The rise of AI in Travel Planning

There is a notable shift in the way tourists are planning holidays. Traditionally, holidaymakers have been faced with 2 major options. They have the choice of forking out to cover the commission of an experienced travel agent to pull together an itinerary, or spending hours scouring online reviews, blogs and travel advice sites. Today, there is a third option and it's gaining traction rapidly. Within five minutes, you can input your trip dates, location and preferred activities into any of the major AI (Artificial Intelligence) models and they will pull together a coherent plan to fill your time. Not only is this quick, free and available to anyone with an internet connection, but it's endlessly customisable, highly bespoke and the performance is really rather good. 

How AI Shapes Every Itinerary

For those that haven't yet fully embraced AI, the main criticism is the variable accuracy. ChatGPT comes with its own disclaimer at the bottom of any conversation, warning users to validate answers themselves. However, even those that prefer the more manual use of mainstream search engines, for human-written reviews, will find the space once occupied by promoted sites, now replaced with a short AI-written paragraph, courtesy of Google's Gemini. When it comes to travel agents, it would seem crazy for them to not already be wielding the power of AI for their business use. Regardless of whether they're able to add their own experience and customer service on top of what AI can offer, it will be providing them with a springboard to kickstart their travel planning offerings. So, whether it's a direct consumer choice or not, it's inevitable that AI will be involved at some stage in the planning of any moderately complex weekend away or months-long sabbatical. 

A Guide to Using AI on Your Next Holiday

Given the power of AI and its unstoppable rollout, it's time to get onboard. There is a predictable and evident decline in the uptake of AI amongst older generations. Confidence, lack of exposure or education and even apathy are common reasons why the oldest in our society are the slowest to immerse themselves in new technology. However, as technology advancement rapidly increases, this norm risks driving further generational divide. Using AI for travel planning couldn't be easier. Unlike the well known legacy virtual assistants, that offered little more than telling you the weather (something that anyone with a window could do quicker and more accurately), AI of today can provide true benefit. Using it to plan your next city break is an easy gateway into what it can offer.

The key is to treat it like a real person that you've never met. All they know about you is what you tell them, their first suggestions may not be to your taste and of course they're fallible. Instead of something generic like "plan me an itinerary in Rome for next weekend", try specifics like your preferences, budget, timeline and even mobility.

For example, a clear and specific prompt might look like this: "I will land in Rome Fiumicino airport at 10am on Friday. I want you to plan a full itinerary between then and my flight at 5pm on Sunday. I want a 4-star hotel and restaurants serving local food. I want to see, as a minimum, the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain. I am a capable walker but prefer a relaxed pace. My total budget is £250".

You can (and should) then interact with whatever plans your selected AI agent provides. You can request minor tweaks, perhaps your friend has a recommendation that you want included. Or you can scrap the whole thing and ask it to start again. The beauty is, unlike a real person, an AI agent will never get tired of re-jigging to get things perfect.

Helping Local Business Stand Out

If you own a business reliant on tourism, Empty Web can help you make the most of this new trend in holiday planning. We offer a range of packages from a basic audit to see how your business performs in AI searches all the way through to ongoing support for implementation and staying abreast of AI advancements. Get in touch today to arrange your first AI Visibility audit!