Destination Marketing Is Now AI Marketing: Brand USA and Spain’s Playbook for 2026

Why It Matters

Because AI now decides which destinations appear in travelers’ planning, DMOs that master LLM optimization will capture more visitors while mitigating over‑tourism, directly impacting revenue and sustainability.

Key Takeaways

• AI models now shape travelers' destination discovery, not just ads.
• DMOs must create LLM‑friendly content to appear in AI recommendations.
• Secondary markets gain visibility through AI‑driven “hidden gem” searches.
• Over‑tourism perception requires AI‑guided messaging to redistribute visitors.
• Live events and real‑time data become core tools for AI tourism marketing.

Summary

Destination marketing is evolving from ad spend and influencer campaigns to shaping the outputs of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Travelers increasingly turn to AI for itinerary ideas, making the visibility of a destination in these models a critical asset.

The transatlantic summit highlighted that DMOs must treat AI training as a core function. By publishing structured, SEO‑optimized, and richly tagged content, destinations can influence LLM recommendations, opening exposure for both flagship cities and lesser‑known regions. Miguel Sans argued that even well‑known markets such as Spain need AI‑centric spend to stay top‑of‑mind.

Examples cited included Barcelona’s over‑tourism backlash, which Miguel framed as a perception issue, and the rise of “hidden‑gem” searches sparked by TikTok videos. Live‑tourism moments like Formula 1 races were presented as real‑time data sources that AI can ingest to guide travelers toward alternative venues.

For tourism boards, the shift means reallocating budgets toward data‑driven content creation, AI model fine‑tuning, and rapid response messaging. Successful AI integration can smooth visitor flows, protect fragile sites, and unlock new revenue streams from secondary markets, giving early adopters a competitive edge.

Original Description

Destination marketing is changing fast, and this session makes it obvious why.

In this Skift Take Sessions episode, Wil Slickers sits down with Skift tourism reporter Bailey Schulz to unpack the biggest takeaways from Skift Global Forum, where Skift CEO Rafat Ali speaks with Fred Dixon, CEO of Brand USA, and Miguel Sanz, President of the European Travel Commission and Director-General of Turespaña.

Wil and Bailey break down the three shifts that matter most right now: why the next battleground is influencing how AI models recommend destinations, not just buying ads; why airlift and new point-to-point routes are unlocking secondary cities and changing visitor flows; and why overtourism has become as much a perception and management challenge as it is a marketing one.

Then you’ll hear the full on-stage conversation, including Fred’s view on how Brand USA is rebuilding its global platform and Miguel’s argument that destinations need more marketing, not less, if they want demand to spread beyond the usual hotspots.