - elements that AI cannot generate on its own. Adding detailed author bios to blog posts can also strengthen E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles.

Train your analytics team to track AI referrals in GA4. By filtering for "chat" under Session Source/Medium, you can measure the ROI of your AI-driven content efforts.

To stay competitive, foster a culture of continuous learning. AI is evolving at a pace 50 times faster than Moore's Law, so your team needs to adapt quickly. Standardize workflows, embed digital practices across departments, and encourage innovation.

"Digital maturity is not a milestone - it's an ongoing investment in operational excellence." - ITI Digital

"Digital maturity is not a milestone - it's an ongoing investment in operational excellence." - ITI Digital

For DMOs that rely on public funding, leadership training should also address compliance and security challenges. This ensures your organization can adopt new platforms without being held back by bureaucratic hurdles.

Personalized Trip Planning and Real-Time Content

Incorporating AI into trip planning is changing the way travelers interact with destinations, turning static content into dynamic, real-time experiences.

Moving from Static Itineraries to AI-Powered Planning

Traditional destination marketing organizations (DMOs) often rely on static itineraries that fail to account for individual traveler preferences. AI-powered planning flips this model by creating tailored itineraries based on factors like budget, travel dates, and personal interests.

For instance, imagine a traveler asking, "What can I do with kids this weekend for under $200?" AI can analyze this query and craft a custom itinerary that includes both well-known attractions and lesser-known spots. A great example of this is Destination Toronto's 6ix tool, which allows users to refine their itineraries with conversational inputs like, "Include art galleries within walking distance of the subway." This approach highlights how personalization can elevate the travel planning experience.

AI also supports collaborative planning. Modern tools let users create accounts, save plans, and share itineraries with groups - perfect for occasions like weddings, corporate retreats, or family reunions. This evolution to dynamic, interactive planning lays the groundwork for advanced platforms like Drifter AI to make trip planning even more intuitive.

How Drifter AI Powers Personalized Planning

[Image: Drifter AI]

Drifter AI’s "Dock" widget takes a conversational approach, replacing traditional keyword searches with natural language prompts. Travelers can use this tool to plan multi-day itineraries directly on a website, keeping the entire process within the destination's official domain.

This AI tool indexes official points of interest, events, and local insights, ensuring recommendations are accurate and up-to-date. For example, Visit Estes Park uses an AI planner called Rocky Mountain Roamer to provide itineraries, links to relevant website content, and even booking options for flights and hotels.

"Using simple, conversational prompts, Rocky Mountain Roamer provides itineraries, links to content on our website, and even links to book flights and hotels."

"Using simple, conversational prompts, Rocky Mountain Roamer provides itineraries, links to content on our website, and even links to book flights and hotels."

• Kara Franker, CEO, Visit Estes Park

Drifter AI doesn’t just stop at itinerary creation; it also tracks user behavior, analyzing which activities and attractions are added to plans. This data offers insights into traveler intent, helping DMOs refine their offerings.

Adjusting Content for Different Traveler Types

Drifter AI’s personalization doesn’t end with itinerary planning - it also adapts content in real time to meet the needs of diverse travelers. For example, if someone searches for "dog-friendly hiking trails under 3 miles with parking", the AI delivers content tailored to those specific preferences. This demand-driven approach outperforms generic listings by addressing exact needs.

Real-time adjustments make content even more dynamic. AI can adapt recommendations based on factors like weather, seasonal events, or operating hours. For example, during a heatwave, it might suggest indoor attractions or water-based activities. Visit Tucson uses GPT to analyze chatbot data and create content that keeps travelers engaged during the summer heat.

Additionally, AI systems can analyze past user behavior to suggest personalized recommendations, encouraging repeat visits. This shift from generic content to highly targeted experiences allows DMOs to cater to individual travelers more effectively.

The trend is clear: travelers are embracing AI tools. Around 60% of Asia-Pacific travelers already use AI for trip research and bookings. In the U.S., 67% of travelers rely on AI to research destinations, and 56% use it to plan specific activities. DMOs that fail to deliver personalized, real-time content risk losing these tech-savvy travelers to destinations that do.

