The Trouble With “Authenticity” in Travel Marketing

I recently joined a destination marketing workshop where the word authenticity kept surfacing. Much like sustainability, it has become the industry’s favorite buzzword. Everyone wants to talk about it—how to craft a webpage for each target segment, how to tailor messaging for every audience, how to make travelers feel like they’re getting the “real” experience.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: our industry is not authentic.

Travel is perhaps the only sector where balanced reviews are nearly impossible to find. Articles about destinations are painted in rainbows and glitter. Instagram reels, TikTok videos, glossy magazine spreads, Facebook posts—they all sell the dream. The only place you’ll find a section on safety or challenges is in old‑school guidebooks, and let’s be honest, very few people buy those anymore.

So, are we doing travelers a disservice? By faking authenticity—by dressing it up in curated perfection—are we undermining the very trust we claim to build?

Maybe the harder truth is this: no one actually wants authenticity. People want the dream, the escape, the fantasy. And yet, wouldn’t it be refreshing if we, as an industry, dared to be straightforward? To admit that destinations are complex, layered, and not always picture‑perfect?

Because perhaps real authenticity isn’t about selling perfection at all—it’s about telling the whole story.