{"id":17367,"date":"2026-10-08T15:46:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bto.travel\/we-plan-our-trip-in-the-chat-are-the-destinations-set\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T15:32:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T13:32:54","slug":"we-plan-our-trip-in-the-chat-are-the-destinations-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bto.travel\/en\/we-plan-our-trip-in-the-chat-are-the-destinations-set\/","title":{"rendered":"We plan our trip in the chat. Are the destinations set?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/em>For twenty years, the question has been: How do we get to the top of Google\u2019s search results? Today, there\u2019s another, more challenging question. When a traveler asks an AI where to go, is our destination part of the answer? We\u2019ll discuss this at BTO 2026 during a panel moderated by <\/em> Costanza Giovannini<\/em><\/strong>, director of Visit Tuscany. The two speakers will provide a preview of some of the topics to be discussed <\/em> Valentina Lepore<\/em><\/strong> and<\/em> Luca Vescovi<\/em><\/strong>, who help us outline the current situation through data, real-life examples, and different perspectives.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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The Numbers: AI Has Joined the Journey, but Hasn’t Replaced Search Engines Yet<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The growth of AI in the travel industry is a fact, not only in international markets but also in Italy. <\/p>\n\n

According to the Travel Innovation Observatory at the Politecnico di Milano, the percentage of Italian travelers using AI to plan their trips rose from 15% in 2024 to 33% in 2025, and 85% of those who use it consider it useful or even essential. In the United States, 56% of travelers say they have used generative AI to plan a trip in the past year, according to Phocuswright. (sources: Agenda Digitale<\/a>, Travel Weekly<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

The generational gap is clear. According to Booking.com\u2019s 2026 Trends Survey, 69% of Gen Z and 64% of Millennials use AI to plan their trips, compared to 41% of Gen X and just 11% of Boomers. (source: Statista<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

The way people search is changing, too. In May, Google released data on the first year of AI Mode in the United States: the average search is three times as long as a traditional search, queries related to travel planning have grown 80% faster than the overall total, and there\u2019s been an increase in queries starting with \u201cwhere to go,\u201d \u201cwhere should I,\u201d and \u201cideas for.\u201d (source: Google<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

In addition to this, visitors coming from AI are increasingly close to making a decision. According to Adobe, in July 2026, traffic from AI sources to U.S. travel sites grew by 119% year-over-year, and its conversion rate is now only 1% lower than that of other channels, whereas a year earlier the gap was 47%.(Source: Adobe<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n

But the numbers need to be read in their entirety. In Italy, search engines remain the primary source of inspiration (61%), alongside reviews, blogs, social media, and word of mouth, while the use of AI to complete a booking is still marginal (2%). AI has become part of the traveler\u2019s journey, but it hasn\u2019t replaced everything else. (source: Viaggiamo.it<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

AI systems are already scanning destination websites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

There\u2019s one statistic that rarely appears in reports: visits from non-human sources. An analysis by Simpleview and Granicus found that in just eight days, ChatGPT made nearly two million requests to DMO (destination marketing organization) websites to answer travelers\u2019 questions. Destination content is already being used on a large scale, even when no one clicks on it. (source: PhocusWire<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

Travel, after all, is an ideal setting for this type of interaction and for research based on generative responses. According to Similarweb, ChatGPT\u2019s responses about travel include a web citation in 22.6% of cases, compared to an average of 6.8% across all conversations. (source: Similarweb<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n

Not all sites are equally readable, however. Adobe reports that significant portions of travel sites remain unreadable for machines, limiting their presence in AI search results. Skift provides a concrete example: airfares, generated client-side with JavaScript, are often invisible to AI crawlers, while hotels and car rentals use pages that are easier to read and recommend. (Source: Adobe<\/a> Skift<\/a> ) <\/p>\n\n

Two Perspectives on the Same Scene<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Valentina Lepore, SEO and GEO Specialist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working in SEO for over fifteen years, many of them on tourism portals and for lodging facilities. The first thing I tell destinations is not to panic. Those who\u2019ve done a good job over the years have already built a solid foundation, and you don\u2019t just throw that away. What has changed is the landscape: search no longer resides in just one place; it has become an ecosystem made up of search engines, generated answers, virtual assistants, and social media. Being found and understood by machines remains the same as always. Being chosen as a source within that ecosystem is the added challenge. And there are no shortcuts in this challenge: those who have something genuine, useful, and up-to-date to say will prevail. Average content is no longer enough, because it has become a commodity that even machines can generate. It takes that extra step that only those who are on the ground and possess information and data can truly take.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Luca Vescovi, Research and Development, Jampaa.it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cI agree with Valentina\u2014today, a destination\u2019s website is aimed at two audiences.On one hand, there\u2019s the traveler, with their desires, doubts, and that urge to travel that often stems from a photo seen on social media or the location of a Netflix series.On the other hand, there are generative artificial intelligence systems, which read information, connect the dots, and present it in the form of a response.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

This changes the way we build a website.It should help people imagine themselves already there, using the best neuromarketing techniques applied to the travel industry.However, it must also provide AI systems such as ChatGPT and Gemini with clear, up-to-date, and well-organized information so that they can understand and use it when a traveler asks for advice, using standard schemas such as Schema.org and interoperability tools such as MCP.Human beings need stimuli that evoke emotions and moods; machines want data\u2014well-organized and meaningful data.Undoubtedly, the new paradigm in travel is conversational search.For example, OpenAI is experimenting with \u201cSponsored Agents\u201d in ChatGPT: after clicking on an ad, the traveler can start a conversation with an agent sponsored by a destination. <\/p>\n\n

Advertising thus becomes a gateway to a conversation between the advertiser and the individual, who can ask for details and clarify any questions they may have while choosing a destination.<\/p>\n\n

The cognitive process that leads us to choose a destination has also changed with the advent of AI.Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel laureate in economics and one of the leading scholars in behavioral economics, observed and described two modes of thinking in 2011: System 1, which is fast and intuitive, and System 2, which is slower and more analytical.<\/p>\n\n

We recognize both of them in our journey.System 1 kicks in when we see an image that catches our eye, read reviews that reassure us, or come across a story on Instagram that we then comment on or share.<\/p>\n\n

Then System 2 kicks in: we compare dates, distances, prices, and budgets.Today, before these assessments are even formed, artificial intelligence systems step in.<\/p>\n\n

AI collects and organizes information for us and presents it in a conversational style. This is the process described by the concept of \u201cSystem 0\u201d: an external, non-biological layer that processes information and influences what reaches Systems 1 and 2.<\/p>\n\n

“System 0 can expand memory and information-processing capacity. In this scenario, we must be aware that these new gatekeepers influence perceptions of a destination\u2019s value, shifting tourist flows.” <\/p>\n\n

How Is the Private Sector Responding? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

While destinations are still weighing their options, many businesses have already embraced conversational interfaces. Global platforms are already in full-scale production, while the Italian market remains largely on the sidelines\u2014aware of the shift but with adoption rates still in the single digits. <\/p>\n\n