How sightseeing attractions can compete for more international visitors

International tourism is a moving target. The markets sending visitors today may not be the ones offering the greatest opportunities tomorrow. Geopolitical tensions can disrupt established travel routes, emerging destinations are giving people new reasons to explore elsewhere, and AI is changing how travellers find and choose experiences.

For sightseeing businesses, keeping pace means looking beyond the markets that have traditionally delivered visitors. It means understanding where demand is growing, what different audiences are looking for and how to make sure your attraction is on their radar.

Three developments are particularly important, with implications for where you focus your international digital marketing and how you reach potential visitors.

1. Where are the next opportunities for international visitors?

A country’s potential as a source market depends on more than outbound travel volumes. Flight connections, travel costs, visitor preferences and destination appeal all influence how many travellers become potential visitors.

Geopolitical events can quickly change these factors. The 2026 escalation of conflict in the Middle East shows how disruption can affect travel patterns, flight availability and costs far beyond the countries involved.

In its Autumn 2026 aviation forecast, EUROCONTROL identified geopolitical tensions as a cause of reduced demand to and from the Middle East, changes to established flight routes and higher aviation costs. It cut its forecast for European air traffic growth in 2026 from 2.7% to 1.7%.

Growing outbound tourism creates opportunities, but market size alone tells you little. According to the ITB China Travel Trends Report 2026/27, China’s outbound tourism market recorded 167.92 million trips in 2025, up 16% on the previous year. But the opportunity for an individual attraction depends on how many visit its destination, which audiences are relevant and whether its offer meets their expectations.

These shifts have implications for both where you invest in paid media and how you target international audiences. A growing source market is only commercially attractive if you can reach relevant travellers and convert their interest into bookings.

What this means for your international marketing strategy

• Look beyond visitor volumes. Compare source markets by website traffic, booking conversion, average transaction value and revenue to understand which deliver the strongest returns.
  
  
• Consider ease of travel. Monitor changes in flight routes, capacity and travel costs, particularly in markets where your attraction has historically performed well.
  
  
• Identify relevant growth markets. Track outbound travel alongside destination demand, looking for growth among audiences relevant to your attraction.
  
  
• Keep investment responsive. Use performance data to adjust paid media budgets as demand, ease of travel and conversion rates change. Historical allocations shouldn’t dictate future investment.

2. More destinations are competing for visitors’ time and money

Established tourism destinations have traditionally benefited from international recognition, developed infrastructure and familiar attractions. But other countries are investing in tourism, improving connectivity and developing experiences to attract international visitors.

The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, published in September, shows how quickly the landscape is changing. Of the 110 economies assessed, 92% improved their tourism development scores between 2024 and 2026. Since 2019, the largest emerging tourism economies have improved their scores more than twice as quickly as the top 20 economies, with seven of the ten fastest-improving performers in Asia-Pacific.

Established destinations retain their appeal, but their historical advantages no longer guarantee visitor preference.

Affordability adds to the pressure. The WEF found that tourism-related price competitiveness declined in three-quarters of the economies assessed between 2024 and 2026, with prices rising faster than inflation in many countries.

This changing landscape makes it more important for individual attractions to stand out. Visitors have limited time and money, and a sightseeing experience must earn its place alongside theatre, sport, cultural experiences, food tours and other activities. Even in a world-famous city, international recognition alone won’t secure a booking.

What this means for your international marketing strategy

• Understand the wider competitive environment. Look beyond attractions offering similar experiences. Consider the other activities, events and experiences competing for visitors’ limited time and expenditure.
  
  
• Understand what different audiences value. Consider how visitors from different markets assess price, quality, convenience and the overall experience. Oban’s Local In-Market Experts provide insight into the cultural nuances, local preferences and audience expectations that influence travel decisions.
  
  
• Make your differentiation tangible. Communicate what makes your attraction distinctive, what visitors can expect and why it deserves a place in their itinerary.
  
  
• Measure the quality of demand. Look beyond visitor numbers and website traffic. Booking conversion, average transaction value and customer acquisition costs help establish which markets deliver the strongest commercial return.

3. AI is changing which experiences make the shortlist

International travellers increasingly use AI alongside search engines, travel websites and social media to discover and research experiences. Travellers can ask ChatGPT and other AI assistants to recommend attractions, compare experiences and suggest itineraries based on their interests, budgets and plans. This creates a new competitive challenge for attractions, because a strong reputation doesn’t guarantee you’ll appear when potential visitors ask for recommendations.

Research published by Skift Research in October 2026 highlights the shift. Its booking-journey research found that AI accounted for 21% of inspiration-stage touchpoints. In a separate analysis of AI recommendations, 29% of destination and traveller-profile combinations considered a strong match were never recommended.

An American family visiting London, a Chinese traveller interested in British history and a European couple seeking unusual cultural experiences may all consider the same attraction, but their interests and expectations will differ.

AI recommendations can vary according to travellers’ interests, who they’re travelling with, and what they want from their visit. Attractions therefore need to be visible and relevant across a range of audiences and search contexts.

That starts with clear, accessible information about your experience, location, target audiences, prices, facilities and points of difference. Strong SEO helps make this information discoverable through traditional search and can support visibility in AI-driven discovery. AI systems also draw on travel publications, destination websites and other third-party sources, making an accurate, consistent presence across these channels important.

What this means for your international marketing strategy

• Test your visibility across markets. Explore what search engines and AI assistants recommend when asked about attractions and experiences in your destination. Vary the questions, languages and traveller profiles to see how your business appears to different audiences.
  
  
• Identify recommendation gaps. Examine which competing attractions appear consistently and whether yours is overlooked in situations where it should be relevant. Look at how your experience is described and what information AI systems can access.
  
  
• Make international content more useful. Ensure information about your experience, location, pricing, facilities and visitor benefits is accurate, detailed and accessible. Localise and adapt content where appropriate, rather than relying on generic messaging.
  
  
• Build a consistent presence beyond your website. Consider how your attraction is represented across authoritative travel publications, destination resources and relevant third-party websites.

Make your international attraction marketing work harder

The best international opportunities lie where market demand, ease of travel and your attraction’s strengths align. Finding them means keeping pace with changing travel patterns and visitor preferences and being prepared to rethink your investment.

Oban helps sightseeing businesses identify those opportunities and reach the audiences that matter. From finding the right international markets to understanding how visible your attraction is in AI-powered search, we help you make more informed marketing decisions. Talk to us about making your next international marketing investment count.