Tripadvisor now spends 48.8% of its revenue on marketing

Paid channels replace lost search traffic as the travel site writes down $369.5 million, while AI visits stay under 1% of traffic and convert far better.

By Alexandre S. 9 Nov 2026, 04:30 UTC

Tripadvisor is paying for the visitors Google used to send it for free. Marketing took 48.8% of the travel company’s revenue in the third quarter, up from 43.3% a year earlier, Search Engine Journal reported on Sunday 8 November 2026 from its results and earnings call. Revenue fell 11% to $436.4 million, and marketing stayed near $213.0 million.

The company cut the book value of its Hotels and Other unit by $369.5 million. That unit runs hotel price comparison and media advertising, and the company tied the charge to changes in the search landscape. Its revenue fell 23%. Finance chief Mike Noonan expects SEO (search engine optimisation, the free traffic from search results) to hold back growth in 2027. Chief executive Matt Goldberg said the paid search auctions have become more competitive.

AI assistants are a small source that converts well. Goldberg put AI at under 1% of overall traffic, converting at close to five times the average on Viator, the group’s experiences site, and about twice the average on Tripadvisor, MarketBeat’s call summary says. Viator works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Muse.

On our price sheet, checked 7 November, the card for ChatGPT’s Go plan states that the plan may include ads.

AI visits convert up to five times better, but at under 1% of traffic they replace little of the search traffic Tripadvisor now pays to win back.

Tripadvisor now spends 48.8% of its revenue on marketing

Sources

More AI news from 9 November 2026