Artificial intelligence and its leading role in the future of tourism

 

The tourism sector has seen many changes over the years; the appearance of holiday homes challenging the traditional accommodation model, new types of tourism with different profiles in the same destination, the appearance of the internet... and now it does not seem to be any less with the arrival of artificial intelligence.

 

 

In recent months there are several that have emerged “out of nowhere”; Midjourney, Dall-E, ChatGPT... tools that are used for various tasks, from creating an image from scratch to creating original texts. These tools have not been without controversy, while many highlight their benefits in tasks such as programming or recreational use, others highlight their dangers such as the creation of deep fake videos or the use of AI in the academic field to generate theses or papers. undetectable by anti-plagiarism tools.

 

Returning to the tourism sector, AI could benefit all stakeholders involved in the development of tourism, primarily tourists and accommodation providers. However, there are also those affected by this imminent development of AI. Just as with the arrival of the internet and its conveniences, travel agencies view this new tool with suspicion. Years ago, they felt threatened when, with a simple click, users could independently purchase flights to anywhere in the world; however, agencies still had the advantage of personalized advice. Now, with ChatGPT, that advantage for agencies is threatened; many users are using this AI to organize their trips , and the vast majority are completely satisfied.

 

However, a large part of AI is in constant development, which gives rise to some slippages. If you ask ChatGPT for a travel itinerary for cities like Madrid, Rome or Paris, it shows you a precise list with few or no errors; but if you ask for an itinerary for a three-day stay in San Bartolomé de Tirajana you receive imprecise and erroneous recommendations such as: “enjoy a quiet afternoon in the pretty town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana”, “return to San Bartolomé de Tirajana and relax”. on the beach in Puerto Rico” or “Dedicate the morning to visiting the Cueva Pintada in Gáldar”. Errors that highlight the human management that can be received in a travel agency.

 

But what does AI itself think about the benefits it can bring to the tourism sector? When asked about it, he offers a list with 5 very clear points about what he can contribute to a fundamental sector for destinations like the archipelago.

 

 

 

The reality is that many platforms such as Kayak or Booking are already replacing their chatbots (chats available 24 hours a day for questions with pre-programmed responses) with AI. Even hotel chains like Palladium already use AI for hotel management, a tool that even allows them to know profitability per customer.

It seems clear that the future of the tourism sector inevitably depends on the adaptation and use of the different Artificial Intelligence tools, especially in the use and management of data.

 

 

Regarding the experience from the customer's point of view, it is true that it can facilitate tasks such as the creation of itineraries and, with all certainty, hotel chains and different tourism companies will use these tools to improve and offer the customer a more satisfactory and precise.

 

The “main threats” from this appearance, the travel agencies, seem to still be useful for a multitude of clients; both those who are not familiar with AI and those who prefer to continue relying on human treatment when organizing a trip or excursion. Bureaucratic management such as visa processing is also one of the main assets of travel agencies for their survival.