The role of ChatGPT as a knowledge resource in tourist guidance: A study about tour design

The nature of the tourist guidance profession, which involves direct communication and interaction with tourists in different areas and places, requires the transfer of a wide variety of information in a certain order that will attract the attention of the tourist. This reality causes tourist guides to be characterized as people who are constantly searching for information and trying to find the right information. Tourist guides can obtain the information they need within the scope of their profession from visual media to written media, from old texts to current information, from different sources. The recent addition of artificial intelligence applications to these information sources has also brought the issues of correct and effective use of the information source and compliance with ethical issues to the forefront. Based on this, this study aims to examine the use of ChatGPT as an information source with qualitative research methods, to comparatively analyze the use of artificial intelligence in tour design and the effectiveness of artificial intelligence chatbots (chatbots) in tour design. In light of the results obtained from the interviews conducted between September 20, 2023 and February 20, 2024, it was determined that tour guides used ChatGPT-sourced information in different processes, including direct narration, and that speed and comprehensiveness in the process of obtaining information were the main reasons for preference. The research also observed that artificial intelligence-supported tour designs brought significant advantages over human-centered designs, especially in terms of time and cost, but there were limitations in the context of the spirit of experience. It is anticipated that the research findings will contribute significantly to both sector stakeholders and the literature.