AI travel search is changing how travellers discover accommodation. For property owners, the rise of AI could create a new route to high-intent guests, direct bookings and reduced dependence on online travel agencies.
For more than a decade, one of the most important questions for a short-term rental owner has been:
How do I get my property seen on Airbnb, Booking.com and other online travel agencies?
That question is still important. But another question is rapidly becoming just as relevant:
What happens when the traveller stops searching for accommodation on an OTA and starts asking artificial intelligence where they should stay?
The answer could have significant implications for property owners in Malta, Gozo and Sicily.
AI assistants are increasingly being used to research destinations, compare accommodation, build itineraries, find restaurants, understand transport options and narrow down travel choices.
According to Booking.com’s 2025 Global AI Sentiment Report, 89% of consumers said they wanted to use AI in future travel planning, based on research involving more than 37,000 people across 33 markets. The same research found that 24% already considered AI assistants a trusted source for travel information, ahead of travel bloggers at 19% and social media influencers at 14%.
That does not mean Airbnb or Booking.com are disappearing. It means the discovery layer of travel is changing. And for professional property owners and property managers, that creates a new digital battleground:
Will AI understand, trust and recommend your property?
AI travel search is becoming part of the travel journey
The traditional accommodation journey has often looked like this:
Google → Booking.com/Airbnb → compare properties → book
The emerging journey can look very different:
AI assistant → personalised recommendations → property or booking platform → booking
Instead of entering a short keyword such as: “Malta apartments” , a traveller can now ask a much more detailed question:
“I’m travelling to Malta with my family for a week. We want a two-bedroom apartment near the sea, somewhere with restaurants nearby, air conditioning and good access to Valletta. What are the best areas and properties?”
The AI has to interpret the traveller’s requirements and identify relevant options. That changes the competitive environment. The property does not simply need to rank.
It needs to be understood.
The numbers show that AI travel discovery is growing
This is no longer just a theoretical discussion.
Adobe’s Digital Insights data found that traffic from generative AI sources to US travel, leisure and hospitality websites increased 1,700% between July 2024 and February 2025. Adobe’s survey also found that 29% of respondents had already used generative AI for travel-related tasks. Among those AI users, 54% used it for general research, 43% for travel inspiration, 43% for local food recommendations, 41% for transportation planning and 37% for itinerary creation.
Adobe’s later data shows the trend accelerating.
In May 2026, AI-sourced traffic to US travel websites was 194% higher year-on-year and 2,215% higher than October 2024, when Adobe began tracking AI traffic. AI-referred visitors were also 21% more engaged than visitors arriving from non-AI sources, spent 70% longer per visit and had a 41% lower bounce rate.
Adobe’s holiday-season 2025 travel data found AI referrals generated a 16.8% higher engagement rate than traditional sources, with AI visitors recording a 33% lower bounce rate, 21% more pages per visit and 65% longer time on site.
These figures are based primarily on US digital behaviour rather than Malta specifically, so they should not be interpreted as Malta booking statistics.
But they demonstrate something important: AI-assisted travel discovery is growing rapidly, and the people arriving from AI sources are showing meaningful engagement with travel websites.
Travellers are increasingly comfortable using AI
The other important shift is consumer acceptance.
Booking.com’s Global AI Sentiment Report, based on more than 37,000 respondents across 33 markets, found:
- 89% want to use AI in future travel planning.
- 91% say they are excited about AI.
- 79% are familiar with AI.
- 24% consider AI assistants a trusted travel information source.
- Only 12% are comfortable with AI making decisions independently.
The last statistic is particularly important. Travellers want AI assistance. They do not necessarily want AI to take complete control. This suggests that the near-term opportunity is less about handing the entire holiday over to an AI agent and more about using AI to discover, compare and shortlist options. That distinction matters enormously for accommodation providers.
AI does not need to replace Booking.com to change the market
There is a tendency to describe AI as though it will suddenly replace the online travel agencies. That is too simplistic. OTAs remain incredibly powerful distribution channels. They provide:
- International exposure
- Consumer trust
- Secure payment systems
- Customer support
- Reviews
- Search functionality
- Established booking processes
- Huge accommodation databases
Booking.com and other major travel companies are also investing heavily in AI themselves. So the future is unlikely to be:
AI versus OTAs.
It is more likely to become: AI + Google + OTAs + direct websites + social media + other travel platforms.
