The foundations of travel marketing are being rewritten - especially in how customers find and book their next adventure. As artificial intelligence becomes the go-to research assistant for travellers worldwide, a new Feefo study reveals a critical insight that could transform your marketing strategy:
71% of AI chatbots rely on first-party customer reviews when answering travel-related queries.
This isn't just a trend – it's a fundamental change in how your potential customers find you. Whether you run a boutique hotel, a cruise line, or walking tours across Europe, understanding how AI platforms use your customer reviews could be the difference between being recommended or being overlooked by those platforms.
Gone are the days when travellers spent hours browsing multiple comparison sites and travel forums. Today's travellers are increasingly turning to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity to speed up their research process. They're asking questions like "What's the best time to visit Dubai?" or "Where should I stay in Tokyo?" and expecting comprehensive, personalised answers in seconds.
What our research reveals is that these AI systems aren't pulling recommendations from thin air – they're heavily influenced by the customer reviews and feedback that businesses have accumulated over time. When a traveller asks an AI chatbot for hotel recommendations in Barcelona, the platforms analyse thousands of customer reviews from customer feedback platforms to determine which hotels in Barcelona to suggest.
The study uncovered key differences between AI platforms in how they use customer feedback. Perplexity stands out, incorporating customer reviews into 100% of its travel responses. This makes sense given Perplexity's transparent approach to sourcing, where users can easily see and click through to the original sources behind each recommendation.
ChatGPT and Google Gemini, while still major players, use reviews in 58% and 56% of their responses, respectively. This suggests these platforms balance customer review data with other sources like official tourism information, travel guides, and promotional content.
For travel businesses, this means your review strategy needs to reflect how different AI platforms work. If your target customers are heavy Perplexity users, for example, having a robust collection of authentic reviews is essential for AI visibility.
The research identified a clear pattern in how AI platforms use reviews depending on the type of query. When travellers are asking questions that involve spending money – booking flights, reserving hotels, or purchasing tour packages – AI platforms reference reviews two thirds of the time. This makes intuitive sense, as these platforms understand that customers want social proof before making financial commitments.
For informational queries like "best time to visit" or general destination advice, reviews appear in only 33% of responses. This suggests AI platforms consider customer reviews to be most valuable for purchase decisions rather than general travel inspiration.
This insight should inform how travel businesses think about their review collection strategy. While all reviews matter, those that provide genuine insight on the booking and purchase experience – discussing value for money, booking process, and overall satisfaction – will carry extra weight in AI recommendations.
As AI becomes more sophisticated and influential in travel planning, having high quality and authentic customer reviews becomes essential. AI systems are designed to learn from the data they consume, which means they will get better at distinguishing between genuine, verified feedback and manufactured reviews.
Travel businesses that have relied on fake reviews or incentivised positive feedback may find themselves at a disadvantage as AI platforms become more discerning.
Conversely, businesses with authentic, verified review profiles will likely see their AI visibility improve over time.
This is where platforms like Feefo's verified review system become business critical. By ensuring that only genuine customers who have actually purchased or experienced your service can leave reviews, you're building a foundation of authentic feedback that AI systems can trust and reference with confidence.
The implications of this research are clear: travel businesses need to think strategically about how their customer feedback ecosystem supports their AI discoverability:
This study represents just the beginning of AI's influence on travel discovery and booking. As these platforms become more sophisticated, we can expect even greater reliance on authentic customer feedback to power recommendations.
Travel businesses that recognise this shift early and invest in building robust, authentic review ecosystems will be well-positioned to capture the growing segment of AI-assisted travellers. Those who ignore this trend risk becoming invisible in an increasingly AI-mediated marketplace.
In the age of AI-powered travel planning, your customer reviews aren't just testimonials – they are your means of being discovered by future customers. The brands that understand this and invest in authentic customer feedback now will be the ones that AI recommends tomorrow.
Ready to ensure your travel business is visible in AI-powered searches? Learn how Feefo's purchaser-verified review platform can help you build the authentic customer feedback foundation that AI systems trust and recommend.