July 3, 2024 • 19 mins
Exploring Sleep Tourism and AI's Impact on Travel
In this episode of Digital Tourism Insights, Pat introduces the concept of sleep tourism, a growing trend where travelers seek vacations focused on rest and rejuvenation. He discusses the importance of sleep for overall well-being and how tourism businesses can tap into this lucrative trend. Additionally, the episode delves into the role of AI, specifically large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude, in revolutionizing travel planning and customer interactions. Pat also shares insights from a recent attitudinal study on how travelers select destinations and the tools they use.
00:00 Welcome to Digital Tourism Insights
00:49 Exploring the Trend of Sleep Tourism
02:12 Who Benefits from Sleep Tourism?
03:12 Opportunities for Tourism Businesses
04:23 The Future of Travel with AI and LLMs
05:29 Deep Dive into Leading LLMs
10:29 Practical Applications of LLMs in Travel
13:56 Attitudinal Study on Travel in Appalachia
18:11 Conclusion and Contact Information
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pat (00:13):
Hello and welcome to Digital Tourism Insights, a
podcast by Digital Relativity.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,founder and CEO of Digital
Relativity, with 25 years ofexperience in travel and tourism
marketing.
I invite you to join me eachepisode for a quick look at
industry trends, research,emerging technologies, and more.
And real talk on what works,what doesn't, and why.
(00:36):
Grab a coffee, a beer, or acocktail.
There is no judgment here.
Let's have some fun with anhonest and irreverent look into
the nitty gritty of travel andtourism marketing.
Today we're diving into a trendthat is catching the attention
of travelers and the tourismindustry alike.
Sleep tourism.
(00:56):
Now, I know what you'rethinking.
Sleep?
Isn't that what we should do athome?
Why would we pay to go somewhereto sleep?
Well, buckle up, because theconcept of sleep tourism is
shaking up how we perceivetravel and wellness.
In today's world, where stressand burnout are rampant, the
allure of a vacation dedicatedto rest and rejuvenation is
(01:18):
simply irresistible to some.
A recent article reveals thatthis booming industry is
projected to grow by nearly 8percent and surpass 400 billion
between now and 2028, for goodreason.
Sleep experts emphasize thatsleep is the cornerstone of
overall well being impactingyour physical and mental health,
(01:40):
and so imagine a design not justto see new places, but to
enhance your sleep quality.
And leave you feeling refreshedand revitalized.
This isn't just about comfy bedsand blackout curtains, although
they help.
We're talking about hotels,lodging properties, offering
sleep enhancing amenities andservices from high tech
mattresses and sound machines topersonalized sleep consultations
(02:04):
and wellness programs.
It's a tailored experience thatcaters to individual sleep
needs, whether you're a latesleeper or struggling with jet
lag.
So let's break down who isseeking out these sleep tourism
experiences.
First and foremost, we havestressed professionals.
Overworked, often dealing withhigh levels of burnout, these
travelers are looking for a wayto unwind and recharge.
(02:27):
Then there are health consciousindividuals who understand the
vital role sleep plays inmaintaining overall wellness.
Frequent travelers, such asbusiness people, often suffer
from disrupted sleep patternsand are eager to find ways to
reset their internal clocks.
And then lastly, older adultswho may face declining sleep
quality are increasingly drawnto sleep tourism, seeking
(02:49):
restorative experiences tomaintain their health and
vitality.
So think about it.
We've all returned from avacation feeling more tired than
we left, right?
The hustle and bustle ofsightseeing, navigating
unfamiliar environments,adjusting to new schedules can
leave us drained.
Sleep tourism flips the scriptand prioritizes rest and
relaxation as the mainattraction.
(03:12):
For savvy tourism businesses outthere, this is a golden
opportunity.
Just think about this,transforming your hotel, resort,
lodging property.
Into a sleep sanctuary,upgrading your bedding, invest
in sleep technology, offeringcurated wellness programs,
partnering with sleep experts toprovide personalized
consultations and treatments.
(03:32):
Think of it as crafting anexperience that caters to the
growing desire for restorativetravel.
