Tourists are getting duped by 'super wrong' travel advice - what to watch out for
To AI or not to AI - that is the question.
ChatGPT and other AI-powered technology have become a handy tool for many a traveller in the last few years.
It can save a lot of time and effort. But it can also send you on a wild goose chase, as travellers in Tasmania recently discovered.
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AI can help plan trips - if you're careful. Getty
As AI chatbots become a normal part of our society, many people are relying on them to handle the heavy lifting of trip planning.
Instead of needing to spend hours researching and compiling information, these chatbots can spit out a detailed itinerary in seconds.
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But don't take it as gospel. Empirical research shows that 90 per cent of itineraries that AI generates have mistakes in them, tourism professor Ann Hardy told CNN.
Last year, dozens of tourists flocked to a small Tasmanian town in search of picturesque hot springs they'd seen online, only to learn that they'd been duped by an AI-generated image.
Tasmania has a lot of beautiful spots - but the hot springs do not exist. Getty
The owner of the Weldborough Hotel in rural Tassie told CNN that she started receiving calls from tourists wanting information about the nearby hot springs.
However, these hot springs didn't exist.
"It was only a couple of calls to start with," Probert said, "but then people began turning up in droves."
"I was receiving probably five phone calls a day, and at least two to three people arriving at the hotel looking for them. We're in a very remote location so it was very random."
Professor Ann Hardy told CNN that she had also seen multiple cases of travellers setting out on walks and hikes based on inaccurate information, ranging from the length of the walk to its difficulty level.
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AI should be used as inspiration, not as gospel. Getty
How to use ChatGPT to plan a trip
AI can be a great starting point for planning a holiday.
I'm taking a family trip in April, and wanted to find a Bali-esque destination that I hadn't been to before. I plugged in some very specific prompts to Chat GPT, and it gave me five options that fit my criteria.
After doing more of my own research, we decided to holiday in Bintan, based on the chatbot's suggestion.
US-based travel expert Cathy Diercksen told People: "I think [ChatGPT] is great if you have no idea what you're doing and you're trying to figure out what kind of vacation might be a good fit for you. Yes, use that."
"But if you want real facts, then you need to go to a travel professional."
I found the Indonesian island of Bintan using ChatGPT. Getty
Just remember to be specific. If you ask for a three-day itinerary for London, it could spit out some random stuff.
But if you ask it to recommend activities for a 45-year-old solo traveller who loves art and bookshops, with a $100 spending limit a day, then you'll get something much more tailored.
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ChatGPT's limitations when planning travel
When I asked ChatGPT to then recommend me a hotel in Bintan in a specific area, it confidently gave me a list of options.
However, once I Googled the first one, I realised it was on the opposite side of the island to where we wanted to be. ChatGPT told me it was "walking distance" to the main beach, but Google Maps says it's actually a 13-hour hike away.
That's why AI is a good source of inspiration- but never something you should rely on.
Nine reporter April says she's been caught out a few times by AI when making plans.
"Google AI overview is often super wrong," she says. "It has told me wrong opening hours for cafes, hotels, restaurants etc. I read somewhere you should treat it like a drunk uncle at the pub - fact check everything it says."
