How Travel Marketers Can Win the AI Search Game If the last few years were about getting found on Google, the next few are about getting *chosen* by AI. Microsoft’s latest piece on optimizing for AI search answers confirms what many of us in travel marketing already feel search isn’t disappearing, it’s evolving. And for destinations, hotels, and attractions, that evolution [...]

What Can Marketers Learn About the State of AI in 2025? As we have been saying all year, in 2025 Artificial Intelligence moved from hype to hard reality. The State of AI Report 2025 reveals a world now driven by three races: the race for reasoning, the race for revenue, and the race for raw power. Together, these forces are reshaping [...]

As shoppers head into the 2025 holiday season, Adobe Analytics forecasts slower online sales growth just 5.3% year-over-year, compared with nearly 9% last year. Consumers are becoming more intentional, clustering spending around events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, leaning on “Buy Now, Pay Later” tools, and showing a willingness to splurge selectively on premium goods. At first glance, that might [...]

New data from 11 million posts reveals the sweet spot for destination and travel marketers For travel brands, TikTok isn’t just another social platform — it’s the new front door to discovery. Travelers are building itineraries from videos, saving destinations for later, and deciding where to stay based on 15-second clips. The question is: how often should you post to actually [...]

An empty calorie is defined as a calorie with little to no nutritional value, in food this is usually found in things that are high in fat, sugar, or processed. In marketing, we call these "vanity metrics." Like many things in marketing, what was once a rare mineral for your team or brand becomes an Oscar Meyer Cheese Hot Dog overnight. [...]

As we stand on the threshold of 2026, one truth has become undeniable: AI isn't new, it is normal. What may sound like a subtle distinction represents a seismic shift in how marketing operates. When technology transitions from novelty to infrastructure, it stops being the story and starts shaping every story around it. We've witnessed this transformation before. 70,000 years ago, [...]

When you work in travel marketing, you don’t just manage campaigns you read the culture. You watch for signs, interpret movement, and try to understand what’s coming long before it arrives. That’s how explorer Paul Rosolie learned to survive in the Amazon, and it’s how marketers must adapt to the new terrain of AI. Because let’s be clear: AI is not [...]

In a fast-moving AI world, fluency isn’t enough. Tools change. Models update. Interfaces shift. Success doesn’t come from reading every guide—it comes from jumping in, tinkering, testing, and learning as you go. The best AI marketers aren't scholars...they're the ones that keep moving, keep trying new things and keep adapting.

SOME ARE CALLING THIS THE "SUMMER OF AI," and in our latest episode of Field Notes, Eric Hultgren gave a quick, no-nonsense primer on what you need to know about the launch of ChatGPT-5.Now we’re putting that insight into action with a set of high-impact prompts your Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) can plug in today, either directly in GPT-5 or side-by-side in [...]