Picture a family planning a fall weekend adventure. A couple of years ago, they would have typed a few words into Google and scrolled through the links. Today, parents and kids alike are just as likely to ask ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Copilot: “Where can we find a dog-friendly brewery within two hours of D.C.?”
Generative AI answers in a couple of paragraphs. It names a few towns, an attraction or two, maybe a fall festival, and cites its sources. Then the family starts booking.
So here’s the question every destination needs to ask: when the chatbot answers, are you in the game?
SEO vs. AI Search: Same Field, New Playbook
There’s an actual discipline emerging around this called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), or simply AI search optimization. It overlaps heavily with SEO, so you’re not starting from scratch, but the strategy shifts, so listen up:
- Old SEO asked: How do we get this page to rank for a keyword?
- AI search asks: How do we make this destination the simplest, most credible source for an AI to use when answering a traveler’s question?
Think of AI as a digital visitors center. If you’re a CVB, it doesn’t replace your cornucopia of knowledge (fall vibes!), but it gives them a refined digital recommendation. And here’s the good news for Main Streets and smaller communities: AI doesn’t just reward the biggest name on the map. It rewards the clearest, most specific answer to the question actually asked.
That’s a game small and mid-sized destinations can win. Whether you’re an Instagram-worthy downtown like Frederick, Maryland, a coastal community like Georgetown, South Carolina, or a wine destination in Orange County, Virginia, you don’t need the biggest budget. You need the best-prepared playbook.
Quick Quiz: Would a Chatbot Recommend You?
Give yourself one point (or a bite of that cider donut) for every “yes.”
- Does your website answer specific visitor questions (“Is the trail dog friendly?” “Where do I park for the festival?”) rather than relying on a general “Things to Do” page?
- On those pages, is the answer in the first two or three sentences?
- Are your event dates, hours, prices, and addresses written in plain text, not just inside a flyer image or PDF?
- Do you publish at least one unique fact visitors can use, such as visitor counts or a local expert’s picks?
- Has someone confirmed your website is AI-chatbot friendly and isn’t turning AI crawlers away?
- Do your destination’s name, address, and description match across Google, TripAdvisor, your state tourism site, and your chamber listing?
6–7 points: You’re visitor-center ready. AI has plenty to work with. Time to start measuring your results.
3–5 points: You’re almost on the map. You have the raw material, but you need structure
0–2 points: You’re off the GPS…for now. Every item on this list is fixable, and the eight tips below show you how.
8 Ways to Make Your Destination AI-Friendly
1. Answer the questions travelers actually ask
Build pages that answer real questions rather than simply promoting the destination. Instead of one generic “Visit” page, organize your content around what someone would type into an AI tool:
- “What are the best fall festivals within an hour of Queen Anne’s County, Maryland?”
- “Where can I park downtown in Fairfax City, Virginia?”
- “What are the best places to kayak or paddle in Allegany County, Maryland?”
Each question is an invitation to give an AI engine a clear-cut answer it can retrieve.
2. Put the answer at the top
Don’t make a chatbot dig through 700 words of “charming” and “hidden gem” to find your festival dates. Lead with the answer, then follow with supporting detail, evidence, and a next step.
When is [Festival Name]? [Festival Name] runs [dates], [hours], at [location]. Admission is [price], and parking is available at [garage].
From there, add vendors, a map, your source, and a “Plan Your Visit” link. Microsoft recommends easy-to-digest headings, bullet lists, and Q&A formats so assistants can pull your wording into their responses. Write for the scanner, and the machines will thank you too.
3. Tell the story only you can tell
This is what separates a good destination website from a great one. AI systems look for original, citable facts to ground their answers: visitor counts, seasonal trends, trail conditions, event attendance, the economic impact of tourism, or a local guide’s top five picks.
Those details signal that you’re the authoritative source, not just another “10 Reasons to Visit” list. What do you know that no one else does? Maybe it’s the week that foliage is at its peak on your town common (perfect for family pictures!), the most scenic route for a dog walk, or how many boats launch from the marina on a fall Saturday. Publish it!
4. Make your expertise obvious
Name the author and their credentials, the organization behind the information, the publication date, and your sources. Oh, and skip the vague claims that tell AI nothing. Instead, name the trails, the best weeks to visit, and who says so, whether that’s an innkeeper, a park ranger, or a longtime resident.
5. Take key information out of the flyer
Event calendars that live only in a PDF or an Instagram graphic are nearly invisible to AI. Microsoft specifically advises against putting key information only in images, and against hiding answers in tabs and menus that AI can’t read. The fix is simple: put dates, hours, prices, and addresses in plain text. (It’s also better for accessibility, which every visitor appreciates.)
6. Build your site for machines as well as people
Use descriptive titles and headings, clean page code, and strong internal links, and keep an accurate XML sitemap. Bing specifically recommends XML sitemaps so updated information can be discovered quickly.
7. Make sure AI crawlers aren’t accidentally blocked
This has become a key item in any technical audit. OpenAI has said its OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in ChatGPT’s search features, and OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot are controlled separately. That means a destination can show up in ChatGPT search while opting out of GPTBot model training, or the other way around. Make sure your settings reflect a deliberate choice, not an accident left over from an old website build.
8. Build authority beyond your website, then measure it
AI engines favor consistent information across your state or local tourism site, Main Street program, partner attractions, review sites, and local news. The more places that tell the same accurate story about you, the stronger your claims become. That makes PR, earned media, and partner content part of a holistic AI search strategy, not an afterthought. Then track what shows up, so you know what’s working and where to adjust.
Your Move
Every destination has a story worth telling. The ones that get recommended will be the ones that tell it clearly, consistently, and in a form that both travelers and AI can understand. Think of it as stepping up to the plate: the pitch is already on its way, so be ready to swing!
Want help figuring out where your community stands? Take the quiz, then drop me a line. We’ll meet you where you are and help you reach your destination!
