Travel is entering a new era—one where AI-driven discovery and passion-driven consumers are rewriting the rules.
At Arival 360 | Washington, DC, I sat down with Laurel Greatix, newly appointed Chief Communications Officer for TripAdvisor, parent company of Viator, to discuss the trends reshaping the tours and experiences industry. We talked about how AI is changing traveler discovery, what types of experiences are gaining the most traction, and how operators can stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Here are some highlights from that conversation — full video interview included below.
AI Is Changing How Travelers Discover, Search, and Book
One of the things that’s top of mind for Tripadvisor and Viator right now, Greatix shares, is how AI is changing how travelers search for experiences.
“ What we are seeing is that anything that’s upper funnel — discovery, imagination, considering what destination you’re gonna go to, starting to build your itinerary maybe 60, 90 days out — that is now all shifting towards the AI surfaces, and these travelers are just getting much better information than they used to,” Greatix explained.
Yet while discovery is moving to AI, the “lower funnel” searches from travelers ready to book remain largely unchanged — although when they’re ready, they’re ready. “ What we’re finding is that when the journey starts there on the AI surfaces, by the time they get to us, they are ready to book, and they convert hard and they convert fast,” she said.
What are Travelers Looking For Now? Passion Takes Center Stage
While traditional “bread-and-butter” experiences in famous destinations still drive the majority of bookings on Viator, Greatix shared, there are some emerging categories that are growing quickly.
The fastest-growing categories are centered around experiential, small-group, and passion-driven experiences. For example, culinary experiences and particularly classes, other hands-on crafts, and outdoor adventures are among the strongest growth categories, Greatix shared.
Outdoor adventures is one category that has remained particularly strong, and has also shifted where some travelers are going, with destinations like Utah and Alaska seeing rising demand. “ Where 10 years ago we were essentially sending Americans to Europe to do quite traditional touristic things,” Greatix observed, “we now see a lot of Americans staying within the U.S. and doing things that are outside and hard and physical and, really just enjoying the great outdoors.”
Notably, these passion-based experiences also translate to strong traveler satisfaction. “They’re choosing those things, but they’re also now our most highly rated experiences on the site,” said Greatix.
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How Can Operators Stand Out on Viator?
Competition on the platform can be fierce, Greatix acknowledged, intensified by factors like the uncertain macroeconomic environment and the challenges of “copycat operators” attempting to undercut prices for similar products.
Laurel emphasized that Viator aims to reward performance: operators delivering excellent experiences, earning strong reviews, and engaging travelers effectively will stand out. “If you are providing an excellent experience, you are getting really well reviewed, you have people booking you, and you are doing a great job, that $5 is not necessarily gonna be the deciding factor in sort,” she said.
Personalization also plays a role on Viator, Greatix explained, matching travelers to the experiences most likely to resonate with them.
So what does this mean for operators? Give the algorithm clear signals: strong, specific product descriptions, high-quality photos that show the type of traveler the experience is suited for, accurate categorization, and consistent 5-star reviews all help the system understand who your tour is right for — and show it to those travelers more often.
Learn more about differentiation and how to help your products stand out here: Escaping the Tour Commoditization Trap.
Full Interview: Lauren Greatix
In the full conversation, we also discussed other industry trends and challenges, commission and Viator Accelerate, as well as what’s not changing as AI becomes more ubiquitous in online travel search.
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