The expert assessed the prospects for the introduction of AI in tourism

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be more widely used in the future as a personal assistant in tourism, says CEO of Notamedia, a digital platform developer Maxim Malyshev. He told Izvestia on April 30 about the prospects for the introduction of such technologies in the industry.

The expert recalled that independent travel is currently organized in a few clicks: mobile applications help to book accommodation, buy tickets and even receive bonuses for frequent trips. Social networks and Telegram channels complement this ecosystem: through them, tourists look for travel ideas, share impressions and appraisals of objects. And businesses on social media promote tourist locations through blogs, challenges, and UGC content. Technologies are also being actively implemented in infrastructure and tourism facilities.

"The smart city concept in Moscow provides free Wi-Fi in parks, online navigation and transport control. AR/VR solutions can be singled out separately: at the Russian Railway Museum, you can use VR glasses to "ride" on the imperial train, and the VDNKh augmented reality app turns a walk into an interactive quest with 3D objects and a voice guide. Digital maps, virtual guides and travel platforms have become indispensable assistants for those who want to immerse themselves in the culture and history of the regions," said Malyshev.

According to him, digital products are changing the sphere of domestic tourism, making it more accessible, comfortable and emotionally intense. At the same time, according to the expert's forecast, in the future artificial intelligence will be more widely used as a personal assistant. So, he suggested that AI will act as a personal digital guide-advisor.

"This is not just a chatbot in a smartphone, but an entire ecosystem: it will analyze the preferences of tourists, become a voice assistant that answers questions during a walk, and even a generative AI capable of telling fascinating stories, adapting to the interests of the listener. For example, a traveler may have a virtual guide in his earpiece, who understands where he is based on GPS and computer vision, and begins the tour himself — tells the story of the place, points out where to look, warns about interesting sights nearby," Malyshev added.

He noted that AI is already helping tourists with translation and information, eliminating the need to contact local guides because of the language. In the future, such systems will become even more intelligent and emotionally empathetic, capable of joking and maintaining a conversation in any language.

"With the development of AI, every traveler will be able to quickly plan an individual trip route and excursions, without the participation of other people, all communication will take place only with the neural network. AI will become a personal assistant that will make the journey full of impressions and interesting," concluded Malyshev.

Earlier, on January 22, Carmen Sofia Riofrio Solntseva, an international expert in ski resort management, told Izvestia that by 2050 artificial intelligence could become an integral part of the management of most ski resorts. She also noted that modern algorithms, due to cost savings, make it possible to extend the season by two to four weeks and reduce waiting time on lifts by 25%.