The payoff, what goes beyond thefinancial gains of attracting a
new niche of travelers bypromoting sleep tourism, you're
championing the importance ofwellbeing and redefining what a
fulfilling vacation looks like.
An imagined guest returning homefrom the trip not with a
(03:53):
suitcase full of souvenirs, butwith a renewed sense of energy,
focus, and overall health.
It's a win win scenario.
Travelers get the rest theycrave.
Tourism businesses tap into alucrative and impactful trend.
Sleep tourism is more than apassing fad.
It's a reflection of ourevolving needs and desires.
And as an industry, we have thepower to shape the future of
(04:14):
travel by embracing this trendand providing experiences that
prioritize both adventure andwell being.
In today's tech spotlight, weare once again venturing into
the exciting realm of artificialintelligence, specifically
looking at large languagemodels, or as we always refer to
them as LLNs.
(04:34):
These are sophisticated computerprograms that are transforming
how we interact with technologyand are poised to revolutionize
the travel industry in ways thatwe are just beginning to
imagine.
Before we dive into LLMs, let'sjust break down the basics
quickly.
What exactly is ArtificialIntelligence, or AI?
In simple terms, AI refers tothe ability of machines to mimic
(04:56):
human intelligence.
This can include tasks likeproblem solving, learning,
decision making, and evenunderstanding and generating
human language.
And this is where LLMs come in.
These are specialized AI modelstrained on massive data sets of
text and code.
It enables them to understandand generate human like language
(05:17):
with impressive accuracy.
They're the brains behind someof the most advanced AI
applications that we see today,from chatbots and virtual
assistants to content generationand translation tools.
Today we're focusing on fourmajor players in the LLN space.
Chad GPT, Gemini, Perplexity,and Claude.
(05:38):
We're going to delve into theirunique strengths, explore how
they're already making waves invarious industries, including
travel and tourism.
First up, we have Chad GPT byOpenA.
This is like the Swiss Armyknife of LLNs.
It's incredibly versatile, canhandle a wide range of
conversational tasks, fromanswering questions and
providing explanations.
(05:59):
To engaging in creative writingand even generating travel
itineraries.
In the tourism sector, ChatGPTis being used as the backbone to
power chatbots that can assistcustomers with bookings, answer
travel related queries, and evenprovide personalized
recommendations.
Next is Gemini by GoogleDeepMind.
(06:20):
Gemini is the brainiac of thebunch.
It's designed for tasks thatdemand high accuracy, deep
comprehension, making it idealfor applications like complex
data analysis, research, and inthe context of travel,
generating highly accurate andnuanced travel guides.
Next we have Perplexity.
Perplexity is a fantasticresearch tool, but it's known
(06:42):
for its ability to handle abroad spectrum of language tasks
effectively.
It can generate detailed text,answer complex questions, And
provide concise summaries andeven site sources, which is
incredibly important.
And when we see how people areusing this in the travel and
tourism space, perplexity isbeing used as a replacement in
(07:03):
some cases for traditionalsearches that have been done in
the past.
Finally, we're going to take alook at Klot by Anthrop.
Claude is the LLM with aConscious, and it was designed
with safety and ethics in mind,and can help ensure that travel
information is accurate,unbiased, and respectful of
cultural sensitivities.
(07:23):
To sum it up, each of these LLMsbring unique strengths to the
table.
For example, ChatGBT.
This is what we would call thecustomization champion.
TET GPT 4 stands out inparticular for its ability to
find and tune custom GPTs.
GPT stands for Generative Pretrained Transformers.
(07:43):
This means that you can tailorits responses to specific domain
styles, brand voices, and if youneed to get an LLM that can be
highly specialized and adaptedto your particular use case,
ChatGPT4 is pretty powerful.
It allows you to create customchatbots, brand specific content
generation, specialized customersupport interactions.
(08:06):
One example that I can think offor these custom GPTs that we
have been considering is workingwith our travel and tourism
partners.
