Travel marketing experts on Google's dominance in the face of AI

Google made headlines earlier this week when a regulatory body in the United Kingdom launched an investigation into its online search domination.

And questions around the search giant's power have been circulating for some time.

At The Phocuswright Conference in November, Lorraine Sileo, senior analyst and founder of Phocuswright research, questioned whether Google’s standing is under threat as technology evolves, shaking up the retailing space and search. Industry leaders joined her on a panel titled “Travel's Tech-Driven Retail Revolution” to share their thoughts.

Kristen Dalton, president of Tripadvisor, said she believes Google is well-positioned to play a “really compelling role” in generative search.

But Dalton doesn’t think the doors are closed to competition.

“I think what's interesting about it is it opens up new channels for other folks,” she said of the evolution of search thanks to tools such as SearchGPT, a search engine developed by OpenAI, and search on platforms like TikTok.

Other panelists agreed.

“They [Google] are a formidable player,” said Noreen Henry, chief revenue officer of Sojern. “They're constantly going to be there. But I do think this moment opens up opportunities for others.”

Pablo Delgado, CEO of Mirai, said he feels Google “has never been this threatened” over the last 20 years or so. And it’s not just AI that’s cause to think Google may be feeling some pressure.

“If you see the Google dominance by age, if you see the youth … I have three kids. My eldest daughter is 14. In her world, Google doesn't exist,” he said. “She uses Snapchat, she uses Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube, but she doesn't search.”

Delgado said she only uses a traditional browser for schoolwork. “Her world is outside Google, and she's growing and she'll be the target,” he said.

And he said a shift in search preferences of younger generations is just one of Google's issues. “Don't forget that Google is being scrutinized by many regulators as well,” he said.

The executives also touched on influencer marketing, personalization, privacy, creative partnerships, experiences, artificial intelligence and more during the conversation.

Watch the full discussion below.