Every few years, someone declares SEO dead. This time feels different. With AI Overviews stealing clicks, ChatGPT becoming a travel concierge, and Google reshaping search results, tourism marketers are right to ask hard questions about where organic visibility is headed.
I have spent the last 18 months tracking how AI search impacts hotel and DMO clients across three continents. The short answer: SEO is not dead, but the SEO that worked in 2020 absolutely is. Here is what is actually happening and what you need to do about it.
The Click Apocalypse: What the Data Actually Shows?
Let me start with what we know. According to SparkToro’s analysis of Datos clickstream data, zero-click searches now account for nearly 60% of all Google queries. For travel searches specifically, my own client data shows an even more dramatic shift.
One DMO client I work with saw their organic click-through rate for “things to do in [destination]” queries drop 34% year-over-year between 2024 and 2025, despite maintaining the same average position. The traffic did not go to competitors. It simply evaporated into AI Overviews that answered the query without requiring a click.
Changes to hotel search results
For hotel-specific searches, the picture is more nuanced. Branded searches (“Marriott Barcelona”) still drive clicks because users have transactional intent. But discovery queries like “boutique hotels near Barcelona beach” increasingly get answered directly in the SERP.
Here is what I am seeing across 15+ tourism clients:
- Informational queries: 25-40% CTR decline since AI Overviews rolled out
- Commercial investigation queries: 15-25% CTR decline
- Transactional/branded queries: relatively stable, sometimes even improved
- Long-tail specific queries: actually gaining traffic as AI struggles with specificity
The pattern is clear. The more your SEO strategy depended on answering basic questions, the more vulnerable you are.
ChatGPT as Travel Agent: A New Competitive Landscape
Here is something most hotel marketers are not tracking yet: ChatGPT now processes millions of travel-related queries daily, and it is not using your website to generate answers.
When I ask ChatGPT “best diving resorts in Costa Rica,” it generates recommendations based on its training data and, increasingly, real-time search via Bing integration. Whether your property appears in that recommendation depends on factors entirely different from traditional SEO.
A small experiment with LLMs
I ran an experiment last month. I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity the same 50 tourism-related questions and tracked which properties and destinations appeared in responses. The results were fascinating:
- Properties with extensive review coverage across multiple platforms appeared more frequently
- Destinations with strong Wikipedia presence and .gov/.org citations dominated
- Websites with clear, quotable expertise signals (author credentials, specific data) got cited more often
- Traditional ranking factors like backlinks showed almost no correlation with LLM mentions
This is not SEO as we knew it. This is a different game entirely, and most tourism brands are not playing it.
Google SGE Impact on Hotel Searches: Category by Category
Google’s Search Generative Experience, now called AI Overviews, affects different tourism query types differently. Understanding this is critical for prioritizing where to focus resources.
Destination Research Queries
Queries like “is Bali safe to visit right now” or “best time to visit Iceland” trigger AI Overviews almost 100% of the time. These overviews synthesize information from multiple sources, sometimes including your content, often not.
The opportunity here is getting cited as a source within the AI Overview. I have tracked this across multiple clients, and the pattern is consistent: sources that provide specific, attributable data points (“average rainfall in March is 127mm”) get cited more than sources with generic descriptions.
Hotel Discovery Queries
For queries like “family hotels in Rome with pool,” AI Overviews typically show a combination of Google’s own hotel data (pulled from Google Business Profiles) and snippets from travel content.
Here is the uncomfortable truth: Google does not need your website to answer these queries. It has the data directly. Your visibility in these results depends more on your Google Business Profile optimization than your website SEO.
Experience and Activity Queries
“Snorkeling tours in Cancun” or “wine tasting experiences in Napa” show mixed behavior. Sometimes AI Overviews appear, sometimes not. When they do, they heavily favor aggregators like Viator, GetYourGuide, and TripAdvisor.
For independent operators, this is where the opportunity lies. AI Overviews cannot easily replicate deep local expertise and specific operational details that only you can provide.
Booking Intent Queries
Direct booking queries like “book Hilton Amsterdam” or “[hotel name] reservations” still function largely like traditional search. The user wants to complete a transaction, and Google still sends them to websites to do that. For now.
GEO/AEO: Evolution, Not Replacement
When I explain Generative Engine Optimization and Answer Engine Optimization to clients, I am careful to frame it correctly. This is not a replacement for SEO. It is an evolution that requires expanding your strategy, not abandoning it.
Traditional SEO still matters for several critical reasons:
- First, AI systems are trained on web content. If your website does not exist with strong, authoritative content, you will not appear in AI training data or real-time retrieval systems. SEO builds the foundation that AI systems draw from.
- Second, not every query triggers AI responses. Plenty of travel searches still return traditional blue links, especially in non-English markets and for highly specific queries.
- Third, your website remains the conversion point. Even if a user discovers you through ChatGPT or an AI Overview, they still need to visit your website to book. That site needs to be technically sound, fast, and conversion-optimized.
What GEO/AEO adds to the equation is a focus on how AI systems discover, evaluate, and cite your content. This means optimizing for:
- Entity recognition: Is your brand clearly defined across the web with consistent information?
- Source authority: Do you demonstrate expertise that AI systems can verify?
- Quotability: Does your content contain specific statements that AI can extract and cite?
- Cross-platform presence: Are you visible on platforms that AI systems use for training and retrieval?
What Hotel and Tourism Brands Should Do Right Now?
Based on audits I have completed for hotel groups and DMOs over the past year, here is what separates brands that are maintaining visibility from those in freefall.
