We tackle a world where travel decisions are increasingly driven by personal stories, social content, and seamless technology, two parallel forces are emerging that will redefine how we plan, book, and monetize the travel experience:
AI as a creative and strategic planning tool, and
The rise of creator-led travel commerce, where influence meets infrastructure.
From event planners who use ChatGPT to shape conferences, to travel creators using AI to turn Instagram Reels into bookable itineraries, these aren’t abstract trends—they’re real innovations with practical impact. Let’s dive into how they’re changing the game.
AI as a Creative Co-Pilot: How Planners Are Actually Using It
Ginger Taylor, assistant director of leadership at the Network for Women at Arc, recently shared her workflow with Skift Meetings—and it offers a powerful window into how AI can support, not replace, the planning process.
🧠 AI as an Idea Generator
Ginger doesn’t use ChatGPT to write speeches or automate logistics start to finish. Instead, she uses it to spark creativity, explore strategic angles, and structure messy inputs like meeting notes and brainstorming sessions.
She’s used it to:
Extract key insights from speaker evaluations
Build SWOT analyses for large-scale leadership events
Summarise survey data and present it to senior stakeholders
Translate process notes into structured task lists within Wrike
“What it gives me is never the final product. I treat it like a first draft or idea generator.”
— Ginger Taylor, Skift Meetings
Taylor emphasizes that she collaborates with her team to refine AI-generated content so that it aligns with her organisation’s voice and values. She fact-checks everything and views the tool as step one in a larger, human-led process.
💡 Practical Tip for Event Pros:
Start simple. Use AI to format meeting notes, draft initial agendas, or create task breakdowns. You don’t need to become an expert overnight—you just need to be curious.
The Next Frontier: Creators as the New Travel Agents
While event planners are using AI to do their jobs better, creators are starting to use it to build entirely new businesses.
Meet tripPromoter, a Miami- and Buenos Aires-based startup featured on PhocusWire that’s giving travel influencers the tools to sell bookable experiences directly to their audience—without needing an OTA, affiliate link, or travel agency license.
🚀 How It Works
TripPromoter empowers creators—called “Promoters”—to turn their social content into monetizable, bookable trips. Their proprietary AI tool, reel2trip, takes content like Reels, YouTube videos, or blog posts and converts it into structured itineraries that include:
Accommodation
Local tours
Activities
Transport
Price markups and booking links
In essence, creators become the point of sale, not just the source of inspiration.
“We’re not trying to build for everyone. We’re building for a specific kind of creator, with a specific kind of community.”
— Federico Rozado, CEO, tripPromoter
💡 What’s Different About This Model?
Most creator monetization in travel stops at affiliate links, sponsorships, or brand deals. But with tripPromoter:
Creators own the trip design and branding
They earn revenue per booking, not per click
They don’t push users to another platform—they own the full guest experience
This isn’t a gimmick. It’s already live. Creators are using it to sell real trips, from Patagonia hiking circuits to Bali wellness retreats. The platform manages compliance, payment, supplier logistics, and customer support—creators focus on storytelling.
Why These Trends Matter—Together
Both Ginger Taylor and the team behind tripPromoter are navigating the same landscape: one where technology doesn’t replace the human touch—it amplifies it.
AI is unlocking efficiency, freeing up time for creativity and strategy. Platforms like tripPromoter are giving creators ownership, turning influence into income. And guests, audiences, and attendees are responding—not to slick automation—but to authenticity, flexibility, and purpose.
🧭 For the Travel Industry at Large:
These developments aren’t just helpful—they’re disruptive:
Planners who use AI effectively will lead more creative, adaptive events
Creators who sell their own trips could redefine travel distribution
Platforms that fail to evolve may find themselves bypassed entirely
And for short-term rental operators, event suppliers, or destination marketers—this means opportunity:
Collaborate with creators who now have real selling power
Integrate your offerings with platforms like tripPromoter
Experiment with AI for planning, operations, and guest experience
Final Thoughts: The Tools Are Here—Now What Will You Do With Them?
This isn’t the future of travel. This is now.
Whether you're planning a leadership summit or curating content for Instagram, the tools to move faster, earn more, and connect deeper are already in your hands.
AI doesn’t need to be scary. Creator monetization doesn’t need to be limited to affiliate links.
In both cases, the new rule is simple: start. Learn by doing. Collaborate. And stay human.
Because at the end of the day, travel has always been about connection. Now, we just have smarter ways to scale it.
Ready to elevate your direct booking game? Visit the Boostly website for the tools, strategies, and support you need to succeed in 2025 and beyond. And remember: Book Direct.