Trusting

Agents need to defend their recommendations. "Trust me" isn't good enough.

Traveller

Job: Know this isn't just marketing

I've been burned before. The photos didn't match reality. The "dog-friendly" hotel banned dogs from the restaurant. I need proof, not promises.

Agent

Job: Have evidence to back my recommendations

I can't recommend a venue I can't verify. I need to cite sources, not vibes. My credibility depends on getting this right.

What's broken today

The internet made everyone a publisher. Venues write their own descriptions, select their own photos, respond to their own reviews. There's no separation between claim and evidence.

For travellers:

Self-reported claims with no verification
Reviews gamed, bought, or outdated
No way to trace where information came from
"Dog-friendly" meant something different than expected

For agents:

Can't distinguish fact from marketing
No sources to cite when challenged
Recommending based on claims they can't verify

AI agents will be held accountable for their recommendations in ways websites aren't. When an agent says "this hotel is perfect for your anniversary," the traveller expects that to be true—and will blame the agent if it isn't.

Evidence over assertion: Every claim has a confidence score and source. "Dog-friendly" isn't a checkbox—it's an evidence block showing DMO verification, a site visit photo, and a TripAdvisor mention.

Provenance you can trace: Where did this information come from? When was it verified? Who said it? Agents can answer these questions because the data carries its own history.

Third-party verification: Some things venues can't credibly claim about themselves. A DMO can say "we inspected this property." A guest can say "the staff were incredible." This evidence compounds—more sources, more confidence.

How the specs answer this

Spec	What it does
`Bookable.evidence`	Claims with confidence scores and source provenance
`Curator.verification`	Third-party attestation from DMOs and authorities
`Curator.stories`	Real voices that create evidence venues can't create themselves

Evidence vs assertion

Assertion

Hotel says "dog-friendly". Agent trusts it. Guest arrives with dog to find they're only allowed in one annexe room and banned from the restaurant.

Result: Frustrated guest, complaint, refund.

Evidence

Evidence block shows DMO site visit confirming dogs welcome throughout, Visit Beaconshire accessibility credential, and photos of water bowls in the bar.

Result: Agent can cite verifiable sources. Reality matches the claim.

The role of curators

DMOs and other curators are natural trust anchors:

Local knowledge - They know their territory
Ongoing relationship - They work with venues continuously
Public accountability - Their reputation is at stake
Structured verification - They can verify existence, location, quality

When a curator vouches for a venue, that vouch becomes evidence attached to the venue's record.