Tripadvisor is chasing app loyalty and pivoting with AI as Google search starts slipping
With traffic from Google slipping, Tripadvisor is rethinking discovery, app engagement, and AI strategy
Tripadvisor is going back to basics—by aiming to become a daily habit.
As generative AI reshapes how people search, the travel review giant is recalibrating its strategy.
It’s not ditching Google traffic cold turkey, but the company sees what’s coming: AI Overviews are increasingly giving users answers without sending them to external sites.
For Tripadvisor, that means evolving from a utility into a destination.
This article explores how Tripadvisor is using AI, app design, and new partnerships to shift from mid-funnel discovery to top-of-funnel engagement—and why marketers should care about the company’s next chapter.
Short on time?
Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- Tripadvisor’s traffic drop: a sign of changing search
- How the brand is repositioning for direct engagement
- Trust, friction, and the new loyalty loop
- AI-powered personalization and push strategy
- What marketers should know
Patrecia Meliana
Tripadvisor's traffic drop: a sign of changing search
CMO Matthew Dacey wasn't mincing words in an interview with Digiday: “Google’s AI mode in search is going to eat large chunks of search.” And he’s not alone in that thinking.
While publishers may be the first to feel the sting, travel platforms like Tripadvisor are next in line. The company saw monthly visits fall from around 160 million in early 2023 to 120 million by February 2025, according to Statista.
Dacey attributes this dip partly to Google’s AI Overviews, which often surface answers without linking out.
But this isn’t just a Google problem. It’s a user behavior shift. Discovery is no longer just about queries—it’s about context, convenience, and direct platforms that meet users where they are.
Patrecia Meliana
How the brand is repositioning for direct engagement
Tripadvisor’s plan is straightforward but ambitious: get people to use the app like they check weather or news.
To do that, the brand is focusing on three pillars:
- Revamping the app to drive more logged-in behavior.
- Refreshing its membership program to encourage repeat use.
- Moving higher up the funnel—turning Tripadvisor into a trip-starting habit rather than a place you visit mid-journey.
With over 100 million active member accounts but limited app engagement, Tripadvisor sees major upside if it can shift more of its audience from web to app.
CEO Matt Goldberg recently hinted during a conversation at the 2025 Phocuswright Europe conference that new “improvements” to Tripadvisor’s free membership tier will launch in July.
While he didn’t reveal specifics, he said the goal is to make membership “a reason for coming and engaging and spending more time with us,” adding:
“We increasingly think about Tripadvisor as being a really interesting earn and burn opportunity… a wallet that can be used across categories—we could think about the membership and how it extends beyond the Tripadvisor brand.”
Trust, friction, and the new loyalty loop
Goldberg also spoke at the 2025 Phocuswright Europe conference, where he made a case for why trust is the new differentiator in travel:
“In a world of AI, trust becomes increasingly more rare, more precious and more valuable—knowing who can trust, knowing the provenance of where that information came from. And it’s no more important than in the category of travel, which is a very considered purchase, where the consequences of getting it wrong can be very high.”
This is especially relevant for younger travelers, who, according to Goldberg, are less loyal and more focused on brand trust.
Viator’s new president, Pepijn Rijvers, echoed the sentiment:
“The value, typically, in my mind, really sits in removing friction from my ability to experience the world and explore the world… we’ve got a job set out for us to make sure that we add more value—meaning we remove more friction for customers than anyone else.”
“As a result, we will see their loyalty to the brand, and then that builds the trust, that builds the repeat business, that builds a free traffic profile, that builds good unit economics and that builds the opportunity to invest.”
AI-powered personalization and push strategy
While trust and experience are foundational, Tripadvisor is also using AI to take a more proactive approach.
The company is leaning into its trove of user-generated content and applying AI to deliver timely, relevant push notifications.
Think: alerts for restaurants near your hotel or recommendations for things to do on day two of your trip—before you even ask.
As Dacey put it:
“All of our push notifications… can be those questions that travellers might be asking and served to them using AI.”
This isn't just personalization; it's context-aware nudge marketing that aims to preempt needs rather than respond to them.
What marketers should know
Tripadvisor’s shift offers a strategic playbook for marketers navigating the AI-overview era:
- Search isn’t dead—but referral is weakening.
Marketers should anticipate reduced visibility from organic search and plan for other entry points.
- Build loyalty in your own environments.
Tripadvisor is doubling down on its app. Brands might take note: if Google becomes less generous with clicks, owned channels matter more than ever.
- Partner where context matters.
The travel site’s partnership with Perplexity lets it appear in AI-generated search results with high-intent users. This kind of AI-native placement may become a vital channel.
- Use AI to push, not just respond.
Tripadvisor is using AI to power outbound nudges that are timely and useful—not just reactive chatbots. Marketers can explore similar strategies across lifecycle and CRM campaigns.
Tripadvisor may not face the same existential threat as ad-dependent publishers, but its pivot signals a larger truth: search traffic is no longer guaranteed, and brand loyalty is the new moat.
As AI search evolves, marketers will need to think like destinations—not just answers.
