LIONS and TOURISE study: half of travellers can't recall a tourism ad.
Half of travellers cannot remember the last tourism advertisement they saw, according to new research from LIONS Advisory and TOURISE, the Saudi-backed tourism platform. The study argues that destination marketing is not keeping pace with rising travel demand.
The report, called Ideas that travel: How tourism brands win the race for tomorrow's customers, was covered by Campaign Middle East on 22 October. It finds that 60% of travellers think many travel ads look the same. Demand is rising regardless: 39% of respondents plan to travel more in 2026, rising to 51% of Gen Z and 47% of millennials, with Brazil, South Africa and India named as leading growth markets. Social media is the top source of holiday ideas, cited by 33%. Some 72% expect brands to recommend experiences based on their interests, 71% are considering an emerging destination in the next year, and 55% say they struggle to find trustworthy information when planning.
The report sets out an IDEAS framework: Investment, Distinctiveness, Engagement, Authenticity and Seamlessness. On investment, it cites WARC Media figures showing global tourism media spend rebounded to $32.4bn in 2025, though share of voice is still below pre-pandemic levels and spending under-indexes in social, creator, video and entertainment media. It also says 62% expect to use AI more for travel research and booking, so brands will need to influence AI assistants as well as people.
Paul Coxhill, chief operating officer and president of LIONS, called tourism fertile ground for creative effectiveness. Ahmed Al Khateeb, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism and chairman of TOURISE, said creativity is a strategic driver of differentiation. The coverage does not give the sample size, the markets surveyed or the fieldwork dates, and we could not find a public download page.
For Saudi destination marketers, the findings point to fewer look-alike ads and more creator and social work, with distinct ideas for each destination. The AI point matters too: as giga-projects compete for visitors, how they show up in AI travel planners could matter as much as their paid media.
Why it matters
Saudi destinations are spending heavily to win visitors, and this study suggests generic tourism ads are mostly forgotten, while creators, social and AI planners shape choices.
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