And creating a custom GPT thatis strictly based upon the
content and the informationabout your areas, which can
serve as an assistant to yourphone representatives as they're
answering questions fromprospective travelers.
(08:28):
Anthropic Claude.
This is the creative writer.
Anthropic Claude boastsimpressive writing capabilities.
Its strong grasp of language,nuance, context, and
storytelling makes it an idealtool for generating high
quality.
Written content across variousformats, whether the articles,
marketing copy, creativestories, or even code.
(08:51):
It's best for content creation,copywriting, writing projects,
code generation, and I want tostress this.
This is, again, these tools areintended to help create the
content, not do the contentcreation from scratch that you
simply copy, paste, and publish.
Next, Google's Gemini.
(09:11):
This is the critical thinker ofthe group.
Again, we referred to it just amoment ago as the Brainiac.
The Gemini is well suited fortasks.
It requires complex problemsolving, deep comprehension of
information, and generatinginsightful responses.
This one, you know, again, bestfor complex things, data
analysis and interpretation.
And it generates really in depthreports and summaries.
(09:35):
Next, with Perplexity, this is aresearch assistant.
Perplexity AI is designed withresearch in mind.
It can quickly search throughvast amounts of information.
It can synthesize key points,present findings in an easily
understandable format.
And it's a valuable asset foranyone needing to gather and
analyze data efficiently.
(09:56):
So, what is this best for?
I think a lot of folks wouldconsider this.
Uh, fantastic for academic,market research, fact checking,
and just quickly exploringreally complex topics.
One thing to note is that besthere is subjective, right?
The best LLM ultimately dependson what you're specifically
(10:17):
trying to do.
Considering experimenting withdifferent models, and I've got
an exercise for you here in justa moment, to find one that
aligns best with your goals.
Uh, but again, it's looking atthis from the travel and tourism
marketing perspective.
I think that we need to putourselves in the shoes of our
potential visitors and justthink about how they might be
using these tools, how we canleverage that knowledge and put
(10:40):
the information that we knowabout our areas and present them
in ways to help prospectivetravelers plan a trip.
Potential applications for thetravel and tourism industry are
vast and frankly, they're quiteexciting.
You know, AI powered virtualtravel agents that can
personalize trips from bookingflights and accommodations to
(11:01):
crafting a customized itinerarytrip based on the potential
traveler's interest andpreferences.
I'm going to make a key pointhere.
When I'm referring to agents inthis respect, it's not travel
agents that we think of in thetraditional sense, but rather
these AI agents that can takeaction.
(11:22):
On your behalf.
Okay, those things are comingand I think that this is going
to be really interesting.
So, for example, if somebody isusing the AI tool to plan or to
research potential destinations.
When these agents do come intoplay, they can then go and book
these trips for you.
(11:42):
Just a few examples of how LLMsare poised to revolutionize how
travelers plan and book.
And so let's just kind ofquickly look at an example of
how prospective travelers can beusing these tools.
I would encourage you to go toall four of those LLMs and use
these exact same props.
And just look at the ways thatthe information comes back to
(12:06):
you.
How it's presented to you, howit's cited, what are the sources
that are being used, whatopportunities exist for us as
traveling toys and marketers tomake the most of these
opportunities.
So, I would encourage you to usea prompt such as this, using air
quotes here.
I will be traveling with myspouse and our three children.
(12:29):
They are ages 12, 15, and 19.
We are seeking a destinationwith great local food options,
moderately adventurousactivities, and the travel dates
will likely be in August.
Can you suggest locations withina day's drive of Washington, D.
C.
to consider?
Now, you can modify that howeveryou choose, okay?
(12:51):
But, I would really encourageyou to put that into each one of
these different LLMs.
And again, just look at thedifferences and the similarities
in the results that you get.
And here's another example.
Going again to each one of theseLLMs and being very specific.
Okay, where should I eat whenvisiting Bryson City?
Something as simple as that.
And you can even, like, takethat a step further, describe,
(13:12):
you know, the, the persona, ifyou will.
Provide specific times anddates, just as we did in the
first example.
