AI could spur tourism in G7 nations — OECD

Tourism in the Group of Seven (G7) countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States can potentially benefit from the adoption of artificial intelligence tools, according to the global policy forum, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, the opportunities come along with certain risks.

The “artificial intelligence and tourism: G7/OECD policy paper” issued on Dec. 18 informed global policymakers about the growing relevance of AI in supporting innovation and tourism sustainability.

OECD’s analysis of existing AI applications in tourism found several potential benefits, which include enhanced visitor experience, improved accessibility and audience engagement and automation of internal processes and customer service, among others. The policy paper noted:

“AI can support efforts to promote sustainable tourism practices through its ability to assist in managing resources more efficiently, including energy use, waste reduction, skill-oriented workforce allocation and optimizing tourist flows.”

AI tools can reshape tourism processes and policies

AI tools could also help local communities by better-managing tourism flows. However, the OECD recommended “continuous evaluation and adaptation of AI technologies” to ensure its successful implementation.

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Granular data collected from AI tools can enhance the tourism policy-making process. The data sets can also train AI models for specific use cases in tourism. “However, there are risks associated with AI adoption in tourism, including concerns about data quality, security, and environmental impacts,” the OECD policy paper noted.

Call for AI policy-making through international collaboration

On the other hand, the OECD advised policymakers to consider “key issues” when adopting AI technologies in tourism. These include implementing robust data protection and consumer safeguarding measures, analyzing job impact and conducting AI training and education for all tourism industry stakeholders.

OECD warned that the legal and regulatory frameworks for AI will significantly impact tourism, its businesses and future policy-making. On an end note, the paper recommended that the G7 Tourism Working Group enable knowledge sharing on specific issues among the seven economies.

On Dec. 17, Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, the president of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), announced that Saudi Arabia was ranked third in OECD’s AI Policy Observatory after the US and UK.

As a result, Saudi Arabia stands as the top destination in the Middle East for building trustworthy AI tools and policies.

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