One of the most significant challenges faced by tour operators is creating compelling and engaging content that attracts prospective tourists and convinces them to book a tour or activity. Although artificial intelligence (AI) technology should never be completely relied upon, tour operators can easily and effectively harness the power of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat and Google Bard to help optimize their content creation process. This can all seem intimidating at first, and we know it can be difficult to know where to start, so we’ve decided to put together a guide and share some tips from our experiments using this handy tool.
What are AI Chatbots?
The most basic explanation is that they are a computer program that simulates human communication. In other words, chatbots are advanced language models that utilise machine-learning techniques to generate human-like text. The one most have heard of is ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI; it is incredibly versatile and can be used to automate various tasks, such as content creation, customer support, content translation, and so much more. Perhaps best of all, they are currently free, although ChatGPT Plus (a superior version) needs to be paid for monthly.
Most professionals consider ChatGPT’s paid version better for professional content creation, but Google Bard and Microsoft’s Bing boast a more dynamic chat experience and the former is actually integrated into the Edge browser giving you real-time information if required. Drawbacks of all AI programs include the tendency to make up information and present it as fact. It is also worth noting that ChatGPT’s current model is currently limited to data up until September 2021 although a workaround is possible on its Plus version via a web browser plugin which is powered by Bing. Meanwhile, Bard and Bing promise up-to-date information however you use their program. Other criticisms have included a lack of understanding of both slang and complex ideas, but as it gains better understanding through human interaction, this is likely to improve rapidly.
Although AI chatbots can’t promise a solution to all your problems, it can be a very useful tool that can save you valuable resources, and may even provide a new source for sales! Bard, for example, was used to discover our TourismTiger services recently, so the intelligence they possess is very impressive. The aim of this blog is to provide a basic understanding of how ChatGPT can be used in the content creation process, and we have some examples of the areas it can be used from our own experiences.
Creating Engaging Tour Descriptions
The first point of contact between a potential tourist and a tour is typically the tour description. An engaging, detailed, and lively description can make all the difference. We think that chatbots can help to generate creative and exciting tour descriptions so if you’re not a professional writer this could prove incredibly valuable. ChatGPT is favoured for being able to act as a personal assistant to your creative writing process, while other programs are more being seen as research assistants. However, whichever AI helper you choose, we strongly recommend that you give a unique voice to the AI content through your own input. And arguably more importantly, it is standard practice with AI-generated content to thoroughly check that the content it generates is accurate and engaging.
Generating Blog Posts
One of the most popular ways of using ChatGPT so far for tour businesses has been in the blog creation process. We all know that regular blog posts on tour operator websites can enhance SEO efforts, provide value to readers, and generate interest in the tours on offer. However, generating that content is very time-consuming. At TourismTiger, we have used it to help think of ideas for blogs, create headlines, and assist in the editing process. If used correctly, ChatGPT can help create informative and engaging blog posts about a huge array of topics. Give it a try, you’ll probably be surprised by how much it can generate – just remember to fact-check it all! Giving clear instructions is absolutely key to getting the best out of chatbots, so use phrases that are directly related to your topic to generate the best ideas and content.
The Bing chatbot can be used to generate images inside the chat function using OpenAI’s DALL-E. However, it should be noted our experiments with this were not successful. We felt the quality of the image generated were poor and error prone – often creating extra limbs on people, blurred key details, and not understanding the task assigned, but feel free to experiment yourselves, we suspect it will improve over time!
Producing Social Media Content
For tour operators, integrating ChatGPT with social media management platforms can automate the process of posting. For example, you can have ChatGPT draft posts about upcoming tours and schedule them across different platforms, ensuring a consistent online presence. With the right integrations, it can answer common questions about your tours, assist in bookings, or provide information about destinations, offering quick and efficient responses to your audience on your social media platforms or website. It can also help generate content ideas, create goal-oriented marketing campaigns, find relevant hashtags and much more.
Additionally, if you’re running ads on social media, ChatGPT can help create compelling ad copies that attract potential tourists. This can be especially useful when you need multiple versions of an ad for A/B testing.
Using Chatbots Responsibly
While ChatGPT can significantly enhance content creation, it is crucial to ensure the AI-generated content aligns with your brand voice and message. Therefore, we recommend always reviewing and adjusting the content created by the chatbots. Use AI for inspiration, and then modify it with your own unique writing style.
At TourismTiger, our professional content creation team has learned how to harness the benefits of these AI tools, we’ve even used it to help us write this blog. Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT can drastically improve the efficiency of content creation for tour operator websites, too. However, the ultimate goal should always be to enhance the user experience, and AI is just a tool to help you achieve this. We recommend strategically integrating ChatGPT into your content creation process to ensure a consistent flow of high-quality content that engages and entices potential tourists. If you have any doubts about how best to use it, then taking a course or hiring a professional writer trained in using AI tools may provide maximum benefit.
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