And again, put the same queryprompt, if you will, into each
one of these LLMs.
And just look at theopportunities that exist.
So, what can we learn from this?
Quite a bit.
I know that we're still tryingto wrap our heads around just
(13:34):
how to leverage theseopportunities, but they are
opportunities.
And so Let me know what youfind, what you learn, did you
see anything interesting,unexplainable, would love to
hear from you.
Send a text with what youlearned, 209 300 5017, and we'll
continue the conversation.
(13:56):
In today's research roundup,we're going to take a slightly
different approach instead ofReviewing published research,
I'm going to talk a little bitabout a recently completed
attitudinal study that we havecompleted here at Digital
Relativity with the help of ourfriends at Audience Audit.
We're extremely excited aboutthis study so that we can have
more information to learn abouthow people are Selecting their
(14:19):
destinations, the types ofthings that they are searching
for in a destination, the toolsthat they're using to find them.
And we're going to be coveringthe results of this over the
course of the next severalmonths.
We will have a presentationcoming up soon, and of course a
special presentation for ourparticipating partners, and to
help everybody understand thethings that we've learned about
(14:40):
this.
The focus of this study, again,an attitudinal study, was to
look at the perceptions thatpeople have about traveling in
Appalachia, but then digginginto the tools that they use,
the types of information thatinspires them to choose
destinations, and we found somereally interesting things.
First of all, the confidence inthe results is extremely high.
(15:05):
This has an overall margin oferror of plus or minus 3.
4 percentage points.
This is at a 95 percentconfidence level.
So, what that means is 95percent of the time, repeating
the study would generate resultswithin the 3.
4 percentage points of theresults reported within the
study.
Very exciting.
(15:26):
That gives me a high level ofconfidence in the responses that
we received.
And there's a couple ofdifferent things that I think
are really interesting.
First of all, I'll share withyou just a couple of the sample
questions that we asked, suchas, I'm always looking for new
opportunities to travel.
I am interested in the localculture of Appalachia.
I want to, quote unquote, livelike the locals when I travel to
(15:49):
a new destination.
And when we started looking at,like, how people plan, one of
the questions we asked was, Iwant expert guidance in planning
my travel.
Some other questions we askedabout tools that they use while
they're in market.
We also asked about the types ofthings that they avoid.
(16:09):
One of the questions was, Iprefer to avoid crowds when
making my travel plans.
And again, the respondents wouldrate these things on a scale.
This has all been synthesized,and one of the really
interesting pieces of this isthat we have identified four
distinct attitudinal segmentsamong the respondents.
Of the 100 percent of this, ifyou will, it is broken down
(16:33):
almost exactly equal across fourdifferent segments that we've
identified.
Immersive, spontaneous,cautious, and avoidant.
Okay.
What does that mean?
So, the way that we have lookedat this, the immersive, they
experience local culture,activities, and experiences,
place a high priority on that.
The spontaneous travelers relyon an instant and opportunity
(16:56):
for traveling, prefer not toplan, and embrace surprise.
One of the things about thespontaneous group that I look
forward to sharing with you allas we reveal these results over
the course of the next couple ofmonths, the spontaneous group is
not who you might think that itis.
The Cautious Travelers.
Within this segment, they wantexpert advice and will allow
(17:17):
reviews to learn aboutdestinations and prefer to visit
areas where locals feel familiarto them.
And then lastly, we have theAvoidance segment.
And this group prefers to avoidcrowds, popular places, and
tourists.
So, some very interesting thingsthat we have uncovered.
I really look forward to sharingthis information with you again.
(17:42):
This is a focus on travel inAppalachia, about how people
feel about the Appalachianregion, and then again diving
more into the tools and theresources that they rely upon to
plan their travel.
So, if you're interested inkeeping up with this, send me a
text 209 300 5017, and we'll besure that you're on the list as
(18:05):
we start revealing theseresults.
Over the course of the nextcouple of months.
That's all for today's episode.
I hope that you found one smallpiece of information to help you
along your marketing journey.
