The New Age(nts): Impact of Generative AI on Marketing

Summary

The New Age(nts) Trend Series is a series of online conversations hosted by Phocuswright exploring the impact of generative AI (GenAI) and autonomous agents on the travel industry. Five online events are taking place from March through September of 2025 which align with the five trends outlined in the report Travel Innovation and Technology Trends 2025.

In this installment of The New Age(nts) series, experts explored the reshaping of travel marketing, as focus shifts from reaching consumers directly to influencing the AI engines and agents that guide their decisions. Search is evolving into conversational interfaces, new business models, personalized pricing and AI driven experimentation are emerging, and travel advisors and suppliers alike are learning to manage AI tools as core parts of their strategy. The takeaway: success in this new era will favor marketers who adapt quickly, experiment often and build for an AI first future.

This analysis briefly covers the most important takeaways from the discussion and subsequent audience questions for Phocuswright subscribers

Key questions answered by this summary (and its corresponding video seminar) include:

• How are AI-powered search and discovery changing traveler behavior and marketing strategies?
• What content and brand‑visibility practices matter most in an agentic, AI‑driven environment?
• How are business models, pricing and attribution evolving as AI takes a larger role in bookings?
• What new skills and organizational shifts do marketers need to thrive in an AI‑first landscape?