Can AI identify the best destinations to visit?

ChatGPT selects Paris and Google’s Bard chooses Rome as Europe’s top holiday destination

New research has revealed the holiday hotspots of 2023 according to artificial intelligence, with France and Italy the highest ranking in Europe. 

The study, by Forbes Advisor, asked each AI platform to suggest the best place in Europe for eight different holiday types: romantic, cultured, beach, skiing, culinary, with friends, with family, and the overall best place for a 2023 holiday.

ChatGPT recommended Barcelona in Spain for a holiday with friends, Santorini in Greece for a romantic break, Florence in Italy for a cultural getaway, The Algarve in Portugal for a beach holiday, Copenhagen in Denmark for a family holiday, and Zermatt in Switzerland as the best place for a ski holiday. It also suggested France twice: Lyon as best for a culinary break and Paris as best overall destination.

Google’s Bard also featured France twice in its recommendations, suggested Paris for a romantic break and Val Thorens in the French Alps for skiers.

It suggested Rome as the go-to destination for culture and as the best overall holiday. Amsterdam was top spot for a holiday with friends and a more general ‘The Netherlands’ as best for a family break. 

The chatbots’ suggestions for family holidays are perhaps less traditional – ChatGPT recommends the Danish capital Copenhagen, while Bard suggests The Netherlands, without naming a particular city.

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Forbes Advisor’s travel insurance expert Laura Howard said: “The explosion in popularity of AI chatbots this year has prompted various predictions about how AI could influence the way people work and spend their leisure and holiday time.

“It’s interesting to discover which places AI selects across various types of travel – and in fact that two of the largest platforms, ChatGPT and Bard, only agree on one point, that Italy is the best country to visit for culture. 

“Right now, however, the vast majority of us continue to rely on good old-fashioned web searches for our holiday research, whether that’s for destinations, flights, hotels or car hire.”

For more information, visit Forbes Advisor