Artificial intelligence (AI) is aggressively transforming how brands engage and interact with their consumers. We have officially entered an era where instant communication and personalization are not just appreciated but expected, and this has major implications for destinations looking to stay current with visitor expectations. While AI may be the buzziest of buzzwords right now, there are actually several classes of AI, all of which meet different needs. In this blog, we’ll pull back the curtain on generative AI and offer tangible ways Destination Organizations (DOs) can employ it in their communication efforts to create digital destination agents without sacrificing brand safety.   

Generative AI: The Basics 

Generative AI refers to a class of artificial intelligence technologies that can generate novel content based on training data. This capability extends to writing descriptive texts, creating realistic images of destinations, simulating experiences through virtual reality, and even crafting personalized travel itineraries. For DOs, this means an ability to create richer, more engaging content that can captivate potential tourists and offer them a taste of what to expect.

Generative AI: The Benefits 

1. Content Creation at Scale: Generative AI can produce a vast amount of high-quality, varied content quickly and efficiently. This is particularly useful for DOs that need to regularly update their promotional materials or want to create personalized content for different audience segments.
2. Enhanced Personalization: By leveraging data about past visitor preferences and behaviors, generative AI can customize marketing messages and travel suggestions to an unprecedented degree. Each interaction can be tailored to individual interests, enhancing engagement and satisfaction.
3. Innovative Campaigns: Generative AI can be used to create unique marketing campaigns that utilize novel formats and media, including virtual reality tours, simulated experiences, and dynamic video content. These innovative approaches can significantly boost the attractiveness and competitiveness of a destination.

How to Build a Destination Agent 

To effectively incorporate generative AI into marketing efforts, consider the following steps:

1. Select Suitable AI Technologies: Choose providers whose generative AI solutions align with your objectives and can integrate seamlessly with your existing digital infrastructure. Consider factors like ease of use, scalability, and the quality of output. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
2. Have a Strong Content Framework: For generative AI to function effectively, it requires access to comprehensive and well-organized data. For most DMOs, your website content will suffice so long as it houses robust and up-to-date content. No matter what generative AI tool you choose to work with, this step is essential for success; it can only be as smart as the content it has access to.
3. Train & Test: Work with a company that prompt engineers safety guardrails and implements a rigorous training regimen prior to any launch to ensure your tool is responding accurately, appropriately, and in your brand tone and voice. Continuously test and refine the AI’s output, especially with the addition of any new content to the tool’s training data, to ensure it meets your quality standards and resonates with your audience.
4. Monitor & Optimize: Regularly evaluate the performance of your generative AI tools. Track engagement metrics, gather user feedback, and adjust your strategies accordingly. This iterative process is essential for staying relevant and maximizing the impact of your marketing efforts.

Generative AI in the Travel Space

Satisfi Labs: Builds AI agents for DOs using proprietary technology that makes Simpleview Inc. Content Management System (CMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data LLM-enabled. AI agents are built for ultimate flexibility and control and trained off data seen across Satisfi’s 600+ clients (across destinations and experiences).

Destination Spotlight: Visit Raleigh 

Visit Raleigh’s customized collaboration with Satisfi Labs isn’t just about enhancing the visitor experience — it’s about driving innovation in destination management. By leveraging Generative AI agents fueled by a CMS and CRM data from Simpleview Inc. feeds, Visit Raleigh maximizes staff efforts while ensuring answers generated are accurate, controlled, and branded.

On average, DMOs who use Satisfi Labs’ destination AI Agent, save 45+ hours of their staff’s time, automatically handle 65% of inquiries after business hours, and manage questions across a wide range of tops from events, things to do, itinerary suggestions, food and lodging help, and more. Visit Raleigh is revolutionizing how destinations prioritize customer experience and drive tourism growth with the help of Satisfi Labs.

Clicktripz: Custom-builds proprietary DO agents that are deployed in display media units across a network of 200+ travel publishers then drive to a DOs desired URL. Bonuses include deeplinked responses, contextual targeting, logs of conversations and CPC pricing.

Destination Spotlight: Discover Puerto Rico 

Discover Puerto Rico launched CHIME Reach, the AI conversational media solution from Clicktripz in January 2024. In the first three months, the unit logged and reported back over 850 user questions along with the model’s responses, giving valuable insights into what potential visitors most want to know about Puerto Rico. For that same period, there were over 48,000 clicks generated with a CTR over 7%. 

Generative AI offers a wealth of opportunities for destination marketing. By automating content creation, personalizing interactions, and introducing innovative marketing techniques, Destination Organizations can not only enhance their efficiency but also create compelling, engaging experiences that increase visitor engagement and ensure a cutting edge in this competitive landscape.