There have never been more tools and applications for tour, activity and attraction operators to put Generative AI to use in their business. Still, too few businesses in our industry are doing it. According to Arival’s Global Operator Landscape: The State of Experiences (3rd Ed.), just 12% of tour, activity and attraction operators say they are using Gen AI actively in their operations. Another one in four say they are experimenting and testing. Most operators – more than half of small operators – are not doing anything with AI at all.
What about those operators who are active in AI today? How are they using it, and how is it working for them?
Forget about the personable avatars and AI-powered guides and tools that are supposed to deliver a future filled with perfect itineraries and omniscient customer service agents. They may well be coming, but for today, most operators are putting Gen AI applications to work at the very things they are best at.
Content, Content & Content
The most common uses cited by operators include generating content. Three in five are using AI to write product descriptions, followed by website copy and marketing content for blogs and social media. Tools such as ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude and other Gen AI apps are getting better and better at producing high-quality, consistent content.
These services – both their free and paid versions – can dramatically reduce the time operators and their marketers spend producing copy. A majority of both small and medium-sized operators (SMEs, handling up to 10,000 guests per year), as well as larger operators (more than 10,000 guests), are using Gen AI for content.
It is with more advanced, operational applications for AI where we see significantly more uptake with larger operators. Larger operators – businesses that handle at least 10,000 guests per year – are significantly more likely to use Gen AI for business and marketing planning activities, creating internal documentation (e.g. employee guides and operations manuals), customer service applications such as chatbots, and reporting and analytics.
Just How Effective Are Gen AI Tools?
Operators say the tools are not perfect, but overall report that they are at least somewhat helpful. Some 70% of operators said their use of Gen AI was either somewhat or very effective, while 23% said it was only slightly effective or not effective at all. Just 7% said they are “extremely effective.”
Operator Takeaway: Gen AI is not a human replacement, but it can be a productivity accelerator. The results may not be perfect, but these apps can dramatically reduce the time it takes to produce the content you need. The more you use these tools, the more you will train them to deliver the results you’re looking for – and the more they will train you to provide the right inputs, or prompts, to get the content you want.
Get even more hands-on guidance with the Arival Guide to AI in Experiences, an essential overview of AI and emerging applications specifically for operators and sellers of tours, activities, attractions and experiences. Learn how to optimize your experience product listings for generative AI search. Arival Insider Pro Access members can also dig deeper with the AI in Experiences: Case Studies in Emerging Tech.
Even better, join us in person at Arival 360 | Valencia, where we’ll have several key sessions on AI, including an overview of AI applications for operators, and in-depth workshops where operators will get to sit down with travel industry experts and learn how to use these tools.
28-30 APRIL 2025
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THE event of the year for the European in-destination experiences industry
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Learn More in the Latest State of Experiences Report
Arival’s Global Operator Landscape: The State of Experiences (3rd Ed.) report is based on a survey of more than 7,000 operators worldwide. The third edition of Arival’s Global Operator Landscape research series, this new report provides a comprehensive view of the state and structure of tour, activity and attraction marketplace, with key trends and benchmarks for operators of all categories and sizes.
The Global Operator Landscape: The State of Experiences (3rd Ed.) is supported by our Launch Partner GetYourGuide, strategic insights partners Catalan Tourist Board, Expian, Rezgo, TripWorks and Viator, and more than 40 fielding partners. See the full list and get your copy of the full report here.
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Header photo: Generated by OpenAI’s DALL-E