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WU HONGBO, a tourist from Dalian, recently used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a detailed itinerary for a trip to northern China’s Shanxi Province, known for its rich cultural history.
By simply entering information about his destination, travel dates, budget, and personal interests into the AI app, Wu quickly received a personalized week-long itinerary. With a detailed plan that included transportation, attractions and accommodations, he embarked on a more convenient and efficient tour based on the AI’s recommendations in a province that was completely new to him.
A big fan of martial arts novels, Wu had long been fascinated by the Yanmen Pass, a famous section of the Great Wall of China often mentioned in his favorite stories, and was determined to visit it during his tour of Shanxi.
It was Wu’s first visit to Shanxi, and he found that traveling with a tour group could be expensive and less flexible than he had hoped. With so many tourist attractions and complicated itineraries, he turned to AI to help him plan his trip.
The AI-guided itinerary includes major tourist attractions such as Yungang Grottoes, Yingxian County Wooden Pagoda, and their personal favorite, Yanmen Pass. Based on Wu’s interest in ancient architecture and local cuisine, the AI app also recommends less popular local attractions and cuisines that are rich in culture.
“The AI-planned tour really gave me an unexpected surprise. The recommended attractions and routes perfectly matched my tastes and gave me a deeper understanding of Shanxi,” said Wu.
During the May Day holiday, China’s tourism market experienced a significant surge. China’s Ministry of Transport estimated that the number of passenger trips on the first day of the holiday would exceed 340 million, an increase of 8 percent year-on-year (yoy).
The trend reflects growing optimism in the tourism sector, with both domestic and outbound tourism experiencing strong growth.
As immersive and personalized experiences become increasingly popular among travelers, AI’s role as a “virtual tour guide” not only improves the efficiency and quality of travel experiences, but also brings a new level of intelligence to travel planning.
On Chinese social media platforms, content such as “a five-day, four-night itinerary in Shandong customized by DeepSeek” and “a two-day itinerary in Chengdu created by AI” are becoming increasingly common.
Industry analysts believe that 2025 will be a breakthrough year for AI-based travel guide services. With the popularization of 5G and digital technology, immersive experiences across time and space will become mainstream.
On some trips, AI can also provide actual tour guide services. Through voice recognition and accurate positioning technology, AI tour guides act like personal guides, providing detailed explanations of the historical stories, cultural connotations, and unique features behind a tourist attraction.
Liu Xilei, a tourist from Hebei, did not hire a human guide when he visited the Jinci Temple in Taiyuan. Instead, he used Doubao, ByteDance’s AI chatbot, to thoroughly prepare for his visit.
“I learned a lot about the background of the temple, as well as its architectural features and cultural values,” he said. As the AI trend intensifies across China, major tourist destinations are accelerating the upgrading of their technology sectors,” he said.
Popular tourist destinations such as Huangshan Mountain in Anhui, Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi, and Wushan Scenic Area in Chongqing have also integrated DeepSeek to enhance intelligent interactions and provide more personalized experiences for visitors.
The “local AI guide” initiative of Chinese travel service and social networking platform Mafengwo is also expanding its reach.
“They are more than just tour guides, but experts who capture the essence of a city,” said Sun Yunlei, director of Mafengwo’s Destination Research Institute.
The platform recruits old residents, those who have lived in a place for more than five years, to help train its AI models, giving each virtual guide a unique local touch. For example, a “Ginger Duck AI” app in Fujian can easily recommend restaurants in hard-to-reach locations such as alleyways, while a similar app in Guizhou is adept at providing the best tips for enjoying spicy food.
Li Xinjian, executive director of the Beijing Institute of Culture and Tourism Development under the Beijing International Studies University, believes that AI can meet tourists’ demand for customized travel and enable tourist attractions to provide more tailored products and services.
“This will improve the efficiency and experience of tourists, while revitalizing the culture and tourism industry. In the future, AI tour guides are expected to complement human tour guides, jointly providing higher quality and more personalized travel services to make travel more memorable,” Li concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
