Evaluating the Use of Generative AI Travel Assistants in Smart Tourism through Student Feedback
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57159/jcmm.4.5.25231Keywords:
Generative Artificial Intelligence, Smart Tourism, Travel Assistant, Hospitality Education, User PerceptionAbstract
The rapid infusion of artificial intelligence into the tourism industry is reshaping service quality, operational efficiency, and the user experience. Among recent advances, generative AI–powered travel assistants can recommend destinations, build itineraries, and answer trip-planning queries through natural conversation. This paper presents a case study involving 35 hospitality management students who interacted with a generative AI travel assistant for travel planning purposes and subsequently evaluated its performance in terms of accuracy, ease of use, response speed, personalization, trust, and overall satisfaction. Findings indicate that students generally perceived the tool as helpful, fast, and user-friendly for early-stage planning. However, concerns emerged regarding the reliability of the information, occasional inconsistencies in response, and limited socio-emotional sensitivity. At the same time, participants valued generative AI for ideation and comparison, but most preferred human guidance for final decisions. Situated within the context of smart service design and smart tourism, the study offers practical implications for hospitality education and service designers. The results highlight both the opportunities and constraints of generative AI travel assistants in shaping traveler decision-making and perceived service quality.
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