For decades, destination marketing has been built around a relatively simple idea: inspire travelers, help them plan, and convince them to visit.

But what happens when an AI agent starts making those decisions with them—or even for them?

In this episode, Eric Hultgren explores the changing relationship between travelers, technology, and the destinations competing for their attention. Through a fictional AI-first destination called Abante Island, he examines a future where destination marketing is less about broadcasting attractions and more about understanding traveler intent, managing experiences, and earning recommendations.

The conversation moves from AI agents and the changing traveler journey to a more immediate challenge: creating content that AI can’t simply reproduce.

What makes a destination worth recommending? How do you know what AI is telling potential visitors about your community? And why might firsthand human experience become one of the most valuable assets a destination marketer has?

It’s a look at where travel marketing is headed, what is already changing, and why the future of discovery may depend less on how much content we create and more on what makes that content worth finding.