Measuring Results and Using AI Responsibly

As your Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) shifts toward an AI-driven strategy, it's crucial to ensure your content stays authoritative and aligns with what travelers are genuinely seeking.

Key Metrics for AI-Powered Content

Traditional metrics like users, sessions, and clicks don't fully capture how travelers engage across fragmented AI tools. Instead, focus on intent-based metrics that reflect how decision-making has evolved.

One key metric is tracking AI Overview citations, which can help measure how authoritative your destination appears within AI-generated content. Another is monitoring AI referral engagement rates - visitors arriving from AI-driven searches tend to be about 4.5 times more valuable than those from traditional organic searches. If you're using tools like Drifter AI’s Dock widget, keep an eye on partner referral clicks and the rate of human interventions to better understand how effectively these tools convert interest into action.

"As DMOs invest more into their budgets and adopt more sophisticated strategies, they must continue to demonstrate return on that investment, which requires them to leverage advanced tools and data to engage travelers throughout the marketing funnel." - Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer, Sojern

"As DMOs invest more into their budgets and adopt more sophisticated strategies, they must continue to demonstrate return on that investment, which requires them to leverage advanced tools and data to engage travelers throughout the marketing funnel." - Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer, Sojern

By focusing on these metrics, you can set clear benchmarks to refine and adapt your content strategy.

Setting Up Governance and Ethical Standards

Integrating AI responsibly requires collaboration across leadership and departments. Start by piloting AI in low-risk internal workflows before rolling it out to customer-facing applications.

Position your DMO as a trusted source of information by providing structured, machine-readable data to AI systems. This minimizes the risk of AI pulling incorrect or conflicting information from unofficial sources. For publicly funded DMOs, adhering to government data standards and securing IT approvals early on is especially critical.

While AI can streamline routine tasks, human oversight remains essential. Although 90% of travelers express confidence in AI’s accuracy, only 2% are comfortable letting AI handle travel bookings without human review. Use AI to manage repetitive tasks but rely on humans for creative work that fosters emotional connections.

"AI is aggregated data, which can be a great problem-solver; but if emotional connection is at the heart of the problem, it doesn't quite latch onto those human moments." - Drake Rorabaugh, Associate Art Director for Growth, MMGY Global

"AI is aggregated data, which can be a great problem-solver; but if emotional connection is at the heart of the problem, it doesn't quite latch onto those human moments." - Drake Rorabaugh, Associate Art Director for Growth, MMGY Global

With governance in place, you're better positioned to ensure AI supports - not replaces - the human touch in your strategy.

Creating a Step-by-Step Transition Plan

Shifting to an AI-first approach requires careful planning, ideally aligned with your budget cycles. Start by auditing tasks to separate routine, AI-ready processes from those requiring human judgment.

Investing in AI literacy programs can significantly boost productivity - by as much as 27%. Focus training efforts on high-impact tools and track not only who completes training but also how frequently and effectively staff use these tools.

As technology evolves, regularly assess whether to build AI solutions in-house or purchase them. For example, consider running a pilot program with Drifter AI before committing to a full-year contract. This approach minimizes risk while allowing you to test the tool’s effectiveness. By the first half of 2025, 45% of travel-industry venture capital funding had already flowed into AI-enabled startups, highlighting the rapid pace of innovation in the field.

"Organizations that treat agentic AI as a technology purchase fail. Those that treat it as a workflow redesign project succeed." - Peter Pilarski, Tourism AI Network

"Organizations that treat agentic AI as a technology purchase fail. Those that treat it as a workflow redesign project succeed." - Peter Pilarski, Tourism AI Network

Conclusion: Getting Your DMO Ready for AI

AI-driven content is reshaping how travelers search for destinations. Visitors who arrive through AI-powered searches are about 4.5 times more valuable than those coming from traditional organic search. To stay competitive in 2026, your Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) needs to embrace this shift.

