Be found first in travel social search
Travellers no longer start with your website. They start in social feeds and AI answers. In late 2024 Google’s travel AI overviews jumped from 1% to 29% and organic clicks on “where to go” pieces almost halved. At the same time 37% of leisure travellers tried ChatGPT itineraries and 12% of OTA revenue arrived from TikTok links. Fewer than 20% of travel brands optimise captions, alt text and file names for social or AI. The gap is your shortcut.
What this framework gives you
- A practical way to make every post discoverable in social feeds and AI answers
- A platform cheat sheet for LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Threads and X
- A one-page checklist your team can run this week, no rebrand needed
Who it’s for
Heads of marketing, social leads, ecom, content, CX and revenue teams in travel, hospitality and airlines who need more direct bookings and better visibility without more faff.
Why now
- Google’s AI overviews in travel are eating clicks. You need content that is quotable by machines and helpful to humans.
- Travellers plan in social and chat. Your answers must be there, in natural language, ready to be lifted into itineraries. 2
- Only one in five travel brands optimise for social and AI search. Early movers win outsized share.
What’s inside the framework
The overarching framework
Clear guidance on file naming, alt text, transcripts, thumbnails, carousels, evergreen posts, AI-liftable answer blocks, sentiment radar and the metrics that matter. Each item explains what to do, why it matters and how to implement.
The platform cheat sheet
Field-by-field pointers on where to put the words that rank. Titles, captions, on-screen text, chapter markers, highlights and alt text per channel. Extra tips include using staff voices like pilots, concierges and chefs to boost authority.
The one-page checklist
A sprint plan you can pin to the wall. Hygiene sweep of ten posts. Three 40-word FAQs to publish. One evergreen post to pin per channel. UTM tagging, alerts for delay chatter and two thumbnail tests.
A quick peek at three fixes you can use today
- Rename your assets before you upload
Use lower-case hyphens and real queries like naples-food-tour-2025-shorts.mp4. Machines index file names. Context earns citations. - Write human alt text and edit captions
Say what the image shows and the key insight. Include the traveller’s wording once. “Infinity pool at adults-only hotel in Crete at sunset. Late check-out 2 pm.” - Create AI-liftable answer blocks
Add 40–60 word answers in plain English that an overview can quote. “Is Bali rainy in February” followed by a factual, helpful paragraph.
Oh! Also worth reading the article on how to Design for Social Search
How this helps you prove value
- Track search-led sessions, AI citations, assisted revenue and saved posts alongside direct clicks. Reach is up, average CTR is down, but discovery rises when your content is readable by people and robots.
Download the framework
Get the Social search and AI readiness framework for travel, hospitality and airlines. It’s free, detailed and built to slot into your current workflow. You can also watch the webinar on LinkedIn