The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists
The analysis of the spatial location of tourists is essential for effective tourism management. This study explores the potential effects of large language models (LLMs) on urban travel planning. Despite growing academic interest in LLMs, empirical research on their specific impact on urban tourist...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Urban Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/268 |
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| author | Daniel Paül i Agustí |
| author_facet | Daniel Paül i Agustí |
| author_sort | Daniel Paül i Agustí |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The analysis of the spatial location of tourists is essential for effective tourism management. This study explores the potential effects of large language models (LLMs) on urban travel planning. Despite growing academic interest in LLMs, empirical research on their specific impact on urban tourist locations remains limited, even though these models may significantly affect tourist behavior and spatial dynamics. This article compares the location of heritage sites in the city of Barcelona that are traditionally visited by tourists (as identified through Instagram) with those recommended by ChatGPT. The results show that ChatGPT tends to recommend a much smaller and more spatially concentrated number of tourist attractions than those shared on Instagram. The findings indicate that ChatGPT reinforces mainstream representations of cities by prioritizing well-known landmarks, potentially overlooking emerging or local attractions. This simplification can lead to tourist overcrowding and the marginalization of less-visited areas. Likewise, it may entail new needs for the management of urban spaces. Urban planners and tourism managers may need to intervene to redistribute tourist flows in a context where various models of tourist behavior will coexist. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-232fd4ed0f2b41a3902430a72aeed10f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-232fd4ed0f2b41a3902430a72aeed10f2025-08-20T03:56:46ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-07-019726810.3390/urbansci9070268The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of TouristsDaniel Paül i Agustí0Departament de Geografia, Història i Història de l’Art, Universitat de Lleida, Plaça Víctor Siurana 1, 25003 Lleida, SpainThe analysis of the spatial location of tourists is essential for effective tourism management. This study explores the potential effects of large language models (LLMs) on urban travel planning. Despite growing academic interest in LLMs, empirical research on their specific impact on urban tourist locations remains limited, even though these models may significantly affect tourist behavior and spatial dynamics. This article compares the location of heritage sites in the city of Barcelona that are traditionally visited by tourists (as identified through Instagram) with those recommended by ChatGPT. The results show that ChatGPT tends to recommend a much smaller and more spatially concentrated number of tourist attractions than those shared on Instagram. The findings indicate that ChatGPT reinforces mainstream representations of cities by prioritizing well-known landmarks, potentially overlooking emerging or local attractions. This simplification can lead to tourist overcrowding and the marginalization of less-visited areas. Likewise, it may entail new needs for the management of urban spaces. Urban planners and tourism managers may need to intervene to redistribute tourist flows in a context where various models of tourist behavior will coexist.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/268spatial analystimage gapstourist destinationsChatGPTInstagramBarcelona |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Paül i Agustí The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists Urban Science spatial analyst image gaps tourist destinations ChatGPT Barcelona |
| title | The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists |
| title_full | The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists |
| title_fullStr | The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists |
| title_short | The Concentrated City: Effects of AI-Generated Travel Advice on the Spatial Distribution of Tourists |
| title_sort | concentrated city effects of ai generated travel advice on the spatial distribution of tourists |
| topic | spatial analyst image gaps tourist destinations ChatGPT Barcelona |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/7/268 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielpauliagusti theconcentratedcityeffectsofaigeneratedtraveladviceonthespatialdistributionoftourists AT danielpauliagusti concentratedcityeffectsofaigeneratedtraveladviceonthespatialdistributionoftourists |