Tourism and travel in the age of AI: fake images and scams that deceive travelers

Synthetic content, scams and false information about incidents in a place that have never occurred are a danger for the tourism sector from an economic and also reputational point of view, Hervé Lambert, an expert in tourism and computer security, explains to EFE.

“In the tourism sector, the impact of misinformation is especially high, because the purchase is emotional and urgent, and because the trip involves a lot of sensitive data,” Lambert points out.

A study by the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), which analyzed falsehoods about tourism that have circulated in countries such as Spain, Mexico or Colombia, concluded that the majority of misleading statements on this topic have to do with economic issues.

Non-existent destinations

In Peru, two tourists had planned to hike to visit the Sacred Canyon of Humantay, a fictional enclave in the Peruvian Andes that artificial intelligence had created.

A local guide listened to the couple’s plans, who showed him photographs and a description of the place, as well as a safety guide and necessary equipment that ChatGPT had prepared for them.

On the other side of the globe, in Malaysia, another couple drove 300 km before discovering that the cable car they had seen in a video on social media did not exist.

For Lambert, AI-generated images of tourist destinations generate “false expectations” about a place—which translates into bad reviews or complaints—or can “distort the reality of a destination,” with artificial snapshots of conflicts, insecurities, or events that have never occurred.

For example, in the middle of high season, a video made with AI of waves of more than 30 meters in Cancun and Playa del Carmen circulated on Mexican social networks.

“This affects the decision to travel and can divert tourist flows in a short time,” he argues.

Gangs, sharks and other hoaxes to discourage tourists

Also noteworthy are the hoaxes that network users or even the media have spread to discourage travelers from arriving at points of special tourist interest.

Thus, last year the British press reported on the existence in Benidorm (where 42.5% of people staying in hotels come from the United Kingdom) of gangs that drugged tourists from that country, despite the fact that the local authorities are not aware of any complaints of this type.

In Mallorca there have been cases where residents placed signs in the busiest coves on the island warning in English that the beach was closed or that there was a danger of jellyfish.

However, just below, in Catalan, you could read that it was a hoax: “Open beach: No jellyfish or tourists.”

Also in an attempt to stop the flow of tourists on the Costa del Sol, where a record number of visitors was recorded last year, a viral message on social networks falsely claimed that 1,500 shark attacks had been recorded in those waters.

Eye-catching, but false promotions

The era of social media has also opened new avenues for scammers to reach the greatest number of victims.

“Tourist misinformation today is not just “hoaxes”; it is often the prelude to a scam or the multiplier that makes the fraud escalate quickly,” says Hervé Lambert.

This expert remembers the lightning fraud of ‘7 flights’, an alleged travel agency promoted by several influencers that was closed after numerous users reported not receiving the contracted services.

Given this situation, Lambert points out that the solution must be provided by users and companies.

The former, he points out, must “acquire certain habits” to reduce the risk of falling into this type of deception (verify official sources, review the identity of the company, etc.), while the tourism sector must invest in “transparency and prevention” (such as having official channels or monitoring its brand to detect false advertisements that impersonate its identity).