The property owner who understands how these channels work together will have a significant advantage over the owner who relies entirely on one platform.
The Malta opportunity is particularly interesting
The growth of AI travel search is happening at the same time that Malta’s tourism market continues to expand. According to Malta’s National Statistics Office, 4,022,310 inbound tourists visited Malta during 2025, generating approximately 25.4 million nights and an estimated €3.904 billion in tourism expenditure.
The momentum continued into 2026. During the first five months of 2026:
- 1,673,602 inbound tourists visited Malta.
- Tourist numbers were 17.9% higher than the same period of 2025.
- Tourist nights reached 9.2 million, up 12.0%.
- Tourism expenditure reached approximately €1.34 billion, up 14.7%.
- Average expenditure per tourist was approximately €800.
In May alone, Malta welcomed 457,636 inbound tourists, an increase of 22.3% compared with May 2025. The month generated 2.59 million tourist nights and €419.9 million in expenditure. And accommodation remains central to that tourism economy. In May 2026, 88% of guest nights were spent in rented accommodation establishments. That is an enormous addressable market for accommodation providers.
The question is increasingly becoming: How will those millions of travellers discover where to stay?
Malta’s tourism market is becoming increasingly digital and competitive
The growth in tourism does not automatically mean every property owner will benefit equally. More tourists can mean: More demand.
But it can also mean: More competition.
Properties are competing on:
- Price
- Location
- Reviews
- Availability
- Photos
- Amenities
- Guest experience
- OTA ranking
- Brand reputation
- Digital visibility
AI adds another layer.
A property that is difficult for an AI system to understand may be overlooked even if it is genuinely excellent. That is why AI visibility should increasingly be considered part of a property’s overall marketing strategy.
The direct booking opportunity
This is where the subject becomes particularly interesting for property owners. The objective is not to eliminate OTAs. The objective is to build a balanced distribution strategy. Consider a hypothetical Malta holiday apartment generating €40,000 in annual accommodation revenue.
If its weighted OTA distribution cost were 18%, that would represent approximately: €7,200 in distribution costs. That is a simplified illustration rather than a universal OTA commission rate. The actual cost varies by platform, agreement, promotions, payment arrangements and the property’s channel mix.
But the underlying principle remains: Every booking channel has a cost.
OTAs can be extremely valuable because they generate demand that an individual owner may otherwise struggle to acquire.
Direct bookings can be valuable because they can reduce reliance on commission-based distribution and allow the property operator greater control over the guest relationship.
The ideal strategy is therefore not: OTA OR direct. It is: OTA + direct + repeat guests + other acquisition channels.
AI could become another acquisition channel feeding that ecosystem.
AI could become the bridge between discovery and direct booking
Imagine a traveller asks:
“Find me a two-bedroom apartment in Sliema, Malta, with a balcony, air conditioning and excellent reviews, within walking distance of the waterfront.”
An AI assistant may identify several properties. One might be on Booking.com. Another might be on Airbnb. Another might have its own website. Another might appear through a professional property management company.
The AI has therefore performed the first part of the sales process: Discovery.
The next step is conversion.
If the traveller clicks through to a professional direct booking website and finds:
- Accurate availability
- Competitive pricing
- Strong photographs
- Reviews
- Clear policies
- Easy payment
- Mobile-friendly booking
the discovery can potentially become a direct reservation. That is the opportunity.
But AI does not automatically recommend independent properties
This is where property owners need to be realistic. Having a website does not guarantee AI visibility. AI systems need reliable information.
A recent 2026 research study auditing LLM-assisted hotel selection found that guest rating and price were among the strongest signals influencing recommendations. In the study’s controlled experiments, moving a property to a top guest-rating level increased its estimated probability of selection by 31.6 percentage points, while higher prices reduced selection probability by 30 percentage points.
This was an experimental research study rather than a measurement of real-world bookings, and it should not be interpreted as a universal formula for how ChatGPT, Gemini or other systems rank accommodation. But it reinforces an important point: AI recommendations are influenced by the underlying evidence available about a property.
Reviews matter.
Price matters.
Property information matters.
Reputation matters.
AI search may also create opportunities outside the traditional OTA ecosystem
Another 2026 research study examined 1,357 citations produced by Google Gemini across 156 hotel queries in Tokyo.
The researchers found that 55.9% of citations for experiential hotel queries came from non-OTA sources, compared with 30.8% for transactional queries.
Why does this matter?
