03/31/2025 | 8:00 AM
We're exploring how AI-generated and manipulated images, misleading travel listings and messaging is impacting real travelers.
Audience: adults 18+
Markets: USA, France, Denmark, and Germany
Sample: 1,000 per country
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By the way – these photos...This is Svartifoss waterfall in South Iceland. It's real.
The banner photo is real. It's Vestrahorn mountain on Iceland's southeast coast.
One in three travelers (33%) have felt misled by a travel listing, whether due to overly edited imagery, missing or inaccurate descriptions (36%), or false reviews (27%). Danish consumers in particular are the most attuned to these misrepresentations. Despite this, more than half (54%) still turn to photos when making booking decisions, with Danes again leading the charge.
When assessing the legitimacy of a destination, travelers place their faith in a trio of sources: official websites (60%), peer reviews (57%), and word-of-mouth recommendations. In contrast, AI-generated content is sparking unease.
A staggering 78% of consumers report concerns about fake or AI-generated reviews, with 58% saying such content makes it harder to trust what they see online. Only 19% would book a destination if the main images appeared AI-generated – though nearly half (44%) say they’d reconsider based on strong reviews.
Beyond high prices, travelers are most turned off by negative or inconsistent reviews (51%), AI-generated or “too good to be true” listings (48%), and photos that feel overly staged or unrealistic (42%).
While one in five consumers (21%) have disputed a booking that didn’t live up to its promise, more than two-thirds (68%) have had the opposite experience – delighted to find that reality exceeded expectations.
What makes a destination feel genuinely “real”? For most, it’s tasting local cuisine (59%), exploring cultural landmarks (51%), browsing local markets (47%), and connecting with the region’s history and traditions (42%).
Though headlines tout the promise of AI in travel, just 12% of consumers currently use it to plan their trips. And nearly half (47%) believe destinations shouldn’t be allowed to use AI to enhance their tourism marketing at all.