If you have any questions, atopic that you'd like to hear
covered, or a great example oftravel and tourism marketing in
the wild, I'd love to hear fromyou.
(18:25):
Just drop me an email.
TTI at DigitalRelativity.
com That's TTI atDigitalRelativity.
com Or you can text 209 3005017, that's 209 300 5017, or
message me on X at Pat Strader.
(18:46):
I'm your host, Pat Strader,signing off, and I invite you to
subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, and join us next time
as we continue to explore thefuture of travel and tourism
marketing.
Hello and welcome to Digital Tourism Insights, a
podcast by Digital Relativity.
I'm your host, Pat Strader,founder and CEO of Digital
Relativity, with 25 years ofexperience in travel and tourism
marketing.
I invite you to join me eachepisode for a quick look at
industry trends, research,emerging technologies, and more.
And real talk on what works,what doesn't, and why.
(00:36):
Grab a coffee, a beer, or acocktail.
There is no judgment here.
Let's have some fun with anhonest and irreverent look into
the nitty gritty of travel andtourism marketing.
Today we're diving into a trendthat is catching the attention
of travelers and the tourismindustry alike.
Sleep tourism.
(00:56):
Now, I know what you'rethinking.
Sleep?
Isn't that what we should do athome?
Why would we pay to go somewhereto sleep?
Well, buckle up, because theconcept of sleep tourism is
shaking up how we perceivetravel and wellness.
In today's world, where stressand burnout are rampant, the
allure of a vacation dedicatedto rest and rejuvenation is
(01:18):
simply irresistible to some.
A recent article reveals thatthis booming industry is
projected to grow by nearly 8percent and surpass 400 billion
between now and 2028, for goodreason.
Sleep experts emphasize thatsleep is the cornerstone of
overall well being impactingyour physical and mental health,
(01:40):
and so imagine a design not justto see new places, but to
enhance your sleep quality.
And leave you feeling refreshedand revitalized.
This isn't just about comfy bedsand blackout curtains, although
they help.
We're talking about hotels,lodging properties, offering
sleep enhancing amenities andservices from high tech
mattresses and sound machines topersonalized sleep consultations
(02:04):
and wellness programs.
It's a tailored experience thatcaters to individual sleep
needs, whether you're a latesleeper or struggling with jet
lag.
So let's break down who isseeking out these sleep tourism
experiences.
First and foremost, we havestressed professionals.
Overworked, often dealing withhigh levels of burnout, these
travelers are looking for a wayto unwind and recharge.
(02:27):
Then there are health consciousindividuals who understand the
vital role sleep plays inmaintaining overall wellness.
Frequent travelers, such asbusiness people, often suffer
from disrupted sleep patternsand are eager to find ways to
reset their internal clocks.
And then lastly, older adultswho may face declining sleep
quality are increasingly drawnto sleep tourism, seeking
(02:49):
restorative experiences tomaintain their health and
vitality.
So think about it.
We've all returned from avacation feeling more tired than
we left, right?
The hustle and bustle ofsightseeing, navigating
unfamiliar environments,adjusting to new schedules can
leave us drained.
Sleep tourism flips the scriptand prioritizes rest and
relaxation as the mainattraction.
(03:12):
For savvy tourism businesses outthere, this is a golden
opportunity.
Just think about this,transforming your hotel, resort,
lodging property.
Into a sleep sanctuary,upgrading your bedding, invest
in sleep technology, offeringcurated wellness programs,
partnering with sleep experts toprovide personalized
consultations and treatments.
(03:32):
Think of it as crafting anexperience that caters to the
growing desire for restorativetravel.
The payoff, what goes beyond thefinancial gains of attracting a
new niche of travelers bypromoting sleep tourism, you're
championing the importance ofwellbeing and redefining what a
fulfilling vacation looks like.
An imagined guest returning homefrom the trip not with a
(03:53):
suitcase full of souvenirs, butwith a renewed sense of energy,
focus, and overall health.
It's a win win scenario.
Travelers get the rest theycrave.
Tourism businesses tap into alucrative and impactful trend.
