Most Travellers Find Tourism Ads Look Alike - Report
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Six in 10 international travellers say travel advertisements look similar and half cannot remember the last tourism ad they saw, according to a report by global tourism platform TOURISE and LIONS Advisory.
The report, IDEAS That Travel, found that tourism brands are competing for attention in a more fragmented environment shaped by social media and artificial intelligence (AI), even as travel demand rises, TOURISE said in a statement.
It is based on an online survey of 8,374 consumers in 13 markets who had travelled internationally in the previous 12 months, conducted in December 2025, and interviews with industry leaders, including Capital A chief executive officer and AirAsia co-founder, Tony Fernandes.
“Travellers are discovering destinations earlier and through more channels than ever, from social feeds and creators to communities and AI tools. That raises the bar for tourism brands,” said Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb, who is also chairman of TOURISE.
The report found that 39 per cent of travellers expect to travel more in the next 12 months than in 2025, rising to 51 per cent of Gen Z and 47 per cent of millennials. However, 43 per cent find it difficult to tell travel brands apart.
At the same time, it also found that 55 per cent of travellers already use AI to plan holidays, and 62 per cent expect to use it more over the next year.
Global travel and transport advertising spending rebounded to an estimated US$32.4 billion in 2025, but the category’s share of total advertising remains below pre-pandemic levels. Restoring it to three per cent would require spending to reach US$43.4 billion by 2027, the report said. (US$1 = RM4.07)
It recommends smarter investment in social media, creator, video and entertainment channels rather than simply more spending, and sets out a framework built on five factors: investment, distinctiveness, engagement, authenticity and seamlessness.
-- BERNAMA