​​Nobody knows the ebbs and flows, ins and outs, weather patterns and trail ratings of Canadian tourism like Travel Alberta's CEO David Goldstein.

In a candid and free-flowing conversation, we talk about how and why tourism traffic and spend is (way) up in Alberta, as well as the province's approach to Indigenous tourism partnerships, balancing big-ticket destinations like Banff with worthwhile places off the beaten path, deciding which global markets to focus marketing on, Alberta's evolving image in traveler's minds, and how Canada's tourism initiatives are a best-in-class model. Plus the best ski slopes in Alberta, and the lifelong travails of being an Ottawa Senators fan.

Tariffs, shutdowns, "integrity" fees, H2-B visa caps, FAA staffing and hardware issues, airport restrictions ... it all begs the question: Does the U.S. government hate its own travel industry?

International travel is predicted to drop by 6.3% from 72.4 million in 2024 to 67.9 million in 2025, according to U.S. Travel Association. This year we are poised to be the only country in the WORLD where inbound tourism decreased. Travel and tourism accounts for approximately 2.5-3% of the U.S. GDP, supports 15 million American jobs, and via taxes accounts for almost 7% of all government income. So, we should take global competition for travel dollars a bit more seriously, no?

AI was, predictably, everywhere, all at once, in every session at this year's conference, but there was a distinctly humanist air to it all as well. Trust, connection, authenticity, reality, face-to-face communication were thematic touchstones throughout. We still want recommendations from real live honest-to-goodness human beings, and AI can help facilitate that. (Right?)

No Show is at the 2025 Phocuswright Conference this week talking to a variety of exhibitors, innovators, and speakers and taking their temperature on the present and future of travel technology. We found out that:

• Levee founder Al Lagunas is done with the 3 pm check-in
• Ron Glickman from Innovation Launch People’s Choice Award Winner Acai Travel is ready for boundaries to be pushed
• Taylor Palmer from SiriusXM Connect is putting safety at your fingertips
• Etraveli Group's Peny Rizou has a prophecy about the future of fraud prevention
• The inimitable Mickey Beyer-Clausen from Timeshifter is thinking about the rhythms of life
• Tourism Tasmania CMO Lindene Cleary loves changing perceptions
• And Mirko Lalli from Data Appeal believes in the dual power of democratization and simplification

Mitra Sorrells, Senior Vice President, Content for Phocuswright, joins us on the eve of the conference to talk about the big themes, keeping hype in check, new trends around data and customer journeys, getting good answers from panelists, the shift of power between traditional travel brands and tech startups, and the risks of playing a drinking game based on how many times AI will be uttered on stage (please pace yourself accordingly).

A short episode this week on the quite unique, very sad U.S. government approach to tourism and park spaces. How much money are the parks losing, how much are the towns around the parks losing? And what's going on with international visitors, Brand USA, and U.S. passports. We are fired up!

What specific AI-related things are good hotel commercial leaders actually doing today? Great question! It's already everywhere, so we got deep and practical for this episode. We talk about:

• How Al agents are starting to handle everything from customer service queries to qualifying sales leads, reshaping the whole workforce
• How AI is elevating guest experience through customer data, CRM, and audience management
• Where AI is getting all its hotel data
• The coming drop in search engine volume
• Tools you can use to optimize your website and format your content for AI readability

AI's true impact on travel remains deeply speculative, with companies scrambling to stake claims while few concrete applications deliver true transformation. But everyday uses like dynamic pricing, translation tools, chatbots, and trip planning assistants like ChatGPT show AI is already here.

We talk about the staggering potential of agentic AI to automatically rebook flights, arrange rides, or sign up for the best rewards programs. AI will directly challenge Online Travel Agents, whose dominance rests on aggregating inventory and managing transactions at scale. Yet AI’s iterative, user-driven planning capabilities expose the weaknesses of OTAs in handling complex, personalized itineraries.

How will the online travel booking sites survive? What will happen to marketing and SEO over the next 2 years? What's a neural travel marketplace? Should we ignore Public Enemy's sage advice and believe the AI hype?