Because the way a traveller asks the question can influence the sources used to answer it.
Compare:
“Book a hotel in Tokyo.”
with:
“What is the best area in Tokyo for a first-time visitor who wants food, culture and easy transport?”
The second question is more experiential. This creates an opportunity for accommodation businesses to become part of the wider travel information ecosystem. A property does not only need a listing. It can benefit from being associated with:
- The destination
- The neighbourhood
- Local attractions
- Restaurants
- Transport
- Activities
- Travel advice
- Relevant editorial content
This is one reason content marketing is becoming increasingly important in the AI era.
The new goal: become an answer, not just a listing
Traditional SEO asks: How do I rank for “Malta apartment”?
AI visibility asks: How do I become part of the answer when someone asks where they should stay in Malta?
That is a subtle but important change. Instead of only publishing: “Beautiful 2-bedroom apartment in Malta.” a property business can create useful information such as:
- Where should families stay in Malta?
- What is the best area to stay in Malta without a car?
- Where should couples stay in Malta?
- What are the best areas to stay near Valletta?
- Is Sliema a good place to stay?
- Is St Paul’s Bay suitable for families?
- Where should I stay in Gozo?
- What is the best area in Gozo for a first-time visitor?
- How far is Sliema from Valletta?
- Where can I stay in Malta near the beach?
These questions have commercial intent. They are also the types of questions people can ask AI assistants.
Your website needs to be readable by both humans and machines
Adobe has increasingly focused on what it calls AI content visibility and machine readability. Its 2026 research found that travel websites with richer structured information around hotel and product pages performed better in machine readability assessments. Adobe reported that hotel product pages had an average readability score of 73%, compared with 63% for hotel homepages in its US dataset.
The lesson is not that every Malta property website must achieve a particular “score”. The lesson is: If important information is hidden behind poor navigation, images, scripts or unclear page structures, it becomes harder for machines to interpret.
Clear content is therefore becoming a technical marketing advantage.
Reviews are becoming even more valuable
Reviews have always influenced accommodation decisions. They affect:
- OTA ranking
- Conversion
- Guest confidence
- Pricing power
- Reputation
They may now also influence AI recommendations. The 2026 LLM hotel-selection study mentioned earlier found guest rating to be one of the strongest recommendation signals in its controlled experiment. This creates a very important lesson:
Guest experience is digital marketing.
Every successful stay can generate:
A better review profile → greater trust → stronger conversion → greater visibility.
That is why professional property management cannot stop at marketing. The operational side of the business directly influences the digital side.
Cleaning.
Communication.
Check-in.
Maintenance.
Accuracy.
Responsiveness.
All of these ultimately affect the reputation that travellers — and increasingly AI systems — can see.
Consistency across the internet matters
Imagine a property appears online as: “Casa Rooms – Valletta Heritage House”
but another website calls it: “Valletta Historic Townhouse”
and a third says: “3 Bedroom Valletta Apartment.”
Now imagine the address, bedroom count or amenities also differ. A human might work out that these are the same property. A machine has a harder job.
The property therefore needs a consistent digital identity across:
- Official website
- Google Business Profile
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- VRBO
- Expedia
- Review platforms
- Travel websites
- Social media
- Local directories
The exact property name, location and core information should be accurate and consistent wherever possible.
Malta’s 2026 accommodation regulations make professionalism even more important
The AI development is happening alongside another major change in Malta’s accommodation industry.
The Tourism Accommodation Regulations 2026 were published on 15 April 2026 under Legal Notice 92 of 2026 and came into effect on 15 June 2026. The Malta Tourism Authority describes the new framework as a consolidated set of regulations covering different forms of tourism accommodation, including short-term rental properties. The new rules include additional requirements for short-let accommodation.
For example, the MTA states that short-let operators must display a sign containing the licence number and designated contact details, and short-let accommodation must implement an adequate waste collection management plan. Operators found running short-let accommodation without a valid MTA licence can face a three-year disqualification in addition to applicable penalties. The MTA also maintains a public register of licensed establishments, including Short-Let Rented Accommodation in both Malta and Gozo.
This is important in the context of AI. The future property market is likely to reward businesses that are not only visible, but credible and professionally presented. Compliance, reputation and digital identity increasingly intersect.
Gozo is also part of the opportunity
The AI travel opportunity should not be viewed only through Malta’s main tourism areas. Gozo has a distinct tourism proposition.
