Mike Coletta, Phocuswright’s senior manager of research and innovation, hosted the fourth session of The New Age(nts) Trend Series, Impact of Generative AI on Tavel Marketing, along with three panelists:
- Brennan Bliss, CEO of Propellic, a digital marketing agency specializing in the travel and tourism sector.
- Michael Goldrich, president of the HSMAI NYC chapter and founder of Vivander Advisors, a consultancy focused on AI literacy for hospitality companies.
- John Lyotier, co-founder and CEO of TravelAI, a company operating a large network of travel websites and building an AI layer for the agentic era.
The conversation centered on the profound impact that generative AI (GenAI) and autonomous agents are having on the discipline of travel marketing. It explored the seismic shifts in search, the new rules of brand visibility, evolving business models and the skills marketers must adopt to stay ahead of the curve.
Available to Phocuswright Open Access subscribers is a full summary that captures important takeaways from the discussion. Watch the recording below:
The webinar made it clear that generative AI is not just another tool or channel; it's a paradigm shift that is rewriting the rules of travel marketing. The focus is moving away from direct-to-consumer tactics and toward influencing the AI intermediaries that are increasingly guiding traveler decisions.
Register now for Part 5: Convergence of GenAI With Digital Identity
While the future of travel marketing holds many unknowns, the panelists' advice was unanimous: The time for waiting is over. The most successful marketers will be those who are insatiably curious, relentlessly experimental and willing to adapt their skills for a future where their primary audience may not be human.
The fundamental goal—getting the right message to the right traveler at the right time—remains the same, but the path to achieving it has been irrevocably altered. Although this is highly disruptive, and things will likely change even more in the coming years, forward-thinking marketers who adopt an AI-first mindset could stand to gain substantial advantage.
Become a Phocuswright Open Access subscriber and get exclusive insights like this summary report, which includes a thorough analysis and breakdown of theshifting travel marketing landscape:
- The end of search as we know it
- Brand mentions over links
- Content granularity and structure win
- Seeding the LLM
- The power of repetition
- AI traffic is real and rising fast
- Measurement and attribution are in flux
- Personalized pricing
- The evolving purchase path and business models
- A culture of rapid experimentation
- Fundamental marketing principles
- Content traveler data loop
- Critical mindset shift required, especially for hotel marketers
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