Australian tourism operators are facing a double challenge: falling visitor numbers and a fundamental shift in how travellers find things to do. And most haven’t noticed the second problem yet.
New data shows 42 per cent of travellers used AI tools to plan trips in 2025, with ChatGPT now attracting 900 million weekly users.
When a traveller asks an AI what to do near Noosa in NSW this weekend, it recommends businesses by name. There is no page two. There is no second chance.
Liz Ward, Tourism Tribe CEO, said the local market was still there but operators needed to be visible to reach it.
“When travel budgets shrink, operators can’t afford to wait for the family holiday market to come back. The couples, the weekenders, the people spending on experiences instead of flights — if AI can’t find you, neither can they,” Ms Ward said.
To help operators respond, Tourism Tribe has published its AI in Tourism Playbook, a free, practical guide available now at www.tourismtribe.com/ai-playbook
The playbook is tailored for four audiences: operators, regional councils, travel sector businesses and destination marketing organisations, with tools and starting points for Q2 2026.
Fabienne Wintle, Tourism Tribe CIO, said the stakes had fundamentally changed.
“Your website is no longer a brochure. It is a data source for someone else’s AI assistant. The operators who will do well through this aren’t the biggest. They’re the ones who show up where AI is looking,” Ms Wintle said.
Tourism Tribe’s State of Artificial Intelligence in Tourism 2025 report found 71 per cent of Australian tourism operators have started using AI tools, but only 19 per cent feel confident.
Alongside the playbook, Tourism Tribe has launched Pocket Rocket, a free AI readiness tool at my.tourismtribe.com that scans a website across eight categories, delivers a benchmarked grade and provides three priority actions in 60 seconds.
