I’m Dan Taylor — travel SEO and AI search specialist, conference speaker, and the voice behind Travel Marketing Guy.
For more than a decade I’ve helped airlines, DMOs, OTAs, hotels, tour operators and booking platforms grow through organic search. That work now sits at the sharp end of AI search and generative engine optimisation (GEO): how travellers discover, compare and book when Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and the rest sit between your brand and the trip.
I write here for commercial travel teams who need clear takes, not demo theatre. If you want the longer consulting and speaking bio, it’s on dantaylor.online.
Travel SEO and AI leadership
Travel search is messy on purpose. Inspiration, planning and booking all look different in the query log, and AI answers are rewriting which brands get seen. My focus is practical:
- Travel SEO strategy that protects and grows direct demand
- AI search and GEO so brands show up in answers, not only blue links
- Technical foundations that keep large travel sites crawlable, fast and trustworthy
- Commercial advice for hotels, airlines, OTAs and destinations competing with platforms that own the front door
I’ve worked with more than 75 travel companies — from specialist tour operators and agents to airlines, comparison sites and global brands — and I share that lens weekly on this site, plus in Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land.
I’m Partner and Head of Innovation (Organic & AI) at SALT.agency, and the author of AI Search Marketing in the Travel Sector.
Speaking across the travel industry
I speak regularly on travel SEO, AI search and how marketing teams should respond. Stages have included:
- Institute of Travel & Tourism — Qatar, Greece and Spain
- World Travel Market (WTM) London — including AI and search panels
- Independent Hotel Show
- Hotel Marketers Conference / National Hotel Marketing Association
- European Tourism Association
- DMO Advanced and other destination-marketing forums
Outside travel-only rooms I’ve also spoken at Google Search Central Live, BrightonSEO, International Search Summit and Tech SEO events across Europe, the US and Asia Pacific. The brief is always the same: simple language, real examples, and something a CMO or head of SEO can act on the next morning.
Who I work with
Most of my travel work sits with:
- Airlines — visibility across routes, fare intent and brand search in a paid-heavy market
- DMOs and tourism boards — destination discovery when travellers research before they book
- OTAs and metasearch — competitive SEO and AI distribution strategy
- Hotels and hotel groups — direct booking, GEO, and staying visible when agents and OTAs own the assistant layer
- Tour operators and travel brands — content, technical SEO and conversion-safe AI
Why this site exists
Travel Marketing Guy is where I publish opinion-led takes on travel marketing, SEO and AI. Strong view first, evidence second. Built for marketers inside airlines, hotels, OTAs and destinations who are tired of vague “AI will change everything” posts.
If you want the newsletter, follow Dan Taylor on LinkedIn. For speaking or consultancy, get in touch via the contact page or dantaylor.online.