Discover Flagstaff Adds AI Travel Planning Tool

Northern Arizona destination partners with Tripist to provide personalized itineraries for visitors.

Published on Mar. 11, 2026

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Discover Flagstaff, the destination management organization for Flagstaff, Arizona, has integrated an AI-powered travel planning tool called Tripist into its website. The tool provides customized recommendations for dining, events, attractions, and outdoor experiences based on user preferences and real-time factors like weather and crowd levels.

Why it matters

As more travelers seek personalized and unique experiences, DMOs are turning to AI-driven tools to help guide potential visitors from the initial research phase to booking their trips. Discover Flagstaff’s partnership with Tripist aims to enhance the travel planning process and encourage bookings for the Northern Arizona destination.

The details

The Tripist tool, created by marketing agency Off Madison Ave, uses contextual inputs from users to dynamically build personalized itineraries. Visitors to the Discover Flagstaff website can select interests like arts and culture, astrotourism, breweries, and more, and a chatbot will provide tailored recommendations. The tool also factors in real-time data to avoid overcrowding at popular sites and suggest lesser-known alternatives. During a beta trial, the Route 66 theme and nature/dark-sky experiences were particularly popular among potential Flagstaff travelers.

  • Discover Flagstaff integrated the Tripist tool into its website in March 2026.

The players

Discover Flagstaff

The destination management organization for Flagstaff, Arizona.

Tripist

An AI-powered travel planning tool created by marketing agency Off Madison Ave.

Off Madison Ave

The marketing agency that developed the Tripist tool.

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What they’re saying

“The platform walks travelers through a series of contextual inputs and dynamically builds an itinerary around their responses. Think less prompt/search, and more ‘smart travel concierge.’”

— Spike Stevens, Chief Technology Officer, Off Madison Ave (Travel Weekly)

“In Flagstaff, for example, when Mount Elden’s Fatman’s Loop Trail – the top Outdoors & Nature recommendation – hits a high volume of weekly recommendations, Tripist automatically de-prioritizes it and surfaces alternatives like Humphreys Peak Trail instead over the next few weeks. Once a location exceeds its recommendation threshold, Tripist would shift focus to lesser-known alternatives, spreading visitation more evenly and giving travelers a better experience overall.”

— Spike Stevens, Chief Technology Officer, Off Madison Ave (Travel Weekly)

What’s next

Off Madison Ave is currently working on a structured launch with other destination management organizations, rolling out Tripist in 21-day cohorts capped at three DMOs each. Destinations interested in joining the next cohort are encouraged to visit the Tripist website.

The takeaway

Discover Flagstaff’s partnership with the Tripist AI tool demonstrates how destination marketing organizations are leveraging technology to provide more personalized and dynamic travel planning experiences for visitors. As travelers seek unique and curated itineraries, this type of AI-driven recommendation system could become increasingly common among DMOs looking to drive bookings and enhance the overall visitor experience.