Oliver Sissons, Search Director at digital agency Reboot Online (pictured), presented a session at the British Tourism & Travel Show on 19 March on how artificial intelligence (AI) tools are changing how travellers plan trips.
“Everyone knows by now that search is evolving,” he says. “Large language models (LLMs) are growing in use. There has been a fundamental shift.”
Oliver says travellers now ask AI to plan trips for them based on specific criteria. More information is surrendered to LLMs about likes and dislikes and budget options than was possible through search engines, delivering a new experience.
This is an opportunity for travel organisers, he argues. Visibility is now no longer about ranking in search engines, but in being chosen as a recommended brand by AI.
“Travel brands that get recommended in AI have things in common,” Oliver notes. “They have easy to explore websites. AI models don’t struggle to crawl on the sites or their content; content published on those sites is optimised for AI visibility. They also have a strong brand presence, tend to be known within the travel space (especially by those searching for particular products) and encourage visibility off-site.”
Conversely, travel brands that do not get recommended also have trends in common – inefficient websites that are thin on content and lacking depth on what a company offers.
To start improving visibility, Oliver recommends “generative engine optimisation (GEO)” – setting up a website to be crawled by AI bots, optimising on-site content to reinforce signals owners want AI models to associate with their brand, and reinforcing that brand in the broader space in which it operates. Fast websites will encourage AI models to return, increasing the likeliness they will be referenced in searches.
“On-site GEO is about teaching AI models what we want them to say about us,” explains Oliver. “Your website is the best place to start. Reinforce narratives you want AI models to reference about you. We want to publish content that answers the type of long-tail queries people are asking.”
Off-site GEO, meanwhile, is about proving the truth in what a website says. Publishing fresh and unique expertise on sensitive topics will generate coverage in AI models and give them a reason to reference a brand. “It gives AI a reason to trust you,” says Oliver. “Your website is the best place to begin, alongside social media profiles and industry directories. LLMs reference social communities. 80% of AI citations come from earned media such as journalism — relevant brand mentions from authoritative voices in your space.”
