Rethinking Travel Content material Advertising and marketing within the Age of AI

This sponsored content material was created in collaboration with a Skift companion.

Travel entrepreneurs are going through a brand new actuality: manufacturers relying closely on search and social media platforms face declining visibility, as AI-generated search summaries draw clicks away from even probably the most well-optimized content material. According to a brand new report from Curacity, developed in partnership with media manufacturers comparable to Afar, Travel + Leisure, Fathom, and A Hotel Life, websites rating first in Google outcomes now expertise a 35% drop in clicks when AI summaries seem. The takeaway is evident: journey manufacturers should spend money on content material methods that generate demand instantly moderately than counting on exterior platforms.

As AI disrupts conventional discovery channels, what vacationers really worth can be turning into extra apparent: authenticity and real storytelling. According to the report, 75% of vacationers usually tend to guide after participating with reliable, narrative-driven content material. Marketers who lean too closely on generic content material and superficial lists threat shedding floor to opponents delivering human, firsthand experiences.

“We have to be the foil to the constant stream of slop that has taken over our feeds and inboxes,” stated Julia Cosgrove, vice chairman and editor-in-chief of Afar.

First-person storytelling additionally performs a measurable position in efficiency. Marketers now have the instruments to trace how inspirational content material interprets into bookings and income. Brands can transfer past imprecise consciousness metrics and switch storytelling right into a measurable demand engine by treating content material with the identical rigor as a gross sales channel.

Turning content material into a requirement engine requires management over distribution. Hence, journey entrepreneurs should deal with owned media channels comparable to e mail to construct direct relationships with potential prospects. With open charges exceeding 42% in 2025, e mail far outperforms declining attain on platforms like Instagram whereas constructing constant and lasting relationships with vacationers. Unlike third-party channels topic to unpredictable algorithm shifts, e mail stays a dependable device to drive consciousness, encourage motion, and nurture repeat bookings.

“Email invites an intimate relationship between reader and writer that is lacking elsewhere on the internet, and that was (and is) very appealing to us,” stated Pavia Rosati, CEO and founding father of Fathom.

Insights from Curacity’s new report reveal how AI is disrupting content material discovery and what journey manufacturers should do to generate measurable demand in at the moment’s shifting digital panorama.

This report from Curacity offers a deep dive into evolving traveler habits, the declining effectiveness of search and social, and the rising significance of owned media and genuine storytelling. It delivers actionable methods for journey entrepreneurs to drive bookings, construct direct relationships, and quantify content material ROI.

In this report, you’ll discover:

• Strategies for creating impactful, human-centered journey content material.
• Insights from high journey editors on profitable storytelling strategies.
• Data-driven evaluation of the rising significance of e mail as a content material distribution channel.
• Guidance on measuring content material efficiency like a gross sales channel to show ROI.
• Tips on leveraging AI to streamline reserving processes and enhance group bookings.
• Strategies for early-stage content material engagement to seize traveler curiosity earlier than the reserving stage.

This content material was created collaboratively by Curacity and Skift’s branded content material studio, SkiftX.