Sleep tourism is more than apassing fad.
It's a reflection of ourevolving needs and desires.
And as an industry, we have thepower to shape the future of
(04:14):
travel by embracing this trendand providing experiences that
prioritize both adventure andwell being.
In today's tech spotlight, weare once again venturing into
the exciting realm of artificialintelligence, specifically
looking at large languagemodels, or as we always refer to
them as LLNs.
(04:34):
These are sophisticated computerprograms that are transforming
how we interact with technologyand are poised to revolutionize
the travel industry in ways thatwe are just beginning to
imagine.
Before we dive into LLMs, let'sjust break down the basics
quickly.
What exactly is ArtificialIntelligence, or AI?
In simple terms, AI refers tothe ability of machines to mimic
(04:56):
human intelligence.
This can include tasks likeproblem solving, learning,
decision making, and evenunderstanding and generating
human language.
And this is where LLMs come in.
These are specialized AI modelstrained on massive data sets of
text and code.
It enables them to understandand generate human like language
(05:17):
with impressive accuracy.
They're the brains behind someof the most advanced AI
applications that we see today,from chatbots and virtual
assistants to content generationand translation tools.
Today we're focusing on fourmajor players in the LLN space.
Chad GPT, Gemini, Perplexity,and Claude.
(05:38):
We're going to delve into theirunique strengths, explore how
they're already making waves invarious industries, including
travel and tourism.
First up, we have Chad GPT byOpenA.
This is like the Swiss Armyknife of LLNs.
It's incredibly versatile, canhandle a wide range of
conversational tasks, fromanswering questions and
providing explanations.
(05:59):
To engaging in creative writingand even generating travel
itineraries.
In the tourism sector, ChatGPTis being used as the backbone to
power chatbots that can assistcustomers with bookings, answer
travel related queries, and evenprovide personalized
recommendations.
Next is Gemini by GoogleDeepMind.
(06:20):
Gemini is the brainiac of thebunch.
It's designed for tasks thatdemand high accuracy, deep
comprehension, making it idealfor applications like complex
data analysis, research, and inthe context of travel,
generating highly accurate andnuanced travel guides.
Next we have Perplexity.
Perplexity is a fantasticresearch tool, but it's known
(06:42):
for its ability to handle abroad spectrum of language tasks
effectively.
It can generate detailed text,answer complex questions, And
provide concise summaries andeven site sources, which is
incredibly important.
And when we see how people areusing this in the travel and
tourism space, perplexity isbeing used as a replacement in
(07:03):
some cases for traditionalsearches that have been done in
the past.
Finally, we're going to take alook at Klot by Anthrop.
Claude is the LLM with aConscious, and it was designed
with safety and ethics in mind,and can help ensure that travel
information is accurate,unbiased, and respectful of
cultural sensitivities.
(07:23):
To sum it up, each of these LLMsbring unique strengths to the
table.
For example, ChatGBT.
This is what we would call thecustomization champion.
TET GPT 4 stands out inparticular for its ability to
find and tune custom GPTs.
GPT stands for Generative Pretrained Transformers.
(07:43):
This means that you can tailorits responses to specific domain
styles, brand voices, and if youneed to get an LLM that can be
highly specialized and adaptedto your particular use case,
ChatGPT4 is pretty powerful.
It allows you to create customchatbots, brand specific content
generation, specialized customersupport interactions.
(08:06):
One example that I can think offor these custom GPTs that we
have been considering is workingwith our travel and tourism
partners.
And creating a custom GPT thatis strictly based upon the
content and the informationabout your areas, which can
serve as an assistant to yourphone representatives as they're
answering questions fromprospective travelers.
(08:28):
Anthropic Claude.
This is the creative writer.
Anthropic Claude boastsimpressive writing capabilities.
Its strong grasp of language,nuance, context, and
storytelling makes it an idealtool for generating high
quality.
Written content across variousformats, whether the articles,
marketing copy, creativestories, or even code.
(08:51):
It's best for content creation,copywriting, writing projects,
code generation, and I want tostress this.
