Author: Hunter Foster

With warmer weather and booking season for summer holiday travel approaching, we asked our team to dream up their ideal vacation with the help of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI). We started with a Mad-Libs-style prompt, “Generate an image of (specific noun) in (dream destination) doing (verb).” A couple of our fellow DS team members gladly jumped on the prompt using a variety of different tools. 

If you’ve explored these tools, you’ve already realized that Gen AI is here to stay — unlike some of us this summer. Statista reported that 27-29% of Gen X, Millenials and Gen Z use AI tools in the workplace, and that number has likely only increased. According to a recent Salesforce survey, Millennials or Gen Z account for 65% of users of Gen AI, and 72% of these users are employed.

Hunter Foster, Dall-E, Prompt: “A Swiss mountain town alongside a crystal blue lake with shops and cafes, boats in the water, flowers on the building, and the Swiss Alps in the background mimicking the style of a medium format camera.”

AI Image Generation Is Just the Start

AI image generation is a branch of artificial intelligence that leverages neural networks and deep learning to produce realistic images. These algorithms are trained on vast datasets to understand patterns, styles and features present in different types of images. Once trained, the AI model can generate new images by combining and modifying learned patterns. 

It’s like having a digital artist who uses their learned knowledge and creative flair to generate realistic and unique visuals based on the input or objective provided. This technology can be valuable for businesses seeking innovative and visually appealing content for various applications, from marketing materials to design inspiration. 

Many are familiar with the current challenges in AI image generation, such as improperly sourcing from artists of a specific style or its continued struggle with generating intricate and intimate details within an image, like hands. While an airtight prompt, a bit of patience and pulling the image back into traditional editing software can help to alleviate some of those pain points, the question remains: is it a good solution for marketing a destination?

However, within tourism and hospitality, it’s still difficult to replicate the realism that photography and videography provides (for now, at least). But there are several other ways that this technology is being implemented within the sector. In these cases, AI lives up to “the real thing.”

Ilana Stark, Microsoft Co-Pilot, Prompt: “A woman basking in the sun on the Amalfi coast, reading a novel.” 

Virtual Everything

Take these travel industry companies, for example, that are integrating AI to address the pain points of travelers, hoteliers, travel agents, airlines and guides:

• Hotels and attractions use AI platforms like Sojern’s AI Smart Concierge to text with their customers before and after their stay.
• IHG Hotels & Resorts launched the first voice-controlled smart hotel room with the help of Josh.ai.
• TripAdvisor provides AI virtual voice tours of destinations that highlight popular cultural spots.
• Booking companies like Hopper and Kayak are using AI-powered predictive analytics and modeling to help travelers find the best time to buy hotels and flights.

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the travel industry by enhancing personalized recommendations, streamlining booking processes and providing real-time assistance, ultimately improving the overall travel experience for users.

Abby Webb, Canva, Prompt: “A woman riding a horse in Grand Teton National Park with the mountains in the background.”

AI in Your Tourism Marketing

Let’s take it further, though. While virtual assistants and predictive models are extremely compelling use cases for AI within the larger industry, you may not be at that scale. So what are some baseline marketing activities that every DMO needs to be using AI to support today? 

For one, social media. Each of the major social media management tools offers social media listening, but now, many of them are powered by AI and help your organization be significantly more efficient and focused. And, even if you don’t generate your imagery/footage, AI can support the content creation process in countless ways — scripting, VO, editing, post-processing, clip generation, digital avatars and so much more. While we can’t recommend deep fakes (yes, AI can do this too) in place of real creators, AI influencers are certainly already in place, which makes for an interesting potential tactic as well.

But content marketing is so much more than social media. Take (another) note from Tripadvisor, which is using AI to support its trip planning offering, Trips. Trips builds custom itineraries for travelers based on their interests and preferences. So why not leverage and utilize the tool for your destination to build quick and easy itineraries at the request of your potential visitors, or consider developing an AI itinerary builder for your destination?

Or consider how you can better understand your audience through customer segmentation, better speak to them through personalized marketing and get them to act based on price optimization — all with a little help from AI.

Ben Maxey, Dall-E, Prompt: “A cute red-haired baby dressed in Jedi robes looking over the twin desert suns of Tatooine at sunset.”

As more and more applications for Artificial Intelligence surface within the industry, think about how you can integrate artificial intelligence into your efforts — or how entire workflows and service offerings can be built or rebuilt from the ground up. In the above examples, these AI-driven solutions aim to optimize the planning process, enhance user experiences and streamline booking procedures. All of these solutions offer a more efficient and personalized approach to travel services. Need help figuring out how AI can assist your business? Let us help you develop a strategic approach to adding artificial intelligence to improve how you appeal to potential visitors and elevate your services.