ChatGPT cites sources in 22.6% of its travel-related responses, the highest rate among nine sectors

ChatGPT included citations in 22.6% of its travel-related responses in May 2026, the highest proportion among the nine sectors measured and well above the overall average of 6.8%, according to Similarweb’s 2026 Generative AI Landscape report.

The study indicates that ChatGPT relies more on the web when people compare products, plan purchases, or ask for information that changes frequently.

This difference between topics has a direct effect: where fewer responses carry a link, there are fewer opportunities for a site to appear and, therefore, fewer visits.

The overall rate rose from around 1.3% in June 2025 to 6.8% in May 2026, which Similarweb describes as an increase of more than five times in less than a year. The rise was not constant: it exceeded 6% in October, fell to around 4.5% in February, and rose again during the spring.

What type of sites does ChatGPT cite for travel?

Similarweb also broke down what kind of sites receive citations, based on what it calls the top 10,000 citations recorded on desktop devices in the United States in May. Across all responses, reviews and user-generated content (UGC) accounted for 28.9% of citations; news and publisher sites, 26.0%; and retail and e-commerce, 14.1%.

But when looking at specific topics, the patterns shift notably. In travel, reviews and UGC accounted for 54.1% of citations.

Similarweb emphasizes that there is no single playbook that works for all topics. Instead, it suggests that brands should understand which types of sites are cited most frequently within their particular area.

How does this affect the tourism industry?

What struck me most about this data has to do with UGC (User Generated Content; for example, Reddit). ChatGPT is taking this type of site very much into account when citing sources.

This is probably due to the specificity of users’ questions: forum-type sites or social networks often have a greater level of detail to be able to answer them.

The actionable takeaway is to also work on brand presence on those channels. This isn’t entirely new either: since Google, about three or four years ago, started giving Reddit better rankings, being present there became important. And LLM responses have intensified that.

Another interesting actionable is to do good tracking of mentions on social media and forums using social listening tools or, at the very least, Google Alerts. This way, you can respond on behalf of the brand to the problems users have when planning a trip to the destinations the company works with.