What are GEO, AEO and AIO, and why are all three relevant to the travel and tourism industry?

"Best things to do in Seattle? Authentic sushi restaurant near Portland, Oregon? Find me river tours on the Snake River?"

These are the kinds of questions travelers are asking AI, and getting instant, trustworthy recommendations.

Instead of scrolling through TripAdvisor reviews, flipping through guidebooks, or even asking friends and family for suggestions, travelers are turning to AI to plan their trips. According to an independent survey by Kaspersky, between 38–45% of travelers now use AI to book hotels, restaurants, and tickets.

From the traveler’s perspective, it makes perfect sense. In seconds, AI can deliver a personalized list of experiences and, in many cases, even complete a booking, without the traveler ever visiting a business’s website.

This is a simple example of the kind of role generative engines can play for travelers. In this post, we’re going to break down exactly what Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is, why it’s especially relevant to the travel industry, how it differs from traditional SEO, and what you can do right now to improve your visibility and ranking.

What are GEO, AEO, and AIO?

Before we get into why AI search optimization matters for travel, let’s slow down and actually define the terms. There’s a lot of buzz right now, and if you’ve heard these acronyms thrown around but haven’t gotten a straight answer, you’re not alone.

AEO: Answer Engine Optimization

Remember when Apple released Siri on the iPhone 4s?

People lined up for hours, or even days, to get their hands on it. Why? Because the way we searched for information changed overnight. Instead of scrolling through pages of links, you could just ask a question and get an instant answer.

That’s one of the first real-world examples of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Other examples include Google’s featured snippets (“People also ask…”) and voice assistants like Alexa.

The difference between these "answer engines" and a typical search engine results page (SERP) is simple: instead of offering a full list of results, the engine delivers one clear answer. Businesses that structured their content to directly answer common questions (“What’s the best winery in Eugene?”) started getting pulled into those results.

AEO is about being the chosen answer, not just another link in the pile.

GEO: Generative Engine Optimization

If AEO was about giving quick answers, GEO is the next step forward. Instead of a short snippet, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity generate conversational recommendations. These tools, often called large language models (LLMs), don’t just tell you what to do, they explain why, in natural, human-like language.

When ChatGPT first launched in November 2022, most people weren’t sure what to make of it. But it didn’t take long before travelers realized they could plan entire trips, get personalized recommendations, and even draft itineraries, all instantly, and for free.

Here’s the progression:

• SEO: You show up in the top 10 blue links on Google.

• AEO: You get pulled into a featured snippet or voice assistant answer.

• GEO: You’re directly recommended by ChatGPT when someone asks, “What’s the best river tour near Boise?”

The big leap here between AEO and GEO is credibility. When AI says, “Best Oregon Tours is highly recommended for Willamette Valley wine trips,” it feels less like marketing and more like a trusted friend’s advice.

AIO: AI Optimization

AIO is the broader umbrella. It’s about how your content, brand, and data are optimized across all forms of AI tools, from generative chatbots to trip planners like GuideGeek or Kayak’s AI assistant.

GEO is one slice of AIO, but AIO also includes things like:

• How AI summarizes your business reviews

• How booking tools display your tours or restaurants

• How your brand is represented when AI pulls together itineraries

Put simply:

• AEO = getting picked as the answer in traditional search.

• GEO = getting recommended inside generative AI conversations.

• AIO = the bigger picture of how AI tools everywhere interpret and represent your business.

GEO vs. SEO: what’s the difference?

Most people are familiar with search engine optimization (SEO). The goal is straightforward: when someone types “wine tour near Salem” into Google, you want your business on the first page of results.

GEO works differently. Instead of competing for a top slot on a webpage, you’re competing to be the answer inside a conversation. When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity that same question, “wine tour near Salem” they don’t get a list of ten blue links. They get one or two recommendations, phrased in a way that feels like advice from a local friend.

• SEO = visibility. Your business appears in search results.

• GEO = credibility. Your business is recommended directly in conversation.

SEO might get you seen, but GEO gets you booked.

The bottom line

The truth is, GEO, AEO, and AIO overlap a lot in practice, each is about optimizing your business for AI systems to understand, trust, and recommend. SEO, on the other hand, is a separate discipline focused on ranking in traditional search results, not being surfaced in AI conversations. While the techniques for GEO, AEO, and AIO often bleed together, the goal is always the same: make your business visible and credible where travelers are actually asking questions.

Why GEO matters more than ever in travel

Travel is one of the industries being reshaped the fastest by AI. Why? Because decisions are often made quickly, emotionally, and based on trust. People are busy, and research is time consuming and often unproductive if you don't know what you are looking for. AI tools massively help reduce the time commitment and improve the quality of planning a trip. 

A traveler doesn’t want to sift through 200 reviews. They want one clear answer. 

They don’t want to wonder if they’re missing a hidden gem. They want the best recommendation up front.

They don’t want to bounce between five websites. They want to book in one step.

If your business is the one being recommended in that AI conversation, you’ve already built trust

before the traveler has even clicked. That’s a powerful advantage, and it’s happening right now.

The basics: how to improve GEO right now

The good news is that most of the foundations of GEO are simple and approachable. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to start making progress, you just need to focus on what AI tools are actually looking for.

Here are three starting points:

1. Create fresh, original content. AI models are trained on massive datasets. If your business has stale, copy-pasted descriptions, you won’t stand out. Write blog posts, unique descriptions, or local guides that feel specific, authentic, and alive.
   

2. Answer real questions. Travelers ask questions the way they’d ask a friend. “Best sushi spot near me?” or “Where’s the best river tour in Oregon?” Structure your content to actually answer these questions, not just cram in keywords.
   

3. Be present in online conversations. AI models pick up on signals from Reddit threads, Quora answers, Google reviews, and even blog comments. If your business is mentioned and positively reviewed in these spaces, your chances of being recommended rise significantly.

Pro Tip: Add an FAQ section

FAQ sections are one of the simplest and most effective ways to boost your odds of being recommended by an LLM. Start by writing down the 10 most common questions customers ask you, on the phone, over email, or in person, and answer them clearly on your website.

To take it further, bolster your answers with relevant stats, quotes, or credible sources. AI models prioritize authority, so the more trustworthy signals you feed them, the more likely your business gets surfaced. In fact, a 2024 Princeton University study found that adding authoritative sources, like quotes and statistics, to FAQs can increase the chances of being cited by ChatGPT by up to 40%.

It may seem basic, but these three steps, combined with a strong FAQ, are a fantastic start towards improving how often your business shows up in AI recommendations.

GEO in action: why early movers win

Think about how quickly travel behavior has shifted. Ten years ago, trips started with guidebooks. Five years ago, they started with Tripadvisor reviews. Today, they start with AI assistants.

That means the window of opportunity is right now. Businesses that invest in GEO today will get recommended more often, attract more bookings, and build brand recognition as the “default” choice in AI conversations.

And once AI tools start recommending you consistently, that momentum snowballs, it’s much easier to stay the trusted answer than to break in later.

Key takeaway

AI trip planning isn’t some distant trend. It’s already here, and it’s reshaping how travelers choose what to do, where to eat, and which tours to book.

Start with the basics: fresh content, real answers, and being present in online conversations. But don’t ignore the technical side, because that’s where AI truly decides who gets recommended.

The businesses that act now will be the ones showing up when a traveler asks, “What should I do when I visit Oregon?”

Interested in learning more? See how Belorado GEO can get your business AI-visible and recommended #1.