According to the NSO’s revised 2025 regional tourism statistics, 589,343 inbound and domestic tourists visited the Gozo and Comino region during 2025. Domestic tourists represented 67.4% of total tourism demand in that regional measure. At national level, Malta recorded more than 4 million inbound tourists in 2025. Gozo therefore represents a substantial and distinct accommodation market. And the nature of AI search makes destination-specific content particularly interesting.
Travellers may ask:
- “Where should I stay in Gozo for a romantic weekend?”
- “Where is best to stay in Gozo without a car?”
- “Which Gozo villages are best for a quiet holiday?”
- “Where should I stay in Gozo with a private pool?”
- “Which Gozo accommodation is best for families?”
A property that can be associated with these questions has a greater opportunity to be discovered.
What should property owners do now?
The good news is that owners do not need to completely rebuild their business overnight. The fundamentals are relatively straightforward.
1. Make your property information accurate
Audit every platform.
Check:
- Property name
- Address
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
- Capacity
- Amenities
- Parking
- Pool
- Balcony
- Air conditioning
- Wi-Fi
- Accessibility
- Photos
2. Make your website useful
Do not build a website that simply says: “Book with us.”
Answer the questions guests actually have.
Useful information is increasingly valuable for both SEO and AI discovery.
3. Build destination authority
Talk about Malta.
Talk about Gozo.
Talk about the areas where your properties operate.
Explain what guests can do, where they can eat, how transport works and which areas suit different travellers.
The goal is to become a source of useful travel information, not simply another accommodation listing.
4. Strengthen your reviews
Deliver a guest experience worth talking about.
Then make it easy for guests to leave genuine reviews.
5. Keep OTA listings strong
AI does not eliminate the value of Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia or other platforms.
They remain major sources of demand.
Your objective should be channel diversification, not channel abandonment.
6. Develop direct booking capability
If someone discovers you outside an OTA, make sure there is somewhere professional for them to book.
7. Implement structured data
Use appropriate structured data and technically sound pages to help search engines understand your accommodation business.
This should be done accurately rather than by adding irrelevant schema simply for SEO purposes.
8. Monitor AI visibility
Search for your own property and destination in:
- ChatGPT
- Google AI experiences
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Other relevant AI travel tools
Ask realistic questions.
For example:
“Where should I stay in Sliema?”
“What are the best apartments in Malta for a family?”
“Where should I stay in Gozo with a private pool?”
Then see what appears.
This gives you a practical starting point for understanding your digital visibility.
The new hospitality funnel
The traditional hospitality funnel has looked something like:
Search → OTA → Listing → Booking
The emerging funnel can be:
Question → AI discovery → Recommendation → Website/OTA → Booking → Review → Repeat booking
That creates more touchpoints.
But it also creates more opportunities.
A traveller who discovers your business through AI can potentially become:
A direct guest.
Then:
A repeat guest.
Then:
A reviewer.
Then:
A referral.
That is much more valuable than thinking about every reservation as a one-off transaction.
The future is not OTA versus direct
It is OTA + direct + AI + repeat business.
This is perhaps the most important takeaway for property owners.
Airbnb remains important.
Booking.com remains important.
Direct bookings remain important.
Google remains important.
Social media remains important.
AI search is becoming important.
The successful operator will not necessarily choose one.
They will build an ecosystem in which each channel performs a role.
OTAs provide reach.
Search provides discovery.
AI provides another discovery and recommendation layer.
Direct booking provides greater control over the customer relationship.
Guest experience generates reviews and repeat business.
That is a much more resilient model.
What does this mean for Casa Rooms?
At Casa Rooms, we believe professional property management is about much more than putting a property online.
A successful short-term rental requires the right combination of:
- Property positioning
- Revenue management
- OTA distribution
- Listing optimisation
- Professional photography
- Guest communication
- Housekeeping
- Maintenance
- Reviews
- Compliance
- Marketing
- Direct booking
- Technology
- Data
AI adds another dimension:
Digital discoverability.
Casa Rooms already approaches property management as a combination of hospitality, technology, revenue analysis and property expertise. Our property management model covers Malta, Gozo and Sicily, with services designed around positioning properties for stronger rental performance.
The next stage is ensuring that properties are not simply visible to travellers searching traditional platforms.
They need to be understandable wherever travellers choose to search.
The AI travel search opportunity is already here
AI does not need to completely replace Google, Airbnb or Booking.com to transform the travel industry. It only needs to influence the traveller before the booking takes place. And the evidence suggests that is already happening.
