TOURISE and LIONS Advisory are urging tourism brands to treat creativity as a commercial growth driver as travelers increasingly discover destinations through social media, creators, online communities and AI-powered tools. Their new IDEAS That Travel report, based on a survey of 8,374 international travelers across 13 markets, finds that 60% believe travel advertisements look similar and 55% already use AI in holiday planning. The findings highlight a growing challenge for destination marketers: earning attention and building preference in a crowded, fragmented discovery environment.

Travel Demand Is Rising, but Brand Differentiation Is Weak

The report identifies a gap between travelers’ appetite for future trips and the ability of tourism brands to stand out. Overall, 39% of surveyed travelers expect to travel more in the next 12 months than they did in 2025. That figure rises to 51% among Gen Z and 47% among Millennials.

Yet greater demand does not automatically translate into stronger brand preference. Six in ten respondents say travel advertisements look similar, 43% struggle to distinguish between travel brands, and half cannot recall the last tourism advertisement they saw. Another 7% are unsure whether they remember one.

For destination marketers, the findings suggest that visibility alone may be insufficient. Campaigns need distinctive ideas and memorable associations that help travelers recognize why one destination or travel brand is different from another.

The report argues that creativity can contribute to commercial performance by connecting destination storytelling with the experiences and emotions travelers value. In a category built around anticipation, identity and memory, creative differentiation can help brands compete beyond price and reach.

AI Is Reshaping How Travelers Discover Destinations

AI is becoming an increasingly prominent part of trip planning. According to the study, 55% of travelers already use AI when planning holidays, while 62% expect to use it more frequently over the next year.

This shift adds another layer to destination marketing. Travelers may encounter destinations through social feeds, creator recommendations, online communities and AI-generated answers before visiting a tourism website or booking platform.

Brands therefore need to consider how their positioning, content and reputation travel across these discovery environments. Clear destination information, distinctive storytelling and credible recommendations can support discovery, but the report does not establish that any particular creative approach guarantees visibility in AI-generated answers.

The strategic implication is that marketing cannot focus exclusively on the final booking stage. Destination brands must build awareness and preference earlier, where travelers are forming ideas about where to go and what experiences matter to them.

Advertising Investment Needs More Than Greater Spending

The report estimates global travel and transport advertising expenditure reached $32.4 billion in 2025, while the category's share of voice remained below pre-pandemic levels.

It estimates that restoring share of voice to 3% would require investment to reach $43.4 billion by 2027—an additional $11 billion over two years.

The report's argument is not simply that tourism brands should spend more. Instead, it emphasizes directing investment toward environments where travel intent increasingly develops, including social media, creators, video and entertainment-led content.

For marketing leaders, that creates a resource-allocation challenge: balancing reach with distinctive creative work and selecting channels based on their contribution to awareness, consideration and bookings. Spending more without improving the memorability of campaigns may not resolve the differentiation problem identified in the research.

Five Drivers Provide a Framework for Destination Marketing

IDEAS That Travel outlines five principles intended to help tourism brands improve marketing effectiveness:

• Investment: Allocate resources to build meaningful visibility and reach.

• Distinctiveness: Create recognizable brand associations that separate a destination from competitors.

• Engagement: Use compelling storytelling and relevant experiences to earn audience attention.

• Authenticity: Build trust through credible experiences and communications.

• Seamlessness: Connect physical and digital interactions throughout the traveler journey.

Case studies involving Airbnb, Tourism Australia, Visit Sweden, Visit North Carolina and Southwest Airlines illustrate how the report's principles can be applied.

The framework connects creative strategy with channel planning and customer experience. It also reinforces the idea that a memorable campaign is only one part of the system: the promise communicated through advertising must connect with the information, booking process and experience travelers encounter afterward.

Market Landscape

Tourism marketing is being reshaped by the convergence of creator-led discovery, social video, digital advertising and AI-assisted travel planning. These channels expand opportunities to reach prospective travelers but also intensify competition for attention.

For destination marketers, the challenge is to coordinate brand storytelling, media investment and digital information without losing a consistent identity. AI adds urgency to that task because travelers can increasingly use conversational tools to explore destinations and compare options before visiting conventional search results.

The TOURISE and LIONS Advisory report positions creative effectiveness as a way to address this crowded environment. Its findings support the case for stronger differentiation, although they do not independently quantify the revenue impact of the proposed framework.

Strategic Outlook

Tourism brands should evaluate campaigns not only by impressions or immediate bookings, but also by whether they create distinctive associations, build trust and influence destination consideration. That requires consistent measurement across discovery, planning and conversion.

Marketers should also review how destination information and brand narratives appear across creator content, social platforms and AI-powered discovery tools. The objective is not to chase every emerging channel, but to ensure that travelers encounter a coherent, credible and recognizable proposition wherever planning begins.

The report's central message is that future tourism growth will depend on more than being visible. Brands need to give travelers a compelling reason to remember, prefer and ultimately choose them.

Top Insights

• Travel demand shows growth potential: 39% of travelers expect to travel more, rising to 51% among Gen Z and 47% among Millennials.

• Differentiation remains a weakness: 60% say travel advertisements look similar, while 43% struggle to distinguish between travel brands.

• AI is entering travel planning: 55% already use AI for holiday planning, and 62% expect to increase usage over the next year.

• Investment alone may not solve visibility challenges: The report estimates $11 billion in additional spending would be needed by 2027 to restore the category's share of voice to 3%.

• Creative effectiveness needs an integrated approach: The report's Investment, Distinctiveness, Engagement, Authenticity and Seamlessness framework connects storytelling with trust and the wider traveler journey.

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