Double Down on Google Business Profile
For hotels especially, your local SEO is becoming more important than your website for discovery queries. I have seen properties with mediocre websites outperform competitors simply because their GBP was meticulously maintained with updated photos, complete attribute data, and active review management.
Make sure every bookable room type, amenity, and service is documented in your GBP. Google uses this data directly in AI Overviews.
Create Genuinely Expert Content
Generic destination content is dead. AI can generate “10 things to do in Barcelona” better than most travel writers. What AI cannot do is share operational insights, local expertise, and specific knowledge that only you possess.
Build Entity Strength Across Platforms
AI systems build understanding of entities (your brand, your destination, your property) by synthesizing information across multiple sources. If your hotel only exists on your website, you are invisible to most AI systems.
This means active presence on:
- Wikipedia (where applicable and appropriate)
- Industry databases and directories
- Review platforms beyond just TripAdvisor
- News and PR coverage
- Social platforms that AI systems can access
Track AI Visibility, Not Just Rankings
Traditional rank tracking is becoming less useful as a primary metric. I now track several additional metrics for tourism clients:
- AI Overview presence: Does your brand appear in AI Overviews for target queries?
- LLM mention rate: How often do ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity mention your brand?
- Citation rate: When AI systems cite sources, how often is your content cited?
- Zero-click visibility: Even if users do not click, do they see your brand in AI responses?
Tools for this are still emerging, but Semrush’s AI Overview tracking and manual testing with LLMs should be part of your monthly reporting.
The Brands That Will Thrive
I am optimistic about the future of organic visibility for tourism brands, but only for those willing to adapt. The brands I see thriving share common characteristics:
- They own unique expertise that cannot be replicated by AI or competitors. For a DMO, this might be official visitor data and local partnerships. For a hotel, it is intimate knowledge of the property and destination. For an operator, it is real-world experience that translates into trustworthy recommendations.
- They treat AI systems as a new channel, not a threat. Just as smart marketers adapted to mobile search, voice search, and featured snippets, the winners are adapting their content strategy to be visible across all AI touchpoints.
- They maintain technical excellence. Fast, accessible, well-structured websites still matter, perhaps more than ever. AI systems favor content they can easily parse, and users who do click through expect instant, flawless experiences.
- They diversify traffic sources. Over-reliance on Google organic was always risky. Now it is dangerous. The most resilient tourism brands I work with drive traffic from email, social, direct, and partnerships alongside organic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SEO still worth investing in for hotels in 2026?
Yes, but the investment focus needs to shift. Pure content volume strategies are declining in value while technical SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, and AI visibility optimization are increasing in importance. I typically recommend reallocating 30-40% of traditional content budgets toward GEO/AEO and entity building activities.
How do I get my hotel mentioned in ChatGPT recommendations?
ChatGPT pulls from training data and real-time Bing searches. Focus on building strong presence across review platforms, ensuring consistent NAP information across the web, generating PR coverage in recognized publications, and creating content that clearly establishes your expertise and unique positioning. There is no direct optimization, only building the authority signals that AI systems recognize.
Will AI Overviews completely replace organic results for travel searches?
Not completely, but they will continue expanding coverage. Based on current trends, I expect AI Overviews to appear on 80%+ of informational travel queries by end of 2026. Transactional and highly specific queries will likely remain more traditional. The strategy is to focus content efforts on queries where AI Overviews either cite sources or do not appear at all.
Should DMOs worry about AI search more than hotels?
DMOs face different challenges. Their core mission of destination promotion is directly impacted by AI systems that can describe destinations without linking to official sources. However, DMOs also have advantages: official data, partnerships with local businesses, and authority signals that AI systems recognize. DMOs should prioritize being the authoritative source that AI systems cite rather than trying to compete on generic content.
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
Generative Engine Optimization focuses specifically on visibility in AI-generated responses like Google’s AI Overviews. Answer Engine Optimization is broader, encompassing visibility in any system that provides direct answers, including traditional featured snippets, voice assistants, and AI chatbots. In practice, the strategies overlap significantly, and most practitioners use the terms somewhat interchangeably.
How do I measure success in AI search if clicks are declining?
Expand your measurement framework beyond clicks. Track AI Overview presence for target queries, brand mention frequency in LLM responses, citation rates when AI systems reference sources, and assisted conversions where AI touchpoints contribute to eventual bookings. Also track share of voice in AI responses compared to competitors, which often reveals competitive insights that traditional ranking data misses.
Is SEO Dead for Tourism? The Bottom Line
SEO is not dead for tourism, but it is transforming faster than at any point in my decade-plus career. The fundamentals of technical excellence, authoritative content, and strategic optimization still apply. What is changing is where and how that content gets surfaced to travelers.
If you are still running the same SEO playbook you used in 2022, you are already behind. The good news is that adapting is not complicated. It requires expanding your view of what visibility means and where it happens, then aligning your strategy accordingly.
I work with hotels, DMOs, and tourism operators on exactly this kind of strategic adaptation. If you want an audit of your current AI visibility and a roadmap for maintaining organic performance through this transition, get in touch for a consultation.
About the Author
I’m Peter Sawicki, a Destination SEO Strategist helping tourism brands and DMOs grow their online presence through SEO, technical audits, and creative digital strategies. Over the years I’ve worked across multiple countries and markets, which gives me a global perspective on every project I take on. When I’m not optimizing websites, you’ll most likely find me underwater. Scuba diving is where my two biggest passions meet.
