Tour operators are seeing a growing number of enquiries influenced by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, with some referred directly to their businesses by large language models (LLMs).
In a recent Tourism Update poll, 45% of readers said “Yes” when asked if their businesses are receiving enquiries that appear to come from AI recommendations. Only 27% said “No” and the remaining 28% were unsure.
Robyn-Lea Meyer, Inbound Business Operations Manager at Giltedge, told Tourism Update that the company is not receiving enquiries referred directly through LLMs a year ago.
“Today, it’s still a relatively small percentage of overall enquiries but it has become a noticeable and growing trend,” she said.
Ed Goldswain, Group Digital Director at Go2Africa, said the company has seen an upward trend in traffic and enquiries that could be directly attributed to AI answer engines, particularly ChatGPT, over the past 12 months.
Using Google Analytics, Go2Africa finds referrals from LLMs currently account for around 2% of online enquiries. However, Goldswain said this understates AI’s role in discovery.
Around 7% of clients who make an online enquiry tell Go2Africa they discovered the company through ChatGPT or another LLM.
He said the difference is largely an attribution issue: a client may first discover Go2Africa through an LLM, then search for the company or visit its website directly.
“We are working hard to understand how LLMs are changing users’ discovery journeys but the direction of travel is clear: LLMs are becoming an increasingly measurable part of the safari research and discovery journey,” said Goldswain.
Early promise
While the volume of directly attributable LLM referrals remains relatively small, Goldswain said these leads are among Go2Africa’s strongest in terms of lead quality and conversion further down the booking funnel.
“They tend to arrive better researched with a higher intent to book than we typically see from other sources,” he said.
However, he added, the company is not yet drawing definitive comparisons with established channels such as organic search.
What should operators do?
The rise of AI is prompting questions about African operators’ approach to improving their chances of being recommended by AI tools through online content.
Goldswain said the starting point should not be to write for AI at the expense of writing for travellers.
“The fundamentals matter more than ever: publish accurate, current and genuinely useful information; answer the questions travellers actually ask; explain destinations and products clearly; and demonstrate real, first-hand expertise.”
For African travel, that means going beyond generic destination copy.
“Operators should be clear about seasonality, access, travel times, wildlife, accommodation, price expectations and the differences between experiences. They should support this with credible reviews, named expertise and a reputation built across trusted third-party sources, not only their own websites.”
Just as importantly, said Goldswain, the information needs to be easy for people and AI to understand: clearly organised pages, precise language, sound technical foundations and structured data.
“Publishing large volumes of generic content is not going to create a long-term advantage. Original insight, on-the-ground expertise and trust, which are much harder to replicate, will make an operator stand out.”
