A study by Mindtrip with Sabre, Sojern, and MMGY Travel Intelligence reveals that 54% of travelers have used AI to plan travel, and 75% intend to use it for future trips. However, only 22% of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) offer AI trip-planning capabilities, and 26% have a documented AI strategy. The research indicates AI is reshaping destination discovery and decisions, urging DMOs to adopt AI to remain relevant.
AI travel platform Mindtrip announced contracts with Madeira Promotion Bureau and Norwegian Travel Cluster, expanding to Europe. The platform is embedded in DMO websites to assist discovery of local attractions and restaurants. Mindtrip, founded in 2023, has raised multiple funding rounds.
As AI transforms travel discovery, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are shifting from marketing entities to structured travel providers. SimpleView and Granicus analysis shows ChatGPT made nearly two million requests to DMO sites in eight days. DMOs need to optimize website schema, create unique content, and explore a 'destination-as-a-service' model, providing verified destination data via API or MCP.