Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a transformative role in the tourism industry. From improving customer experience to optimizing internal operations, AI offers a wide range of applications that can help tourism companies stay competitive in an ever-changing global marketplace. In this section, we will explore three of the main applications of AI in the tourism sector: customer service, marketing content generation, and data analysis and reporting.
Customer service is fundamental for tourism companies, as it directly influences customer satisfaction and loyalty. AI has revolutionized this field through the implementation of chatbots and virtual assistants that offer continuous and personalized support. Here are some common uses:
Ask Layla is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered travel planning app that functions as a personal assistant for travelers. Layla offers personalized destination recommendations, itinerary planning and the ability to book flights and hotels all in one place. The platform uses advanced AI algorithms to analyze user preferences and provide suggestions. The development of the platform was the result of the collaboration of several of the most relevant companies in the global travel industry:
Expedia has launched a new travel planning experience within its app, powered by artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. The feature allows Expedia members to initiate a conversation to get recommendations on destinations, accommodations, transportation and activities. In addition, hotels discussed in the conversation are automatically saved to a "trip" within the app, making it easier to organize and book additional flights, cars and activities. Expedia has also integrated a plugin for ChatGPT that allows travelers to start planning on the ChatGPT site and, when ready to book, go directly to Expedia.
Visit South America is a travel agency specialized in creating curated and personalized tours of South America, offering unique and authentic experiences in various destinations. The agency uses artificial intelligence to personalize user attention, providing travel recommendations based on their preferences and previous behaviors. In addition, it employs chatbots to provide real-time customer service, answering questions, suggesting itineraries and assisting with custom trip planning. This combination of AI and chatbots improves efficiency and customer satisfaction by providing faster, more personalized service.
Implementing effective marketing strategies is essential to attract and retain customers in the tourism sector. AI facilitates content generation by automating the creation of articles, social media posts and promotional materials. In turn, AI makes it easier to create engaging and relevant content, optimize advertising campaigns, and personalize messages for different audience segments. Here are some common uses:
The Jordan Tourism Board launched the #ExperienceJordAIn destination marketing campaign in January 2023, targeting digital travelers and tailored to their preferences using AI. Using the Midjourney platform, the campaign invited users to imagine their dream destination with the '/imagine' tool. This tool evolved into a proposition to '/experience', showcasing Jordan's appeal without explicitly revealing the country, leaving travelers with the message, "Why just /imagine when you can authentically /experience?".
To promote Denmark as a holiday destination, Visit Denmark launched a PR campaign that harnessed the potential of artificial intelligence. The campaign brought to life famous masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait, American Gothic and the Statue of Liberty, using AI to deliver a powerful message, "Don't queue to see them - visit Denmark instead." The campaign video was meticulously created with AI, with ChatGPT helping to write the script and deepfake and motion synthesis technology generating captivating visuals. Visit the Visit Denmark website for more details.
Dove has celebrated the 20th anniversary of its "Real Beauty" campaign with the new "Keep Beauty Real" initiative, reaffirming its commitment not to use artificial intelligence to create or alter images of women. This campaign criticizes digital manipulation in advertising and offers a counter-narrative to the use of AI in defining beauty standards, emphasizing its negative impact on the self-image of women and girls. The campaign's central video contrasts AI-generated images with photographs of real women, highlighting the differences between artificial beauty and authentic human diversity.
Nike' s award-winning ad campaign uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a showdown between the Serena Williams of 1999, when she won her first Grand Slam title, and the Serena who won the 2017 Australian Open. Titled "Never done evolving feat. Serena," this campaign combines sport, data and artificial intelligence and won a Silver Lion at Cannes for its creative. The campaign used data analytics to create avatars of the two versions of the tennis player, modeling her playing style based on aspects such as decision-making, shot selection, reaction time and agility, based on archival footage.
In the following links, you will find lists with outstanding campaigns developed with Artificial Intelligence:
Data analytics is crucial for informed decision making in any tourism business. AI allows processing and analyzing large volumes of data efficiently, providing valuable and predictive insights. AI can be used to perform predictive analytics, generate automated reports and accurately segment the market. Here are some common uses:
In 2016, Amadeus, published an article called 5 examples of predictive analytics in the travel industry, which mentioned a number of trends that are still in place today.
Hopper is a leading flight booking and prediction platform that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to enable customers to book airline tickets and hotel rooms at the best price, even a year in advance. In addition to these features, Hopper offers personalized travel recommendations based on the user's search history and notifies users about the most attractive discounts through push notifications, helping travelers quickly take advantage of the best deals.
Airbnb employs AI to predict future demand for its listings. Using historical data, current market trends and local events, Airbnb dynamically adjusts accommodation prices to maximize occupancy and revenue. For example, during a massive event in a city, AI can predict an increase in demand and adjust listing prices accordingly to optimize bookings.
