# The WANDER Checklist for Creating Effective Travel Ads

**Publisher:** Expedia Group  
**Published:** n/a  
**Category:** Travel tech  
**Type:** Report  
**Access:** Free PDF  
**Official source:** https://partner.expediagroup.com/en-us/resources/research-insights/the-wander-checklist-for-creating-effective-ads  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/checklist-for-creating-effective-ads

## At a glance
- Video content influences 71% of travelers versus 24% for static images, making format choice critical for booking conversion.
- Under half of travelers accept fully AI-generated visuals; human input in AI usage builds confidence and trust.
- Inclusive messaging drives trust: 34% of travelers say representative, diverse content influences their brand confidence.
- Video scenes of 2–9 seconds achieve optimal engagement; narrative structure with clear call-to-action drives bookings.
- Authentic tone, user-generated content, and transparent messaging outperform generic approaches in capturing traveler attention and confidence.

## What the report covers
Expedia Group Advertising developed a checklist—dubbed WANDER—for travel advertisers based on eye-tracking technology, emotion-reading systems, and global consumer survey data. The resource identifies content elements and ad formats that measurably drive bookings. It covers video versus static formats, AI usage comfort levels, authenticity signals, and representation in travel advertising. Published in August 2025, it targets DMOs, hotels, and travel-tech platforms seeking research-backed creative guidance.

## Key findings
Video dramatically outperforms static imagery in influencing traveler booking intent. According to the research, 71% of travelers are influenced by video content compared to 24% by static images. This gap underscores the importance of video-first strategies, particularly on platforms like YouTube. The report's emphasis on video as a primary format reflects measurable behavioural differences in how travelers engage with travel content.

AI integration requires human oversight to maintain traveler trust. Less than half of travelers are comfortable with fully AI-generated visuals, the survey finds. The checklist advises ensuring human input in AI usage and avoiding completely algorithmic visual generation. This finding suggests that while AI tools can accelerate production, transparency and human curation remain essential for credibility with audiences.

Inclusive, representative messaging strengthens brand trust significantly. The survey reports that 34% of travelers say inclusive messaging made them trust a travel brand. This indicates diversity and representation are not peripheral but direct drivers of consumer confidence. Advertisers who reflect varied identities and traveler needs outpace those using generic or homogeneous approaches.

Narrative structure and scene length optimise engagement and conversion. The checklist recommends video scenes between 2–9 seconds for optimal engagement and emphasises clear narrative arcs with beginning, middle, and call-to-action. Watchability, authenticity, and design for attention are presented as measurable levers for improving ad effectiveness and booking rates.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Travelers influenced by video content | 71% | Observed from Expedia Group global consumer survey, August 2025 |
| Travelers influenced by static images | 24% | Observed from Expedia Group global consumer survey, August 2025 |
| Travelers who trust brands using inclusive messaging | 34% | Observed from Expedia Group global consumer survey, August 2025 |
| Optimal video scene length for engagement | 2–9 seconds | Research-backed recommendation from Expedia Group lab analysis |
| Daily visitors across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo | 12M+ | Expedia Group advertising network reach, context for ad placement scale |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — Destination marketers can use WANDER insights to allocate creative budgets more effectively. Video-first strategies and inclusive messaging directly influence booking decisions. Understanding that 71% of travelers respond to video versus 24% to stills guides production investment. Authentic, representative content reflecting diverse visitor profiles strengthens trust and conversion, critical for competing in crowded markets.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Hoteliers benefit from research-backed creative guidance that improves ad ROI. The finding that 34% of travelers trust inclusive messaging informs property-level campaigns targeting diverse guest segments. Video narratives with 2–9 second scenes optimise performance on YouTube and CTV. Human-curated AI reduces production costs while maintaining the authenticity travellers value, balancing efficiency with credibility.

**Travel tech & distribution** — Platforms and ad-tech vendors can embed WANDER principles into creative tools and templates. The data on video efficacy, AI comfort thresholds, and inclusive messaging provides product-development benchmarks. Expedia's first-party data on 12M+ daily users enables granular targeting. The checklist framework supports advertisers in optimising campaigns across native, YouTube, and CTV channels, improving platform monetisation.

## Methodology and limits
Expedia Group Advertising combined eye-tracking and emotion-reading technology from its internal lab with findings from a global consumer survey conducted in August 2025. The survey captured traveler preferences on content formats, AI usage comfort, authenticity, and messaging. Eye-tracking provided behavioural insights into what captures attention in video and static ads. The brief is based on publicly available summary material; the full checklist PDF is downloadable, but detailed methodology and sample size are not disclosed in the available text.

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© Expedia Group for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://partner.expediagroup.com/en-us/resources/research-insights/the-wander-checklist-for-creating-effective-ads