This is, again, these tools areintended to help create the
content, not do the contentcreation from scratch that you
simply copy, paste, and publish.
Next, Google's Gemini.
(09:11):
This is the critical thinker ofthe group.
Again, we referred to it just amoment ago as the Brainiac.
The Gemini is well suited fortasks.
It requires complex problemsolving, deep comprehension of
information, and generatinginsightful responses.
This one, you know, again, bestfor complex things, data
analysis and interpretation.
And it generates really in depthreports and summaries.
(09:35):
Next, with Perplexity, this is aresearch assistant.
Perplexity AI is designed withresearch in mind.
It can quickly search throughvast amounts of information.
It can synthesize key points,present findings in an easily
understandable format.
And it's a valuable asset foranyone needing to gather and
analyze data efficiently.
(09:56):
So, what is this best for?
I think a lot of folks wouldconsider this.
Uh, fantastic for academic,market research, fact checking,
and just quickly exploringreally complex topics.
One thing to note is that besthere is subjective, right?
The best LLM ultimately dependson what you're specifically
(10:17):
trying to do.
Considering experimenting withdifferent models, and I've got
an exercise for you here in justa moment, to find one that
aligns best with your goals.
Uh, but again, it's looking atthis from the travel and tourism
marketing perspective.
I think that we need to putourselves in the shoes of our
potential visitors and justthink about how they might be
using these tools, how we canleverage that knowledge and put
(10:40):
the information that we knowabout our areas and present them
in ways to help prospectivetravelers plan a trip.
Potential applications for thetravel and tourism industry are
vast and frankly, they're quiteexciting.
You know, AI powered virtualtravel agents that can
personalize trips from bookingflights and accommodations to
(11:01):
crafting a customized itinerarytrip based on the potential
traveler's interest andpreferences.
I'm going to make a key pointhere.
When I'm referring to agents inthis respect, it's not travel
agents that we think of in thetraditional sense, but rather
these AI agents that can takeaction.
(11:22):
On your behalf.
Okay, those things are comingand I think that this is going
to be really interesting.
So, for example, if somebody isusing the AI tool to plan or to
research potential destinations.
When these agents do come intoplay, they can then go and book
these trips for you.
(11:42):
Just a few examples of how LLMsare poised to revolutionize how
travelers plan and book.
And so let's just kind ofquickly look at an example of
how prospective travelers can beusing these tools.
I would encourage you to go toall four of those LLMs and use
these exact same props.
And just look at the ways thatthe information comes back to
(12:06):
you.
How it's presented to you, howit's cited, what are the sources
that are being used, whatopportunities exist for us as
traveling toys and marketers tomake the most of these
opportunities.
So, I would encourage you to usea prompt such as this, using air
quotes here.
I will be traveling with myspouse and our three children.
(12:29):
They are ages 12, 15, and 19.
We are seeking a destinationwith great local food options,
moderately adventurousactivities, and the travel dates
will likely be in August.
Can you suggest locations withina day's drive of Washington, D.
C.
to consider?
Now, you can modify that howeveryou choose, okay?
(12:51):
But, I would really encourageyou to put that into each one of
these different LLMs.
And again, just look at thedifferences and the similarities
in the results that you get.
And here's another example.
Going again to each one of theseLLMs and being very specific.
Okay, where should I eat whenvisiting Bryson City?
Something as simple as that.
And you can even, like, takethat a step further, describe,
(13:12):
you know, the, the persona, ifyou will.
Provide specific times anddates, just as we did in the
first example.
And again, put the same queryprompt, if you will, into each
one of these LLMs.
And just look at theopportunities that exist.
So, what can we learn from this?
Quite a bit.
I know that we're still tryingto wrap our heads around just
(13:34):
how to leverage theseopportunities, but they are
opportunities.
And so Let me know what youfind, what you learn, did you
see anything interesting,unexplainable, would love to
hear from you.
Send a text with what youlearned, 209 300 5017, and we'll
continue the conversation.
