TripAdvisor pivots to daily app as Google AI threatens search traffic

TripAdvisor is repositioning itself as a daily travel destination rather than just a search utility, anticipating that Google’s AI Overviews will significantly reduce traditional search traffic. The travel platform is implementing a three-pronged strategy focused on app improvements, membership program enhancements, and moving higher up the travel planning funnel to maintain relevance as AI transforms how people discover information.

The traffic reality: TripAdvisor has already experienced a notable decline in monthly visits, dropping from 146-169 million in early 2023 to around 120 million by February 2025.

• While some of this decline coincides with Google’s AI Overviews rollout, the broader shift reflects changing information discovery patterns beyond any single feature.
• “Google’s AI mode in search is going to eat large chunks of search,” said Matthew Dacey, chief marketing officer at TripAdvisor. “It’s going to happen fast as they [Google] push it and more people subsequently adopt it.”

The strategic pivot: TripAdvisor is transforming from a search-dependent utility into a direct planning destination that travelers visit regularly.

• The company aims to drive more logged-in behavior, particularly on mobile, despite having over 100 million active member accounts with limited app usage.
• A new brand campaign launching this month will mark TripAdvisor’s 25th anniversary while positioning the brand as a starting point for travel planning rather than just a Google search result.

How AI fits in: The platform is building AI-powered features that anticipate traveler needs using shared planning and booking details.

• Push notifications will deliver contextual travel questions and recommendations based on user-generated content and AI analysis.
• “All of our push notifications that go out can be those questions that travellers might be asking and served to them using AI based on the user-generated content on our site,” Dacey explained.

The Perplexity partnership: TripAdvisor’s collaboration with the AI search startup demonstrates how the company is adapting to AI-powered discovery environments.

• The partnership allows Perplexity to access behavioral and preference data that traditional search engines can’t reach, while TripAdvisor’s curated hotel lists appear in Perplexity’s summaries.
• Six months in, Dacey reports promising results, particularly in attracting high-intent users ready to book, though specific metrics weren’t disclosed.
• The partnership will eventually expand to include restaurants and experiences.

Why this matters: Brands like TripAdvisor may be better positioned than publishers in the AI era because they don’t rely solely on pageview monetization.

• Unlike publishers who view search traffic as “lifeblood,” advertisers can reallocate spending across channels and partnerships to compensate for reduced search visibility.
• “Of course, advertisers are going to feel second-order effects of traffic from search going down like CPCs going up but it’s not comparable to publishers,” noted Tim Hussain, co-founder of AI consulting firm Signal42.

The competitive advantage: TripAdvisor believes longer, specific queries will continue to surface relevant content in AI environments.

• “What tends to work in these environments is longer queries so we’re in a good position at Tripadvisor because longer queries for specific use cases will always find their way to interesting content,” Dacey said.
• The challenge lies in getting proper attribution and translating AI-driven influence into tangible business results.