Artificial intelligence will design your next vacation

Adoption is also advancing, according to data provided by the National Observatory of Technology and Society (dependent on the Ministry of Economy), but that does not mean that all the work is done. And it is worth continuing to advance, because thanks to good data management, tourism companies are, without a doubt, among those that can get the most out of this technology. To begin with, when it comes to personalizing the travel and accommodation offer according to the tastes and economy of consumers.

«There is a difference between what generative artificial intelligence can offer you, such as ChatGPT, which can help you generate hypotheses to attract tourists, and the possibility of using technology to carry out market studies based on the digital footprint that users leave when they visit web pages or social networks,” explains Ibo Sanz, director of Deep Digital strategy at the digital business company Llorente y Cuenca, in conversation with this newspaper.

Indeed, thanks to data analysis, for example, campaigns can be personalized specifically aimed at attracting the attention of potential tourists to a specific destination. Because, obviously, trying to attract the attention of a young person with little income, and, for example, a certain climate awareness, is not the same as betting on a more adult consumer with other concerns. For the use of AI to be optimal, it is also essential to be very clear about the type of general public that, to date, has decided to invest their time and money in visiting a specific destination.

Improve satisfaction

«Predicting the influx of visitors to a tourist destination thanks to AI is a fundamental tool to adapt public services to the real demand at all times and has a direct impact on tourist satisfaction. Furthermore, knowing visitors is essential so that tourism companies or public administrations can adapt their offer. Knowing their cities or countries of origin, the nights they spend in the destination, the means of transportation by which they arrive and the average daily expenditure (among others) provides very relevant information to offer personalized services focused on the behavioral patterns of tourists. . A tourist who finds what he was looking for is the best possible ambassador for any destination,” Elena Gil Lizasoain, director of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data at Telefónica Tech, tells this newspaper.

This can be seen very well in social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, in which, thanks to the large amount of information that Meta manages about its users, it is possible to direct tourist advertising to Internet users based on their tastes and their history of use. navigation. This is precisely the reason why the company led by Mark Zuckerberg makes billions of dollars in profits every quarter. But, obviously, for the advertising campaign to be successful, the tourism firm on duty has to do its job and be clear about what it wants. And for that the use of AI is essential. The opposite would be like killing flies with cannon fire.

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, also promise to change the user’s selection process for tourist destinations. Today, anyone can pick up the computer, or smartphone, and ask the OpenAI conversational robot to suggest the user. For example, imagine that you want to look for a warm destination for the Christmas holidays and you have a somewhat tight budget. Just ask the machine to share its suggestions and you’ll have them on your computer screen in seconds. The same goes if you have already chosen the place you want to travel to and simply want to organize the trip well to make the most of your time.

Travel companies are already exploiting technology to make it easier for users to do these types of things. For example, last spring Expedia launched a tool based on ChatGPT so that users can prepare their trips. Booking did the same in June. And everything indicates that they will not be the only ones, since other important firms in the sector, such as Airbnb, have already decided to adapt the technology to their platforms.

“In any case, I would continue to recommend using a travel guide for these things,” Inma Martínez-Rubio, advisor to the Government of Spain on AI, pointed out to this newspaper a few months ago. And although generative artificial intelligence is capable of doing surprising things, it is not free of flaws. Therefore, it is most advisable that the user who uses it to organize a vacation resorts to other resources, such as travel websites, to avoid having last-minute problems.