Start by turning your website into a reliable source of truth for AI engines. Use tools like schema markup and FAQ content to ensure AI models can accurately pull information about your destination, from itineraries to accessibility features and amenities. Focus on creating conversational content that directly addresses detailed, long-tail travel questions - complex queries with six or more words that AI is particularly adept at answering.

Once your content is optimized for AI, it’s time to put these tools to work. Platforms like Drifter AI can help you track your Answer Share and convert AI-driven inquiries into actionable itineraries. Start with a pilot program to gather performance data while minimizing risks. This will give you a clearer picture of how AI tools can benefit your specific destination.

By focusing on structured data and conversational content, your DMO website can position itself as the authoritative hub for travelers navigating today’s fragmented, AI-driven planning landscape. Even in this new era, travelers still seek verification and context, arriving with stronger intent from a variety of channels. With the right strategies - structured data, engaging content, and AI-powered personalization - you can ensure your destination becomes the go-to answer for their searches.

To leave you with one key insight:

"DMOs should continue to invest in their unique content offerings while highlighting themselves as trusted resources for both humans and chatbots." - Dylan Scacchetti, Associate MarTech Director

"DMOs should continue to invest in their unique content offerings while highlighting themselves as trusted resources for both humans and chatbots." - Dylan Scacchetti, Associate MarTech Director

FAQs

How can DMOs optimize their content for AI-driven search results?

To make content more accessible for AI-driven search, DMOs should prioritize structuring their websites in a way that AI tools can easily interpret and extract information. Use clear headings, schema markup, and FAQ-style sections to address common travel questions like “What are the best family-friendly hiking trails near Sedona?” This approach helps AI deliver concise, relevant answers, boosting visibility - even if users don’t end up clicking through to the site. Instead of trying to cover everything, focus on crafting curated, intent-driven content such as tailored itineraries or unique stories designed to meet specific traveler needs.

DMOs can also leverage AI tools to gain insights into visitor behavior, seasonal patterns, and real-time data. These insights allow for the creation of personalized, location-specific content that aligns with what travelers are looking for. This, in turn, enables AI to generate dynamic recommendations, increasing the chances of appearing in AI-generated results. By consistently updating content with fresh, well-organized, and purpose-driven information, DMOs can remain competitive in the rapidly changing AI-first search environment while capturing the attention of more travelers.

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and why does it matter for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)?

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) focuses on tailoring your content for AI-driven tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI-powered snippets. The goal? To make sure these platforms can easily find, interpret, and use your content to deliver accurate, conversational answers to user queries. While traditional SEO aims at improving rankings in search results, AEO is all about ensuring your content is ready for AI platforms that provide direct answers.

For Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), AEO is a game-changer. AI is reshaping how travelers look for information. Imagine someone asking, "What are the top family-friendly hiking trails near Sedona?" Instead of directing users to a website, AI assistants often provide instant summaries. If your content isn’t optimized for these tools, the AI might pull details from competitors or generic sources, leaving your organization out of the conversation. By focusing on AEO, DMOs can maintain relevance, attract traffic, and meet the demand for personalized recommendations in today’s AI-driven world.

How is AI transforming the way travelers plan their trips compared to traditional search engines?

AI is transforming how we plan our travels, making the process feel more natural, intuitive, and personalized. Instead of typing something generic like "best hiking trails in Sedona" into a search engine and wading through endless links, travelers can now ask AI tools specific, conversational questions like, "What are the best family-friendly hiking trails near Sedona with red rock views?" In seconds, AI pulls data from various sources to deliver clear, tailored answers - cutting out the need to sift through multiple websites.

But it doesn’t stop at convenience. AI leverages predictive analytics and personal details - like your preferences, budget, and travel dates - to offer recommendations that feel handpicked for you. Whether it’s suggesting activities, accommodations, or even showing dynamic pricing options, AI simplifies the entire journey from sparking ideas to making bookings. It’s a faster, smarter way to plan trips that align perfectly with what you’re looking for.