Booking.com’s 2025 research found that 89% of consumers want to use AI in future travel planning. Adobe’s 2026 data shows AI-generated traffic to travel websites growing rapidly, while recent academic research is beginning to document how factors such as price, ratings and the nature of a traveller’s question influence which accommodation sources appear in AI recommendations.
At the same time, Malta welcomed more than four million inbound tourists in 2025 and more than 1.67 million in the first five months of 2026 alone. The market is therefore large. The technology is evolving. The competition is increasing. And the property owners who prepare early have an opportunity to build an advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI Travel Search and Property Management
What is AI travel search?
AI travel search uses artificial intelligence to help travellers research destinations, accommodation, activities and travel options through conversational questions rather than traditional keyword searches.
Are people actually using AI to plan holidays?
Yes. Booking.com’s 2025 Global AI Sentiment Report found that 89% of consumers surveyed wanted to use AI in future travel planning. Adobe also reported that 29% of surveyed US consumers had already used generative AI for travel-related tasks in early 2025.
Will AI replace Airbnb and Booking.com?
There is currently no evidence that AI will simply replace OTAs. Airbnb, Booking.com and other travel companies continue to operate major global distribution networks. AI is better understood as an additional discovery and recommendation layer that may influence where travellers eventually book.
How can I make my Malta property more visible to AI?
Start with accurate property information, consistent details across platforms, strong guest reviews, useful website content, structured data, professional photography and a credible online presence.
Does SEO still matter with AI search?
Yes. Search engines and AI systems still need to discover and interpret information. Traditional SEO remains important, but businesses should increasingly combine SEO with answer-focused content, structured information, reputation management and strong digital identity.
Do reviews influence AI accommodation recommendations?
Research published in 2026 found guest rating and price were among the strongest signals influencing hotel recommendations in a controlled LLM experiment.
Can AI send guests directly to my website?
Depending on the AI platform, its search functionality and available integrations, AI-assisted travel experiences can direct users towards websites, booking platforms or merchants. The opportunity for property owners is to have a professional website and booking journey ready when that traffic arrives.
Are direct bookings better than OTA bookings?
Not necessarily. OTAs provide valuable international demand and infrastructure. A diversified strategy combining OTA bookings, direct bookings, repeat guests and other sources can reduce dependence on any one channel.
How many tourists visited Malta in 2025?
Malta recorded 4,022,310 inbound tourists in 2025, generating approximately 25.4 million nights and €3.904 billion in tourist expenditure.
How many tourists visited Malta in 2026?
During the first five months of 2026, Malta recorded 1,673,602 inbound tourists, an increase of 17.9% compared with the same period of 2025.
How important is rented accommodation in Malta?
Rented accommodation represents a major part of Malta’s tourism accommodation market. In May 2026, 88% of inbound tourist guest nights were spent in rented accommodation establishments.
What changed for Malta short-term rentals in 2026?
The Tourism Accommodation Regulations 2026, published under Legal Notice 92 of 2026, consolidated and updated Malta’s tourism accommodation framework. The regulations introduced additional requirements for short-let rented accommodation, including signage and designated contact information, waste-management requirements and stronger enforcement.
Does Casa Rooms manage short-term rentals in Malta and Gozo?
Yes. Casa Rooms provides professional property management services across Malta and Gozo, including short-term and long-term rental management, property positioning, revenue analysis and related operational services.
Sources and further reading
The following sources were used for the statistics and research referenced in this article:
- Booking.com — Global AI Sentiment Report 2025
- Adobe — AI travel traffic and engagement data, June 2026
- Adobe — Generative AI and travel traffic data, March 2025
- Adobe — 2025 holiday-season AI travel traffic report
- National Statistics Office Malta — Inbound Tourism 2025
- National Statistics Office Malta — Inbound Tourism, May 2026
- National Statistics Office Malta — Regional Tourism 2025
- Malta Tourism Authority — Tourism Accommodation Regulations 2026
- Malta Tourism Authority — Licensed Establishments Register
- Research study — LLM-assisted hotel selection and reputation signals
- Research study — AI search and hotel discovery sources
- Casa Rooms — Property Management Malta, Gozo & Sicily
Editorial note: AI travel search is evolving rapidly. Statistics and platform functionality can change quickly, so this article should be reviewed and updated periodically as new 2026 and 2027 data becomes available.
