World Tourism Day celebrations put AI in the spotlight

AI may sound complicated, but its role in tourism is becoming much easier to understand, and it could create new opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses.

World Tourism Day was celebrated on Sunday, 27 September 2027, with South Africa’s official celebrations taking place in Limpopo. The message was clear: the future of travel will increasingly involve the digital traveller, as people are using technology to discover, plan and book their trips.

South Africa celebrated under the theme “Growing South Africa’s Tourism Sector in the Digital Era”, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Tourism.

Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said South Africa must use digital platforms and artificial intelligence to make the country more visible and accessible to travellers, while ensuring that rural destinations, townships, small towns and emerging tourism businesses are also seen by potential visitors.

“Digital transformation should make it easier for travellers to discover, compare and book South African experiences, while giving smaller tourism businesses access to global customers,” said Minister de Lille.

AI is easier than it sounds

The official UN Tourism World Tourism Day celebrations in San Salvador, El Salvador, also placed AI at the centre of the programme.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais hosted the event, and the programme explored how travellers are already using AI to plan trips and create personalised itineraries, often before they have even arrived at their destination.

Under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, the message was not about making tourism more technical. It was about showing how simple digital tools can help people find places to visit, decide what to do and plan their journeys.

The forum demonstrated AI in practical ways rather than simply talking about it. It showed how the technology can help governments, tourism businesses and travellers make better decisions, develop new skills and help destinations become easier to discover.

According to Gerrit Davids of Gerom Media, an agency that compiles tourism rankings and facilitator of the ‘AI Destination Itineraries’ workshop, “AI is changing how travellers discover destinations. The opportunity is to make every destination easier to discover, explore and experience.”

The message from this year's celebrations is therefore simple, “AI does not have to be complicated. Tourism businesses and destinations can start by using it to solve everyday problems, tell their stories better and help travellers find what they are looking for,” said Davids.

Next year's World Tourism Day celebrations will be held in Cape Verde, with many African countries expected to participate and showcase how they are embracing the changing digital travel landscape.