(13:56):
In today's research roundup,we're going to take a slightly
different approach instead ofReviewing published research,
I'm going to talk a little bitabout a recently completed
attitudinal study that we havecompleted here at Digital
Relativity with the help of ourfriends at Audience Audit.
We're extremely excited aboutthis study so that we can have
more information to learn abouthow people are Selecting their
(14:19):
destinations, the types ofthings that they are searching
for in a destination, the toolsthat they're using to find them.
And we're going to be coveringthe results of this over the
course of the next severalmonths.
We will have a presentationcoming up soon, and of course a
special presentation for ourparticipating partners, and to
help everybody understand thethings that we've learned about
(14:40):
this.
The focus of this study, again,an attitudinal study, was to
look at the perceptions thatpeople have about traveling in
Appalachia, but then digginginto the tools that they use,
the types of information thatinspires them to choose
destinations, and we found somereally interesting things.
First of all, the confidence inthe results is extremely high.
(15:05):
This has an overall margin oferror of plus or minus 3.
4 percentage points.
This is at a 95 percentconfidence level.
So, what that means is 95percent of the time, repeating
the study would generate resultswithin the 3.
4 percentage points of theresults reported within the
study.
Very exciting.
(15:26):
That gives me a high level ofconfidence in the responses that
we received.
And there's a couple ofdifferent things that I think
are really interesting.
First of all, I'll share withyou just a couple of the sample
questions that we asked, suchas, I'm always looking for new
opportunities to travel.
I am interested in the localculture of Appalachia.
I want to, quote unquote, livelike the locals when I travel to
(15:49):
a new destination.
And when we started looking at,like, how people plan, one of
the questions we asked was, Iwant expert guidance in planning
my travel.
Some other questions we askedabout tools that they use while
they're in market.
We also asked about the types ofthings that they avoid.
(16:09):
One of the questions was, Iprefer to avoid crowds when
making my travel plans.
And again, the respondents wouldrate these things on a scale.
This has all been synthesized,and one of the really
interesting pieces of this isthat we have identified four
distinct attitudinal segmentsamong the respondents.
Of the 100 percent of this, ifyou will, it is broken down
(16:33):
almost exactly equal across fourdifferent segments that we've
identified.
Immersive, spontaneous,cautious, and avoidant.
Okay.
What does that mean?
So, the way that we have lookedat this, the immersive, they
experience local culture,activities, and experiences,
place a high priority on that.
The spontaneous travelers relyon an instant and opportunity
(16:56):
for traveling, prefer not toplan, and embrace surprise.
One of the things about thespontaneous group that I look
forward to sharing with you allas we reveal these results over
the course of the next couple ofmonths, the spontaneous group is
not who you might think that itis.
The Cautious Travelers.
Within this segment, they wantexpert advice and will allow
(17:17):
reviews to learn aboutdestinations and prefer to visit
areas where locals feel familiarto them.
And then lastly, we have theAvoidance segment.
And this group prefers to avoidcrowds, popular places, and
tourists.
So, some very interesting thingsthat we have uncovered.
I really look forward to sharingthis information with you again.
(17:42):
This is a focus on travel inAppalachia, about how people
feel about the Appalachianregion, and then again diving
more into the tools and theresources that they rely upon to
plan their travel.
So, if you're interested inkeeping up with this, send me a
text 209 300 5017, and we'll besure that you're on the list as
(18:05):
we start revealing theseresults.
Over the course of the nextcouple of months.
That's all for today's episode.
I hope that you found one smallpiece of information to help you
along your marketing journey.
If you have any questions, atopic that you'd like to hear
covered, or a great example oftravel and tourism marketing in
the wild, I'd love to hear fromyou.
(18:25):
Just drop me an email.
TTI at DigitalRelativity.
com That's TTI atDigitalRelativity.
com Or you can text 209 3005017, that's 209 300 5017, or
message me on X at Pat Strader.
(18:46):
I'm your host, Pat Strader,signing off, and I invite you to
subscribe wherever you get yourpodcasts, and join us next time
as we continue to explore thefuture of travel and tourism
marketing.
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