by Melissa Weddell
Insights into Personalization, Efficiency, and Responsible Management
Changes are if you travel you are using artificial intelligence (AI). Navigation apps like Google Maps use AI for real-time directions, route planning, weather updates, and targeted ads on social media, such as dinner-time suggestions for nearby restaurants. AI is rapidly emerging as a tool that is transforming how businesses operate and consumers engage. In tourism, AI encompasses technologies like virtual assistants, smart travel agents, and data analytics, which together create personalized experiences for travelers. Community-based platforms like Airbnb and Uber exemplify the shift toward new economic models such as the sharing economy, where user preference drives innovation and the adoption of AI-driven solutions. However, these benefits come with challenges, such as concerns over job displacement, inaccurate information, and privacy risks. In Montana, a state that relies on tourism, AI integration offers opportunities and challenges, particularly in achieving a balanced approach to supporting industry growth while respecting data privacy and ethical concerns.
AI applications in tourism and recreation industries
For business, AI can personalize visitor experiences using systems to analyze visitor profiles that tailor recommendations and itinerary planning for a customized experience. This level of personalization enriches the visitor experience and supports customer loyalty, helping businesses build a strong base of returning clients.
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service and Jayme Fraser.
AI can automate routine tasks such as check-in and check-out and optimize staffing levels using forecasting tools to predict visitor trends and manage demands effectively.
For example, Disney uses AI tools like the Disney Genie app to provide personalized itineraries and manage virtual queues to reduce wait times. AI monitors crowd density for dynamic crowd control, optimizes staffing, and powers interactive attractions.
It also supports dynamic ticket pricing and real-time security monitoring, creating a seamless park experience. National parks like Yellowstone and Glacier use AI by analyzing data from sensors, cameras, and mobile apps to monitor visitor numbers, predict peak times, and manage crowd flow, reducing congestion in popular areas.
National parks like Yellowstone and Glacier use AI by analyzing data from sensors, cameras, and mobile apps to monitor visitor numbers, predict peak times, and manage crowd flow, reducing congestion in popular areas.
AI also supports wildlife monitoring and habitat protection by detecting human-wildlife interactions. In Glacier National Park, AI tools assist in forecasting trail conditions and planning shuttle schedules, ensuring a better balance between accessibility and preservation.This optimized management enables businesses to reduce labor costs and increase productivity, especially during peak seasons when demand surges. As a result, a business can maintain high service levels while controlling operational expenses and reducing cost savings.
AI applications for visitors
For the traveler, AI technology is becoming essential for planning, helping make informed choices and enhancing their overall experience. When choosing destinations, virtual travel assistants and AI-driven apps like chatbots can provide personalized recommendations based on individual interests, budgets, and travel history. Tools like Google Travel and Hopper, for instance, use AI to forecast prices, suggest optimal travel times, and offer insights into popular activities.
As AI technology continues to evolve, it holds great potential to further personalize, enhance, and safeguard the travel and recreation experience.
AI also aids in planning trips by curating custom itineraries tailored to each traveler’s preferences, goals, and schedules. Many travel apps generate suggested schedules that highlight attractions, dining options, and activities like places the user has enjoyed in the past. By leveraging AI’s ability to learn from user preferences and reviews, these tools offer a more seamless and tailored planning experience that aligns with each traveler’s interests.
While in a destination, AI-based navigation tools provide enhanced navigation and real-time information. These tools offer guidance on traffic conditions, weather, trails, and even crowd levels. For outdoor recreationists, some apps provide real-time trail updates, weather alerts, and alternative route suggestions, helping users navigateboth urban and remote areas safely and efficiently.
AI is also enhancing perceived safety and risk management for outdoor enthusiasts. AI tools can assess environmental risks like weather changes or wildlife presence, issuing real-time alerts to help travelers make safer choices.
As AI technology continues to evolve, it holds great potential to further personalize, enhance, and safeguard the travel and recreation experience.
Challenges in AI adoption
While there are many opportunities, adopting AI presents several challenges, especially for small and rural businesses. The financial investment needed to implement some AI solutions can be significant, often creating barriers for businesses with limited budgets or resources. Data privacy and ethical concerns are also challenges. AI systems use visitor data to personalize experiences, making responsible data handling and compliance with privacy regulations vital for ethical use and building trust.
Staff training and integration pose another hurdle. Effective use of AI tools requires a workforce familiar with these technologies, but training can be costly and time-consuming. Finally, resistance to change can limit AI adoption. Employees and stakeholders may resist new technologies due to concerns about job displacement, lack of familiarity, or satisfaction with current practices.
Overcoming these challenges requires clear communication about AI’s benefits, investment in training, and addressing privacy concerns to foster acceptance and successful integration.
Future Directions
AI offers promise for enhancing Montana’s tourism and recreation industries, particularly in visitor management, cost savings, and safety. Additionally, AI has the potential to promote lesser-known destinations across Montana, encouraging tourism beyond popular hotspots.
This expansion helps distribute economic benefits more evenly across the state, providing growth opportunities for rural communities and reducing pressure on heavily visited areas. AI can also improve safety and risk management for visitors. By providing real-time alerts, tracking weather or hazard conditions, and managing crowds, AI enhances the safety of the front and backcountry experiences. For example, AI systems could notify visitors of sudden weatherchanges or trail closures, empowering them to make informed decisions. With these applications, AI can play a vital role in creating a safer, more sustainable, and economically inclusive tourism landscape in Montana, driving positive impacts across the state’s communities and ecosystems.
Melissa Weddell is director and research faculty at the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.
Kika Bradford is a social scientist and research associate at Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.
