Do You Analyze Competitors and Market Trends?

Why it matters

Your competitors are not only the attractions that look like you. A history museum competes with a food tour, a boat trip and a theme park for the same free afternoon of a visitor. If you only compare yourself with similar places, you may miss why visitors choose something else. Watching the wider market helps you understand what travelers value right now.

The market is big and changing fast. Arival and Phocuswright’s Travel Experiences 2026 report found that global experience bookings reached $253 billion in 2024, passing pre-pandemic levels, up 17% that year. UN Tourism reported in January 2026 that Europe received 793 million international tourists in 2025, up 4% on 2024 and 6% above 2019. How people plan is shifting too. Adobe reported in September 2025 that traffic from generative AI to US travel websites grew 3,500% year over year in July 2025. Attractions that watch these shifts can adapt early instead of reacting late.

How to check where you stand

• Can you name the five attractions or activities visitors most often compare you with?
• Do you know their prices, opening hours, ticket options and main selling points?
• Have you read their recent reviews to see what visitors love and dislike about them?
• Do you follow a few reliable travel industry sources for trends?
• Have you changed anything in your offer, price or marketing in the last year because of what you learned?

How to improve step by step

1. List your real competitors. Ask your staff and visitors what else they considered doing that day. Include different types of experiences, not only attractions like yours.
2. Build a simple comparison table. For each competitor, note price, opening hours, visit length, booking options, family or group deals, and their main promise. Update it every three to six months.
3. Read their reviews. Look at recent reviews on Google and Tripadvisor. Note what visitors praise and what they complain about. Their complaints may show a gap you can fill.
4. Search like a visitor. Search “things to do in [your town]” on Google, Google Maps and an AI assistant. See who appears, how they are described and where you are missing.
5. Follow a few trend sources. Choose two or three trusted sources, such as your national tourism body, UN Tourism or experience industry associations. Save useful findings in one shared document.
6. Look for gaps, not copies. Ask what visitors want that no one nearby offers well, such as evening openings, short visits, private tours or rainy day options. Test one idea at a time.
7. Share findings with your team. Present a short summary every season. Front line staff often have ideas once they see what others are doing.

How AI assistants see this

When a traveler asks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini or Perplexity for “the best things to do in this city”, the answer is shaped by what each attraction says about itself and what visitors say about it online. Studying how these tools describe your competitors shows you what information they seem to use: clear descriptions, visit length, who it suits and strong recent reviews. If competitors are described well and you are not mentioned, it is a sign your own website and listings need clearer, more complete information.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Comparing yourself only with attractions that look like you, and missing other experiences that compete for the same time.
• Copying a competitor’s offer or price without asking if it fits your visitors and your brand.
• Doing one big analysis and never updating it, even as the market changes each season.

Key takeaways

• Your competitors include any experience that competes for a visitor’s free time, not just similar attractions.
• A simple comparison table and regular review reading reveal gaps you can fill.
• Travel planning is moving toward AI tools, so check how they describe you and your competitors.
• Review competitors and trends every few months and share what you learn with your team.

Frequently asked questions

How often should an attraction check its competitors?

Every three to six months is enough for most attractions, with an extra check before each high season. Big changes, like a new attraction opening nearby, deserve a quick review straight away.

Where can I find reliable travel trend information?

Good sources include UN Tourism, your national or regional tourism board, and research from experience industry groups. Use sources that show how and when their data was collected.

Should I lower my prices if a competitor is cheaper?

Not automatically. First compare what each offer includes, how long the visit is and what reviews say about value. Often it is better to explain your value more clearly or add something visitors want than to cut your price.

Sources

1. Arival and Phocuswright, Travel Experiences 2026: https://arival.travel/article/4-findings-for-experiences-market-2026/
2. UN Tourism, World Tourism Barometer (January 2026), reported by Hospitality Net: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4130515.html
3. Adobe Digital Insights, Consumers embrace generative AI for trip planning (2025): https://business.adobe.com/blog/consumers-embrace-generative-ai-for-trip-planning