insights lab
explore how data and AI can empower people, places + ideas
Anyone can read a percentage.
AI knows its limitations. Do we know ours?
AI can give an answer in seconds, and too often it sounds really good on the surface. The question I keep asking: In the age of abundance, how can we have so much data and so little insight? I’ll share two stories that may surprise you, one of them my own mistake.
Building capacity.
Lessons from two destination organizations.
The biggest payoff from AI implementation is expanding your team's capacity. Visit Raleigh and Visit Greenville share what worked, what did not, and where organizations of any size can start on Monday morning.
Holding back is a skill.
What data practitioners say about AI at work and what it means for talent.
As we learn how AI works, we are all trying to figure out two things: when to rely on it and when to hold back. And as we better understand this human technology, the second question matters more. To explore it, we analyzed data + research professionals’ online conversations.
How AI is shaping travel discovery.
What 1,000 answers taught me.
As travelers increasingly turn to AI instead of opening dozens of webpages, discovery depends on whether a brand can be found, understood, and recommended. In this post, I share our perspective on GEO and what it means for travel and destination leaders.
How travel is building AI.
Skift Data + AI Summit.
AI models have gotten good. The real work is the hard part: rewriting the organization. The harder work is in rewiring mindsets to see what’s possible and act on it.
Everyone is now a data + AI user.
Four I’s of Destination Intelligence Arc: Initiate. Internalize. Integrate. Interoperate.
Our four-level framework, Destination Intelligence Arc, describes where organizations are on their journey from data-driven to insight-driven and beyond. Toward a state where AI runs the work and data flows freely.
Tourism is additive.
Meaning that compounds.
Our latest exploratory research revealed that for many, travel along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail is more than visiting places. Travel is about connection, empathy, and discovering what truly makes an experience meaningful. Here’s what travelers told us.
Reflections from Davos.
Why empathy, hunger, and decency are your competitive edge.
I went to Davos expecting conversations only about geopolitics and AI. I came home thinking about what it means to stay human in a world surrounded by technology that is accelerating faster than we can predict.
AI in 2026.
From novelty to operating model.
AI is a platform. The hard part starts now. Unlocking real value will take time. The winners will be those who understand that AI is a human technology.
Start building your AI operating muscle.
Move beyond permanent pilots.
The next competitive edge will come from those who integrate AI into workflows and move from permanent pilots. We lay out five practical recommendations to build your AI operating muscle.
When data fuels collaboration.
What is the ultimate KPI?
What if the next breakthrough for your destination came from a simple shift: moving beyond "more metrics" to a people-centric leadership and letting data connect the work and build a partnership engine?
Strategy as an always-on process.
Lessons from Arlington in building forward together.
Arlington chose purpose, ecosystem thinking, and experimentation, turning a downturn into a living strategy and a cultural and economic engine.