The travel sector is seeing dramatic changes, largely thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). AI is changing vacation planning and advertising strategies. We're seeing everything from AI-powered virtual assistants that build custom travel plans to virtual influencers created by AI showcasing destinations on social media. These innovations promise greater efficiency and cost reductions, but they also raise questions about authenticity and the future role of humans in tourism.
AI in Travel Planning
AI is making travel planning much more personalized. Big platforms like Expedia and Booking.com now have virtual assistants – Romie and AI Trip Planner, respectively – designed to simplify creating travel itineraries. These tools use user data to make tailored recommendations, addressing specific user preferences traditional search filters can't always handle. For example, virtual assistants can find unique accommodation like "heart-shaped beds" for romantic trips.
The real advantage is AI's ability to learn from how people use it, refining suggestions over time. However, the investment firm Evercore suggests the technology is still developing, and there's still room for improvement in accuracy and functionality. Traditional platforms still have an advantage thanks to their huge databases of flights, hotels, and user reviews, enabling them to offer a more comprehensive service compared to what AI tools can currently provide.
Virtual Travel Influencers
Alongside advancements in travel planning, virtual influencers generated by AI are also changing tourism marketing. Characters like Aitana, Ester, Nyah, and Emma—created, for example, by the German National Tourist Board—use tools like Dall-E and Midjourney to appear as real people enjoying beautiful destinations on platforms like Instagram. These influencers offer brands and tourism boards a cheaper alternative to human content creators because they remove travel expenses and allow for continuous content creation without logistical issues.
The financial benefits are obvious: virtual influencers provide a consistent social media presence at a lower cost, making them an attractive option for destination marketing. Yet, their growing popularity brings up ethical and authenticity issues.
Authenticity and Ethical Issues
Despite their polished appearance, virtual influencers have often never visited the locations they promote, which raises questions about how credible their recommendations are. For many travelers, authenticity is key, and real experiences shared by actual people are often valued more than content created by AI. Critics argue that virtual influencers, like Emma, may engage users, but they often lack the emotional depth and genuine experiences that real human influencers bring.
This reliance on AI also raises concerns about what this means for human jobs in tourism. While AI does offer efficiency, the emotional connection that travelers seek with destinations—based on genuine stories and interactions—is something that only humans can provide. Finding the right balance between technology that cuts costs and the irreplaceable value of human engagement will be crucial in shaping the future of the industry.
What the Future Holds
AI's integration into both travel planning and marketing is really changing the tourism sector by delivering unprecedented personalization and making things more cost-effective. Still, as virtual assistants and influencers become more common, the industry needs to deal with questions of authenticity and ethical considerations. By combining what AI can do with the human touch that travelers crave, the future of tourism can offer both innovation and truly meaningful experiences, making sure that technology helps to enhance, rather than take away from, the joy of exploring the world.
